MIYA HANNAN
Installations, sculpture, drawings
Miya Hannan
Tokyo Arts and Space Research Residency Program 2024 Application
Past Projects
Project 1. Resonance (Truckee River)
Soil from 5 locations around Reno, NV, silver ores, old Chinese coins, found Chinese medicine bottle, found broken china pieces, found old nails, candle, resin, glass jars, motors, copper pipe, silk, speakers
2022
(Sound composed by Reiko Yamada)
This installation is based on Asian histories in the Reno Area that have almost been forgotten. It uncovers the history and memory associated with Asian immigrants who were involved with mining and railroad work. I gathered soil, objects, and stories from places where these histories are associated to use for this installation. Each column in the installation represents a historical site around Reno. The numbers on the columns are coordinates where I collected soil. The hidden jar contains soil and objects that suggest the history of the location. The 1st column contains silver ore and old Chinese coins; the 2nd one, a broken piece of a Chinese medicine bottle; the 3rd, old nails; the 4th, old China pieces and a red candle; the 5th, a finger bone. The copper pipe by the ceiling and the white fabric from it are in the shape of the Truckee River, and the columns are placed corresponding to actual geographical locations in relation to the river.
Project 2. Uncertain Certainty
Exhibition/installation at the opium den located in the basement of the historical Chinese Herb Shop in Truckee, CA, 2022
2. Certainty 1
Used Chair; 41" x 28" x 25"; 2020
3. Uncertainty 1
Soot on paper; 41" x 30"; 2020
4. Winding
Soot on paper, glass jars, soil, metal, wood; 25" x 13" x 5.5"; 2022
5. 39.392632, -120.18281
Soil sample from the site, glass jar, red candle, old opium bottle, found broken china pieces, used cabinet, speakers; 36" x 23.5" x 14"; 2022 (Sound is created by Reiko Yamada)
6. Footsteps
Soot on paper, glass jars, clay, wood; 92” x 36” x 5.5”; 2022
This exhibition was held at the actual historical site in order to expose the place and its history to the audience. After railroad construction completed in Boca, CA, Chinese people live in Truckee, CA. According to Guy Coates, former research historian for the Truckee Donner Historical Society, "it appears to be the only survivor of Chinatown’s third major fire of suspicious origin, which broke out on June 17, 1886."
Project 3. The Story of the Sphenoid Bone
Ceramics, epoxy, bone ash, ash on paper; 12' x 32' x 22' (the size varies depending on space); 2017-18
This installation encompasses a story around Japanese cremation urns. Japanese highly respect ancestors’ bone ashes because they believe ancestor worship brings them happiness. I believe that every dead person, in some way, exists around us, as memories, stories, knowledge, and genetic codes, creating layers of rich histories that also enhance people’s lives. This work is an exploration of changing visual forms as a metaphor for the changes of states in human existence.