Bio
Taien Ng-Chan is a writer and media artist whose interests include space, place, and alternative practices of mapping, which she brings into her work as a founding member of the artist-research collective Hamilton Perambulatory Unit (HPU), and as Chair of the Commission for Art and Cartography at the International Cartographers Association. In addition to essays in publications such as Humanities, Wi: Journal of Mobile Media, and Intermedialities (upcoming), Taien has published four books and anthologies of creative writing, produced multimedia arts websites, and written for stage, screen, and CBC Radio. Her media works have been exhibited in film festivals and galleries across Canada and internationally. Taien won the City of Hamilton Established Artist Award in Media Arts in 2019. Currently, she teaches in Cinema and Media Arts at York University.
Questionaire
Why did you get involved in this project?
It was forwarded to me from my colleague John Greyson, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for a quick, fun project to get creative juices going!
Did the one week turn-around for the work help or hinder your creativity?
Definitely helpful to have a quick deadline, not too much thinking.
How did you feel about working on a project where you didn’t know who you were collaborating with?
That was part of the fun... working with random strangers.
Has being involved in the project changed your thoughts on creativity?
Not really. I often work collaboratively, with constraints of some kind, or with quick turnaround on small, fun things.
If you worked on several videos, what kept you coming back for more and how many did you do?
I worked on two videos, one editing and one sound (my main areas of interest), to try one of each.