The Silent Unseen
more about ayo and the inspiration for the project
Set at the Queens Museum and Flushing Meadows Park, The Silent Unseen Audio Tour: An Embodied Introduction to Asian American History traces early Asian immigration in the United States, offering a space for reflection on diaspora and community.
The tour presents easily accessible education, personal stories, and history that centers building solidarity within and beyond Asian communities – moving beyond the moniker “Stop Asian Hate” and into a deeper, more grounded understanding of what Asian American means. It reflects on Black and Indigenous histories, to broaden the understanding of the crucial role Asian Americans play in both upholding a tiered racial system, and in undoing it.
What the tour is like…
Guided by narration, the audio tour invites participants to consider feelings, sensations, and the lived experiences of Asian American immigrants in relation to the space and architecture of the museum and Flushing Meadows Park. ayo ohs, along with special guests Betty Yu, Grace M. Cho, Helen Hyun-Kyung Park, Helen Zia, and Julman Tolentino, guide you through a journey of embodiment, somatic contemplation, and family histories. After experiencing the audio tour, participants are invited to leave a story of their own, creating an archive of oral histories and expanding the scope and scale of Asian American history.
How the project developed…
The audio tour was conceived in the Engaging Artists’ fellowship at More Art, a NYC-based public art organization, and developed further through a 5-week art residency at Yaddo.
It is inspired by conversations in community, activities with PISAB’s Asian Affinity group, and a lifetime of experiences.
The audio tour is the first part of a multi-tiered larger project, The Silent Unseen, exploring, unsilencing, and uplifting the voices of the Asian American diaspora.
What’s Next…
Please visit The Silent Unseen website and sign up for the newsletter to learn more about current events and group tours.
In the Fall, ayo ohs will present a panel discussion with Grace M. Cho, author of Tastes Like War, and Faye Yuan, producer of Queens Memory Podcast: Our Major Minor Voices, and other guests to discuss creative telling of Asian American histories.
Co-presented by:
More Art
With Support From:
Groundworks Space
Yaddo
Our Community Partners:
Asian American Arts Alliance
Asian Boss Ladies
Chinese Adoptee Alliance
Diverse Streets Initiative
Glow Cultural Center
Tiger Strikes Asteroid New York
conceived, written, and performed by:
ayo ohs
Mixed and Mastered by: Erica Huang
Fundraising Coordinator: Meghann Trago
Special Guests:
Betty Yu, Grace M. Cho, Helen Hyun-Kyung Park, Helen Zia, Julman Tolentino
Thank you!
Andrew Schneider, Cynthia Chen, Dylan Gauthier, George Emilio Sanchez, Grace Nam, Lisa Gold, Madhusmita Bora, Madison Markham, Mel Hsu, Sarah Esmi, Shona Masarin
More About The Silent Unseen Project
The Silent Unseen is an interdisciplinary, socially-engaged art project, intended to map untold stories of the Asian femme diaspora and address issues of invisibility and silence related to the Asian American femme identity.
Referring to the ways racism against Asians is generally imperceptible,The Silent Unseen aims to reveal the concealed and unspoken nature around immigration experiences, and create spaces to heal, understand, and build solidarity between Asian American ethnic communities using education, awareness, and art.
The project is multi-tiered, with many opportunities for public engagement including an audio tour, an interview project, and somatic and vocal workshops. The project will culminate in evenings of performance and community ritual (estimated 2025).
The 3 components in development are: an audio tour tracing histories and personal stories of Asian immigration (supported by More Art’s Engaging Artists Fellowship, estimated 2024), Stories and Songs: an EP release documenting the lead artist’s personal journey through the material (estimated Fall 2024), and an ongoing interview project, where witnesses to the above projects have an opportunity to tell their untold story of Asian immigration.
Other Projects
anti-oppression yoga
a network of free and donation-based videos centering liberation through movement
facilitation and offerings
facilitation in vocal and somatic arts, injury-recovery, anti-racism, and vision/mission development