{"id":21926,"date":"2022-02-09T15:41:12","date_gmt":"2022-02-09T14:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonnierskonsthall.se\/?post_type=bonnier_exhibition&p=21926"},"modified":"2026-06-11T09:44:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T07:44:39","slug":"dreamers-quay-2022","status":"publish","type":"bonnier_exhibition","link":"https:\/\/bonnierskonsthall.se\/en\/utstallning\/lap-see-lam-dreamers-quay\/dreamers-quay-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Dreamers Quay, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dreamers Quay, 2022<\/h2><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Transcription from the artwork Dreamers\u2019 Quay, Dreamers\u2019 Key <\/em>(2022) by Lap-See Lam. Produced by Bonniers Konsthall. The transcription was originally published as a booklet \u2013 produced in conjunction with the exhibition. The booklet can be collected at Bonniers Konsthall for free.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Characters: <\/strong>The Teenager A\u2019Yan, Mother Shirley, The Singing Chef, The Master of Ceremonies, Prince Gustav, Afock, The Three Jugglers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Narrators: <\/strong>The Teenager A\u2019Yan, The Listening Tree, The Singing Chef<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1978, Choy\u2019s Garden, Nyk\u00f6ping<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Tree: <\/b>Left, right, left, right, up, up, down, down, and round in a circle. Have you heard the legend of the Singing Chef? It starts at the restaurant Choy\u2019s Garden. It\u2019s 1978 and fifteen-year-old A\u2019Yan is standing in the kitchen with her hands in the sink. A\u2019 Yan is angry, as usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of her mother Shirley scolding in Cantonese*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan: <\/b>I\u2019m not spoiled! I\u2019m standing here and washing dishes in your restaurant, aren\u2019t I!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> One generation sacrifices itself for the next. Is it really logical that time erases all the hard work and dries the sweat that has settled like glue on the shoulders of our forebears?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of her mother Shirley praying at the altar*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> Mom starts praying to her restaurant gods and I go to the far end of the kitchen to smoke a cigarette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of a creaking door*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> \u2026there\u2019s the rice barrel that I used to stick my hands into as a child. It was a game\u2026 or a kind of comfort. And now I want to do it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of rice grains*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> One hundred and fifty kilos of cold rice\u2026 this is exactly what it felt like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Singing Chef: \u4e9e<\/b>\u6069\uff0c\u4f60\u8981\u7d93\u6b77\u6574\u500b\u904e \u7a0b\uff0c\u7136\u5f8c\u5148\u81f3\u660e\u767d\u6240\u6709\u4e00\u5207\u3002\u8137\u7cfb\u5fc3\u81df\u5605\u82d7\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> A\u2019Yan hears a voice calling her name. She is pulled down. Her elbows, upper arms, upper body, all of her is swallowed up in the barrel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> The kitchen is dissolving, I see colors, red, black, and gold flickering before my eyelids. It\u2019s raining dragon scales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1753, THE CHINESE PAVILION, Drottningholm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I wake up. My body is frozen in a movement; I\u2019m standing in a magnificent hall with patterned wallpaper. In the middle of the hall servants are laying a table. Everyone is dressed in old-fashioned costumes and white wigs. Nobody seems to notice me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> It\u2019s 1753 and the place is the Chinese Pavilion at the Drottningholm Palace. A\u2019Yan is dressed like a housemaid. Now a strict voice calls: \u201cBe careful with the china! How dare you lose your composure on the Queen\u2019s birthday!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of jostling china*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> My gaze moves between the porcelain teapot in my shaking hand and the man in front of me. The warm tea smells of jasmine. I flinch and a few drops land on the polished marble floor. What\u2019s happening? The rice barrel must have been some kind of portal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> The man is wearing the whitest wig in the hall. He points his entire hand in A\u2019Yan\u2019s direction and shouts: \u201cI can\u2019t bear the sight of your worthless person! As the Master of Ceremonies, I order you to disappear immediately! Shoo!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of a boy crying*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I sneak out towards the door, and catch sight of a little boy. As I approach I notice that he\u2019s crying. His silk outfit is stained with tears and snot. He\u2019s carrying a red velvet pillow. The boy brings it closer and says: \u201cThe key\u2026 I have lost it! The King can\u2019t know\u2026 Please, can you help me look for it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> The boy takes A\u2019Yan\u2019s hand and they look behind curtains and peek into vases. He opens a cupboard full of porcelain figures. \u201cMy parents are enamored with the Far East,\u201d says the Prince who one day will be the king of Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of music*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> The little boy runs ahead of me through the pavilion. Wait! I come to a halt at a room divider. Mom had a similar one at Choy\u2019s Garden. The motifs are gold, silver, and red depicting a river with rowing boats and ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> \u201cThere\u2019s the Dragon Boat,\u201d says the Prince. \u201cThey are having a big celebration where they offer gifts.\u201d He smiles slyly \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of a key falling*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> \u2026a large, gleaming key falls out of his suit!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> Did you have it all along?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> Right then the Master of Ceremonies enters the hall: \u201cCatch the thief \u2013 she stole my key!\u201d the Prince exclaims, pointing at A\u2019Yan. The Master of Ceremonies looks furious, his cheeks are red against the white wig. The two guards behind him pull their sabers and the blades look really sharp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> One of the guards looks me in the eye. He has a thin, twirled moustache and a scar on his cheek\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Singing Chef: <\/b>\u5c31\u597d\u4f3c\u81d8\u8178\u72d7\u626e\u6210\u8cb4\u5a66 \u72d7\u4e00\u6a23\u3002\u4f60\u53ef\u4ee5\u7ee7\u7eed\u4f60\u5605\u65c5\u7a0b\uff0c\u4f46\u5514\u597d\u5514\u8bb0\u5f97\u4ed4 \u7ec6\u89c2\u5bdf\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> What do you mean? He is saying, \u201cyou can continue on your journey like a dachshund disguised as a poodle, but don\u2019t forget to look closely\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> Just as the Master of Ceremonies pulls at her skirts, A\u2019Yan turns towards the room divider. The image vibrates and the waves are moving. She takes a step and disappears into the picture with the river and the Dragon Boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1991\u20132018, The Dragon Boat
1786, East India Company\u2019s vessel
ADOLPH FREDERIC<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> Left, right, left, right, up, up, down, down, and round in a circle. A\u2019Yan opens her eyes and sees an overcast sky. She\u2019s on the open sea. A raindrop falls onto her cheek. She grabs hold of the railing and vomits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I look up and see a golden dragon head that extends out of the ship\u2019s fore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of a creaking ship*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE SINGING CHEF:<\/strong> \u5de6\u53f3\u5de6\u53f3\u4e0a\u4e0a\u4e0b\u4e0b,\u570d\u6210 \u500b\u5708\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> There\u2019s a wooden door standing ajar and I make my way down some stairs into the cabin. From a door frame hangs a spider\u2019s web. The light flickers and I catch sight of a shadow at the far end of the corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> It\u2019s a man in a black hat. He wears his hair in a long plait. \u201cCabin boy!\u201d calls the man to A\u2019Yan. He throws his long plait over his shoulder. \u201cCan you shine my boots?\u2026 I\u2019m to meet Sweden\u2019s King Gustav III when we disembark.\u201d Reluctantly A\u2019Yan crouches down and starts rubbing a cloth against the leather. \u201cThis ship is a treasure chest of East Indian dreams,\u201d says the man and takes out a porcelain platter. The rim is decorated with gold and his name is written in the middle: Afock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of music*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> \u201cShowing off a Cantonese merchant is a feather in the cap of the East Indian Company,\u201d says Afock while A\u2019Yan continues polishing his shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of music*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I join Afock on deck and see a large crowd gathered in a harbor. It seems like the whole town has come to welcome the vessel. People are waving white handkerchiefs, whistling, and clapping. I see him as we land \u2013 the \u201cman with the moustache and the scar!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE SINGING CHEF:<\/strong> \u4e00\u559c\u9a45\u767e\u6182\u3002\u4f60\u5514\u80fd\u591f\u505c \u7559\u55ba\u5462\u5ea6\uff0c\u4f60\u5fc5\u9808\u8981\u524d\u8fdb\uff01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019YAN:<\/strong> He shouts: \u201cOne joy dispels a hundred cares. You must continue on your journey!\u201d Then I see colors, red and gold \u2013 and I realize what\u2019s happening. It\u2019s raining dragon scales, and everything goes black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1944, Berns Kinesiska, Stockholm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> Left, right, left, right, up, up, down, down, and round in a circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of a reporter from the archives of Sveriges Radio*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I\u2019m walking after a man who is talking into a microphone. His voice is captured by a recording device. It is heavy and unwieldy. I know this because it is my hands that are carrying the device as I follow the reporter\u2019s quick steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b> It is 1944 and A\u2019Yan is at Berns in Stockholm \u2013 at the opening of Sweden\u2019s first Chinese restaurant. It has happened again. She has vanished and materialized in a new location. A dining hall full of guests in fancy attire. Red rice paper lamps are suspended from the ceiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of a reporter from the archives of Sveriges Radio*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I enter the kitchen and find three chefs in white clothes. When I point at a bowl with pickled vegetables and ask \u201cIs that Cha Choi<\/em>?\u201d their faces light up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> The three chefs had completely different dreams when they arrived in Stockholm. The New China Troupe, as the trio was called, were jugglers that came here to perform at China Teatern. The war prevented them from returning home so now they are working here in the kitchen, at the hotel next to the theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of falling dragon scales*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> Suddenly one of the chefs shouts \u201cWatch out, move aside!\u201d Something heavy and sharp lands right in front of my feet. A \u2026 glittering golden dragon scale?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b> When A\u2019Yan looks up, it\u2019s as if time has frozen. The chefs are standing stock still right in the middle of flipping a Chop Suey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Singing Chef: [<\/b>singing] I am sailing, I am sailing, home again, across the sea\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I follow the voice and move back into the dining area, which is now completely empty. The lights have been switched off and there on a stage in front of the velvet curtains is the man with the moustache and the scar. He is wearing a suit that seems to be changing color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Singing Chef: [<\/b>singing] I am sailing, I am sailing, home again, across the sea\u2026 We are sailing, stormy water. To be near you. To be free. Can you help me, can you help me? Through the dark night, far away. I am dying, forever crying. To be near you. To be free\u2026 Ladies and gentleman. I thank you, you thank me\u2026 and I am the Singing Chef.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of footsteps*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> The Singing Chef exits the stage. I go after him and call: \u201cHallo! Where am I? What is happening?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Singing Chef: <\/b>\u5509\uff0c\u6709\u5187\u641e\u9519\uff0c\u5514\u53c8\u7cfb\u4f60\u22ef<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> Without turning around he answers: \u201cOh no, not you again.\u201d But I continue running after him. \u201cYou have to tell me how to get out of this! How do I get back?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Singing Chef: <\/b>\u4f60\u8981\u7528\u773c\u7747\u6e05\u695a\uff0c\u505a\u8db3\u773c \u90e8\u904b\u52d5\uff01\u5de6\u53f3\u5de6\u53f3\u4e0a\u4e0a\u4e0b\u4e0b\uff0c\u570d\u6210\u500b\u5708\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> He says: \u201cYou have to see the whole picture and train your eyes. Left, right, left, right, up, up, down, down, and round in a circle.\u201d The Singing Chef walks on backstage and the lights start blinking. Everything is shaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Singing Chef:<\/strong> \u6211\u54cb\u55ba\u5922\u60f3\u78bc\u982d\u898b\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> The last I hear him say is: \u201cSee you at the Dreamers\u2019 Quay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No particular time, Dreamers\u2019 Quay<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Singing Chef: <\/b>\u5de6\u53f3\u5de6\u53f3\u4e0a\u4e0a\u4e0b\u4e0b,\u570d\u6210 \u500b\u5708\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree: <\/b>A\u2019Yan gazes out towards a silent horizon. It\u2019s dusk and the sea smells of salt. She stands leaning against a sign that says Dreamers\u2019 Quay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> Through the fog I see the Dragon Boat slowly sailing towards the quay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> Time seems to be dissolving more and more, and A\u2019Yan doesn\u2019t know when she is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of footsteps.*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I hear footsteps and turn around. Mom is standing there wearing a trench coat and sunglasses. She is carrying a brown leather bag and smoking a cigarette. It\u2019s as if we don\u2019t recognize each other properly. \u201cMom\u2026? What\u2019s happening?\u201d She takes off her sunglasses, stubs out her cigarette and says: \u201cLet\u2019s ask the restaurant gods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> A\u2019Yan\u2019s mother opens her bag and takes out rice wine, incense, and a net of oranges. She pours the wine into small porcelain cups until they overflow. She stacks the oranges into a pile. She lights the incense and hands some to A\u2019Yan. \u201cWe pray to you morning and night, for protection and that our dreams will be fulfilled. We pray for good health and luck for our family,\u201d says A\u2019Yan\u2019s mother. If you offer gifts to Guan Gong, he will protect the restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I have never really believed in mom\u2019s gods, but now I pray with all my heart. I close my eyes and take mom\u2019s hand. It feels like it always does, warm with a firm grip, yet I am still not certain if this is my real mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of waves*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> A thud can be heard from the quay and the Dragon Boat docks. Mom takes her bag and walks towards it. Then I catch sight of the people standing in the fore. It\u2019s Afock, the Jugglers, and the Singing Chef. They wave at me as mom embarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> Time slows. A warm wind sweeps by. The Dragon Boat lifts the anchor and sets sails towards the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Singing Chef: \u5de6\u53f3<\/b>\u5de6\u53f3\u4e0a\u4e0a\u4e0b\u4e0b,\u570d\u6210 \u500b\u5708\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of dragon scales falling*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> A\u2019Yan looks left, right, left, right, up, up, down, down, round and round in a circle \u2026 and then she looks up and sees constellations in the night sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> But they are not stars! They are floating restaurants that light up one by one. And I recognize them all: Choy\u2019s Garden, Winner House, New Peking City, Ming Palace, Bamboo Garden, and China Garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tree:<\/b><\/strong> \u2013 You, me, you, me, we, we, you, you, together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> \u2013 You, me, you, me, we, we, you, you, together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*The sound of many dragon scales falling*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u2019Yan:<\/strong> I lose count and get dizzy. One dragon scale falls\u2026 then another. And for every scale that falls, a restaurant is extinguished. Soon, I am standing in black nothingness, with a sky full of dragon scales raining down over the Dreamers\u2019 Quay<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Utst\u00e4llning<\/p>\n\n\n\n