Care and Survive. participatory workshop
보살피고 살아남기. 관객 참여 워크샵
workshop led by a Chinese massage therapist, Lisa Wang. 1 hour. April 2024
I invited Lisa Wang, a Chinese migrant massage therapist and my interviewee, who has lived in Cincinnati for more than a few decades. She led a workshop with 10 local participants, teaching her self-care and caregiving massage techniques. Through Wang’s demonstrations, participants learned ways to care for their own bodies and for others, discussing resilience and well-being.
The workshop reimagined the participants’ bodies—not as those of customers, but as potential migrants navigating displacement and survival in unfamiliar contexts, relying solely on their bare hands. It proposed a shift in perspective, encouraging care to be seen not just as a service but as an essential practice for survival.
10여명의 신시네티 지역민들이 모여 중국인 이민자 마사지사 리사 왕 (Lisa Wang)에게 그녀가 오랜 세월 고객들과 본인의 몸에 수행한 마사지법과 셀프 케어법을 배웠다. 그녀의 이민자 여성으로서의 생존술 (경제적 자립과 신체적 케어)을 다양한 시범과 연습을 통해 전수받았다.
photo by Elliot Myers