How heavy is a city’s colonial legacies? “Ta-Chim” means balances in Patuá, a critically endangered creole language from Macau, the Portuguese colony whose sovereignty was transferred to China in 1999. It explores "weight" both literally as heaviness and figuratively as the immeasurable colonial past.
Through remaking a traditional Cantonese festive plaque, maritime legacies between Lisbon and Macau are told through the circulations of calçada Portuguesa, the stone paving once used as ballasts to stabilize trading ships. The material’s historical weight partakes in the balancing act of casino urbanism and localized heritage in post-colonial Macau. A performance will be held on October 31.