We are excited to announce that we will be back at be/longing’s Seated With Strangers event this year at EatonHK! Last year, we were joined by our phase one Navigating Belonging (NavBe) participants A and U, who shared their experiences of participating in the NavBe workshops. This time around, we will be publicly launching our 13 digital stories — the culmination of a series of photovoice and digital storytelling workshops that took place throughout last year — at Seated With Strangers! Participants from all three phases (hosted at the Christian Action Centre for Refugees, HKUST, and Dream Impact, respectively) will join us for the panel discussion and the subsequent human library session. Join us to celebrate the fruits of our co-creation and learn more about our creation process from 5:30 to 7:00 PM on March 16th (Sat) at Kino Cinema @ EatonHK!

Seated with Strangers 2024: Joy as an Act of Resilience

Being in Hong Kong, you have likely been asked to「搭檯」daap3 toi2 upon being seated at a packed cha chaan teng. This phrase means to eat while seated with strangers at the same table. We wanted to use this phrase to continue the important conversation about what it means to not only make room for each other, but to celebrate each other. This year, be/longing returns with a series of experiential workshops co-created with local artists of diverse backgrounds to celebrate the things that bring us joy. Joy is a place where communities find strength, solace, and shared resilience.

To kick off our event on Saturday, the 16th of March, pull up a chair and listen to the stories of local artists from diverse backgrounds. This will be followed by the launch of the "Navigating Belonging" photography exhibition. Navigating Belonging is a community-based research project co-badged with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. To end the night, join us for a screening of “Fallen Leaves, Broken Lighters” (2024), put together by 7 Hong Kong-based directors.

On Sunday, the 17th March, get your creative juices flowing for a poetry workshop with writer, Sa’diyya Nesar and a Zine-making workshop hosted by Beatrix Pang of Small Tune Press as well as Filipino Graphic Designer and Illustrator, Daniella Bilo of be/longing. These workshops will be followed by an afternoon of live music and poetry readings. Share the work you’ve created in the previous workshops alongside migrant domestic worker creatives involved in the recent anthology, “Ingat.”

Date: 16th - 17th March, 2024
Venue: Eaton House HK, Jordan

Register at THIS LINK to reserve your tickets!