Common thread: re-envisioning a Chinese Canadian transcultural centre

Abstract

Canadian society is a cultural mosaic composed of individuals from an expansive range of cultural backgrounds. Through the process of globalization and ever-increasing accessibility to new people and places we are constantly being exposed to other cultures. This practicum project proposes a new typology for cultural spaces – a transcultural center that functions as a contact zone where individuals can negotiate both spatial and social relationships. Such everyday negotiations within space enables individuals to better understand their own identity and the identities of those around them, giving them the opportunity to recognize and acknowledge cultural similarities and differences. The process of developing the transcultural centre was explored through theoretical and analytical investigations in cultural identity and interaction, phenomenology, and human geography that examined how these notions have the potential to inform an understanding of space and place, sensorial engagements, and the blurring of spatial and cultural boundaries.