Entangled Biosecurity

Entangled Biosecurity is a multispecies ethnography of Wanggung, Iksan City, South Korea. In Wanggung, where people affected by leprosy were quarantined and encouraged into state-sanctioned pig farming, multiple ontological enactments of human and animal bodies, diseases, and waste arise. By examining different modes of biosecurity measures taken for leprosy, COVID-19, and foot and mouth disease, this presentation examines the way in which care and control coexist within the territorial containers designed for disease and waste control.

American Anthropological Association
2024 Annual Conference: Praxis

11/20/2024 - 11/24/2024

Recylced Places

Recycled Places delves into the making of the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS), a small community museum that chronicles the rich history of community resilience of the Lower East Side Manhattan. Following the economic stagnation in the 1970s, many buildings that were seized by the city for nonpayment of taxes were left vacant. Squatters reclaimed these tenements, and after multiple attempts of forced eviction and resistance, the city offered to legalize the occupation. Squatters of C-Squat collectively decided to rent out the first-floor storefront, which now houses MoRUS. While transforming the squat into a museum, certain parts such as walls with murals were preserved, while other elements were thoughtfully recycled and repurposed. Through a broad contour of the making of MoRUS from C-Squat, this study aims to suggest a more holistic approach to sustainable urban heritage conservation.

International Council of Museums
ICAMT 50th Annual Conference

10/6/2024 - 10/10/2024

Facing the Mannequin

Facing the Mannequin dives into the unique backstories behind the mannequins still used in the Hall of Asian Peoples, which opened in 1980 at the American Museum of Natural History. How effectively do the mannequins in the Hall of Asian Peoples represent their respective cultures? Historically, ethnographic museums have used mannequins to teach their visitors about cultures from around the world. But today most museums find other ways to do this same work. Many think that mannequins cannot represent an entire race, culture or group of people; others are concerned that mannequins freeze cultures in time.

Gardner D. Stout Hall of Asian Peoples
The American Museum of Natural History
200 Central Park West, New York, NY

05/09/2023 - Ongoing