Denver's Chinatown: An Erasure

Imaginary Chinatowns

Complementing our manuscript of erasure and found poetry, drawn from archival sources documenting the Anti-Chinese Riots of 1880 in Denver, which contributed to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 – we used augmented reality images to illustrate the violence that happened during the massacre, as well as images of what Denver might look like today if the Chinatown there had not been destroyed.

Fringe Festival play description:

Bringing to light the erasure of Denver’s old Chinatown, which in 1880, was destroyed overnight when a violent mob composed of 10% of Denver’s population at the time, incited by partisan political rhetoric and anti-Asian prejudice, stormed the immigrant neighborhood, beating, looting and lynching Chinese residents. Through storytelling, historical documents, and imaginative use of AI / AR technologies, the tour will explore the downtown streets between Wazee and Larimer, once home to the biggest Chinatown of the Rocky Mountain region. The timing of the Denver Riot contributed to the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and broader restrictions on Chinese immigration to the United States that persisted for over 100 years. In light of upcoming elections, we will come together to think about the partisan nature of anti-immigrant propaganda, and re-imagine Denver as a sanctuary city without racial prejudice.

Our artwork is on exhibit at the Denver History Museum, as well as part of the AAPI Culture Festival in Denver this past May.

I performed part of the piece as spoken word poetry at the 2024 Lighthouse Literary Festival and the Mercury Poetry Cafe.

Kyle and I also gave a talk at the Redline Contemporary Art Museum about our process for developing this piece on August 16, 2024.