Avenues, Alleys, and Alchemy! Panel Discussion
Saturday, September 7th, 2024
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Clubhouse, Waverly Place
Edge on the Square presents Avenues, Alleys, and Alchemy! panel discussion that explores the intersection between the elements, Feng Shui, and Urban Planning Design. Moderator Yu-Chung Li speaks with Fay Darmawi, Erin Masako Wilkins, Master Ko, and Tanja Geis about the mystical power of the elements, ancient philosophy, and Taoism (including feng shui) as it relates to urban planning, landscape architecture, architectural design, art, and culture.
High Five Festival Panelists
Yu-Chung Li, Moderator
Yu-Chung Li is a registered landscape architect. His diverse training in civil engineering, urbanism, and landscape architecture provides him with broad perspectives on complex urban, natural, and social systems. He is passionate about exploring the dialogue between human and nature, science and art, logic and chaos, through working with conflicts and interactions.
His design philosophy is centered on people, dialectical and inclusive. Yu-Chung believes that quality outdoor spaces are fundamental in supporting everyday life. He views design as more than just beautiful backdrops for human activity but a crucial, transformative driver for economic and social improvements. He has been involved in several projects in San Francisco Chinatown, including Ping Yuen public housing rehabilitation and Portsmouth Square renovation.
Before moving to the United States, Yu-Chung worked as a planner collaborating with diverse communities in Taiwan at a not-for-profit organization specializing in community-based planning and design.
He studied urbanism at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and received a professional degree in landscape architecture from University of California, Berkeley. Currently he teaches design studios at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of San Francisco.
Erin Masako Wilkins
Erin Masako Wilkins is an Asian American herbalist, acupuncturist, and educator who has treated patients for years and taught workshops for those seeking more information about herbal healing. Erin's work is rooted in East Asian energetic theory –– tapping into her own ancestral healing traditions to empower others to restore health and prevent illness. And she remains a dedicated activist at the intersection of herbalism, racial equity, and environmental justice.
Her book, “Asian American Herbalism: Traditional and Modern Healing Practices for Everyday Wellness,” is at the intersection of North American folk herbalism and traditional Chinese medicine. Remarkably, she is one of the first AAPI authors on this subject for a general audience and approaches this work from a deeply personal place. She runs HerbFolkShop.com, offers virtual holistic health consultations, and teaches herbalism courses online and in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. To connect, visit HerbFolkShop.com or Instagram @herbfolkmedicine.
Fay Darmawi
Fay Darmawi is a social practice artist who focuses on cities, storytelling, and media. She is the Founder and Executive Producer of the SF Urban Film Fest, a film festival focused on civic engagement inspired by great storytelling. Fay is an immigrant from Jakarta, Indonesia but calls San Francisco, where she raised her now college-aged twin sons, her hometown.
Master Ko Si Hing
Master Ko Si Hing is the Executive Director of The Lotus Taoism Institute. The Lotus Taoism Institute was founded in San Francisco in 2013 by Taoist master Gao Xinji to promote Taoist teachings and preserve traditional Chinese culture in a modern diasporic context. Derived from the Long Men (‘Dragon Gate’) School of Taoism, the temple focuses on meditation, self-reflection, and self-healing practices in the serene Outer Sunset district. Taoist deities from Chinese mythology bless the space with a solemn yet uplifting atmosphere. In 2022, the organization became the Lotus Tao Culture Association, a non-profit serving community members from all walks of life.
Tanja Geis
Tanja Geis creates site-based visual art that explores the potential of intimacy within human-disturbed marine and coastal ecosystems. She holds an MFA in Art Practice from UC Berkeley, an MA in Marine Management from the University of Akureyri, Iceland, and a BA in Fine Art from Yale University. Geis has exhibited her work at FOR-SITE, the Berkeley Art Museum, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, the Institute of Contemporary Art in San Francisco and San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Art, and galleries in Iceland, Scotland, England, Hong Kong, and Japan.
She has participated in artist residencies at the Headlands Center for the Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, the Djerassi Resident Artist Program, the Blue Mountain Center, and the Kala Art Institute. Geis also serves on the board of Women Eco Artists. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she is now based in Oakland.
High Five 小組討論
藝在棱角呈獻High Five:- 探索華埠的五行力量，當中的小組討論探索元素、道教和城市規劃設計之間的相交點。景觀建築師李宇中將與藝術家Fay Darmawi、Erin Masako Wilkins、妙蓮仙館的高道長和Tanja Geis探討元素的神秘力量、古代哲學和道教（包括風水），與城市規劃、景觀設計、建築設計、藝術和文化各方面之間的關係。
李宇中- 主持人
李宇中是一位註冊景觀建築師，他在土木工程、都市研究和景觀建築各方面的多元訓練，使他擁有廣泛的視角來看待複雜的城市、自然和社會系統。通過衝突和互動，他熱衷於探索人與自然、科學與藝術、邏輯與混亂之間的對話。
李宇中的設計理念以人為本，採用辯證與包容的設計方法。他認為優質的戶外空間對支持日常生活至關重要，設計對他而言，不僅僅是人類活動的美麗背景，更是推動經濟和社會變革的重要驅動力。他曾參與舊金山華埠的平園公宅修復景觀設計及花園角廣場的整建設計。
搬到美國之前，李宇中在台灣專門從事社區規劃與設計的非營利組織--台灣大學城鄉基金會--擔任規劃師，與各種社區團體合作。
他曾在荷蘭的台夫特理工大學學習都市研究，並擁有加州大學伯克利分校的景觀建築專業學位。目前他在加州大學伯克利分校和舊金山大學教授建築及地景設計課程。
Erin Masako Wilkins
Erin Masako Wilkins是一名亞裔草藥師、針灸師和教育家，除了治療患者多年外，他亦任教工作坊，教導那些想知道更多有關草藥治療的人。Erin的工作紥根於東亞能量理論––
加上她祖傳的療養傳統技術，幫助他人恢復健康和預防疾病。與此同時，她亦是草藥學、實現種族平等和環境正義的活躍分子。
她的著作，“亞裔草藥學：日常保健的傳統與現代治療方法”，游走於北美民間草藥學和傳統中醫學。值得留意的是，她是其中一位研究這個主題的亞太裔先驅作家，並且以一般大眾和非常個人的角度來探索這個領域。她經營網站HerbFolkShop.com，在網上提供全面的健康咨詢、在網上和三藩市灣區教授草藥學課程。想跟她聯繫，可上到網站HerbFolkShop.com或Instagram @herbfolkmedicine。
Fay Darmawi
Fay Darmawai是一名專注於城市、説故事和媒體的社會學藝術家。她是三藩市城市電影節的創辦人和執行製作人。三藩市城市電影節透過精彩故事來啟發公民積極參與社會運動。Fay是來自印尼雅加達的移民，但她把三藩市視為家，她在這裏養大一對現正就讀大學的雙胞胎兒子。
高嗣正道長
高嗣正道長是妙蓮仙館的館長。妙蓮仙館2013年由高信繼道長在三藩市創立，旨在弘揚道教精神和在僑民分散海外的情況下，保存傳統中國文化。妙蓮仙館是道教龍門派，寺廟位於外日落區，專注於靜坐、自省、自癒等修行。中國神話相傳，道教神靈庇佑這個地方，營造莊嚴且令人振奮的氛圍。2022年，妙蓮仙館正式成為非牟利機構，為各界善信服務。
Tanji Geis
Tanja Geis創作以場地為基礎的視覺藝術，探索受人類干擾的海洋和沿海生態系統之間的潛在親密關係。她擁有柏克萊加大藝術實踐學碩士學位、冰島Akureyri大學的海洋管理碩士學位以及耶魯大學美術學士學位。Geis的作品曾在FOR-SITE、柏克萊藝術博物館、Santa Cruz藝術和歷史博物館、三藩市和聖荷西當代藝術學院、聖荷西藝術博物館和在冰島、蘇格蘭、英國、香港和日本的畫廊展出。
她曾經在Headlands藝術中心、三藩市當代藝術學院、Djerassi藝術家計劃、藍山中心和Kala藝術學院擔任駐場藝術家。Geis同時擔任“女性生態藝術家”董事會成員。她在香港土生土長，現居於屋崙。