Hem 243 Series: The Oc Seller

Background: Addressing the re-presentation of a unique set of alleyways in District 4, HCMC, Vietnam, this film documents the rhythmic production of space (Lefebvre, H), its temporal and ephemeral properties that are defined by the culture of place, community, and family. The film uses a montage of experiential moving image impressions of the alleyways to construct a third experience of place through the film. The film builds a description of a space, and through this portrays the everyday as an unseen communal property. My research asks: Through a montaged description of place, can the value of the unseen everyday experience be disclosed? Contribution: The alleyway network houses over 80% of the HCMC’s population. The ubiquity of this urban form ensures its anonymity when considering issues of heritage. This film identifies the intangible heritage that emerges from the relations between community and place. Using a series of post-production processes this work montages sequences of a single space. The processes reconstitute an experience of place, into a simple impression, and is framed by an ongoing exploration of sensory experience within HCMC’s urban spaces. My practice, speaks to the underlying rhythm of place, that is explicitly located in this built environment. The film highlights a small but important intangible heritage, thus creating a value in everyday spaces. Significance: The film was awarded a third-place laurel, by the jury of the Venice Architecture Film Festival. The festival aims the widen the discourse, both local and international, around challenges for the city, economic and social. The festival ran alongside the Venice Biennale, and reached the wide audience it attracts. In placing this film within an architecture festival, it communicates the delicate position of the alleyways, and the intangible heritages that exist there to an audience interested in urban spaces.<p></p>