Reflections on the AMCA Project

These are my reflections on the AMCA Project. Jenn’s past blog introduced our working with the AMCA to create a website for my father’s work. You can read about the particulars in “AMCA Website Project.”

I am still amazed how my father’s artwork continues to come to light, taking on a life of it’s own.  It confirms for me that one never knows from whence the next opportunity arises. Much of the information was given to us through friends and networking, an informal way of getting things done. The Chinese call it guanxi. While networking in the west is a more formal way of doing business, the Chinese have made guanxi the primary, if not the only, way to do business. It really is who you know, not what you know!

Jenn started with only one reference, and somehow now has a whole community that’s involved with this work. The reference to AMCA came from Professor Francesca dal Lago, one of the first scholars who was a tremendous help in providing us with material and introducing us to other experts in the field.

After meeting with Jennifer Chang, one of the co-founders of AMCA, I got the feeling that this project with them brings my father’s work to the next level. Jenn has been doing the bulk of the research and organization of materials and contacts with some assistance from Matthew and myself . With the advent of AMCA, I feel that this symbolizes a collective collaboration. Again, I’m not sure where this will lead. However, if past experience holds, I’m sure it will lead us to the next stage.

My father,the architect and my daughter Jenn, whose day job, ironically, is in construction design and sales, would both say – a solid building must start with a strong foundation, from the bottom up. Bringing out my father’s work certainly feels that way. We are “building” a sturdy infrastructure so that the his work will accurately reflect the man and his art in the historical, political, and cultural context of his day.

 

 

 

 

Gayook (Liou) Wong