You Are Invited

November has always been awkward for me, as it is my birthday month. I still remember an old birthday photo of myself as a child: I cut the cake with my dad by my side, smiling and looking at my reaction while other kids clapped and stared at me. The photograph feels like a stop-motion image. I was contorted, my head down, with my eyes looking up at the camera (probably because someone was calling for 'look at here'). I felt embarrassed to be the centre of attention. As a kid, I hated birthdays. I was shy, maybe an introvert.

November is my birthday month, and I often feel uncomfortable. I bumble with whether to celebrate or stay home alone and usually regret sending out invitations. Hosting the event causes me a lot of stress, but once I'm at the party, the joy of being with friends makes me forget my usual worries. It's a paradox of my discomfort.

Strangely, I am writing to invite you to an event where I will be one of the centre of attention: an afternoon of poetry and art performance. This event holds that feeling again as it falls in November. However, I am delighted because I will recite a few of my poems, including one titled 'Venice', which I wrote after my first visit there. I am returning to Venice for the first time to read this poem. It feels like celebrating my birthday in a city that inspired me.

The poetry reading will be part of the closing party for Salon des Etrangers, an art show featuring many talented artists, including my photography. Moreover, in November, I am happy to share that my artwork Exposé has been selected for exhibition in the Curated Hang alongside prints from some of my favourite artists, including Tracey Emin, Paula Rego, and the Chapman Brothers. This show will take place at the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair.

Yes, I am sending out two special invitations this month, and I like to think of myself as a rising star. Your presence at one of the events would be a wonderful birthday gift, as it brings me joy to celebrate with friends.

I hope to see you there!

Alice Hsieh

Finissage Party

Salon des Etrangers

Created by Vanya Balogh. In association with Siger Gallery and Venice Art Factory

22nd November

Start 4 PM

Fondamenta Zattere Ai Saloni, 47

Venice, Italy

Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair 2024

21st - 24th November

London's Historic Royal Arsenal, London, UK

SE18 6HD

Tickets are available here.

Exposé, 2023

Google Maps censorship: My reviews for hospitals in Gaza

Could Google's decision to conceal reviews in a war zone be considered censorship?

Has anyone ever asked you to leave a Google Review? Maybe it was a friend or relative desperately seeking 5-star reviews for their business. Or perhaps a service provider who insisted you leave a review on the spot, standing there, watching you type it out on your mobile —talk about pressure! You probably forced a smile and gave those five stars, even if they didn't entirely deserve it.

If you do not like sharing your thoughts on products or services, you're not alone. However, I'm doing something unusual. I am on a mission to write many reviews now: I'm flooding Google Maps with reviews of hospitals. They are for hospitals in Gaza.

No matter how justifiable wars may seem, the horror is indiscriminately the same. Yet, when I checked Google Maps after months of relentless bombardment in Gaza, the satellite images showed cities that appeared untouched—intact and serene. It's as if nothing had happened. Google Maps becomes a reflection of the Matrix, presenting an altered digital reality of a world we want to believe exists. Or is it simply a new form of Google censorship?

Google quietly posted a disclaimer:

"Information about this place may be outdated. Always pay attention to real-world conditions, which may be rapidly changing."

Just imagine if Google sends its Street View car and feeds back to us the actual 360-degree imagery now or even with the current satellite images. I wonder what the state of each hospital in Gaza is. If they stand, if their architecture holds the function of saving life.

As an architect with years of experience in healthcare design, I understand how a hospital, as a physical structure, can symbolize hope. With the same hope, I wrote my support to them.

At the moment, my Google review comments are visible only to me as the reviewer because Google has disabled the publication of new reviews in the war zone. I hold onto the hope that one day, when the war ends, Google will make these reviews public on Google Maps. One day.

---

Since I can view my reviews while logged into my Google account, I'm able to share the snapshots below:

Al Awda Hospital

Review to Al Awda Hospital

Google Maps review

---

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital  مستشفى شهداء الاقصى

My review to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital

---

Al-Sahaba مجمع الصحابة الطبي

My Google review to hospital snapshot

---

Al-Ahli Arab Hospital - The Arab People's Hospital

Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital

Google satellite image with my review

---

Gaza European Hospital

My 5-star review snapshot

Shelter: Shining a Light on the Unseen

It was drizzling in East London, a typical long, dark winter and quite empty. The rain was sharply cold, so I bowed my head to shield my face like anyone without an umbrella. Like everyone else, I walked, looking downwards with the freezing rain hitting the back of my head and shoulders, only lifting my eyes to see the way towards the Bethnal Green station.

As I quickened my pace, the sight of the deep stairway leading to the station's entrance brought a sense of relief. I was about to escape the cold, wet world above for the dry, warm, albeit stuffy, underground. But my relief was short-lived. Standing in the rain, right in my path towards the stairs, was a beggar. Unprotected from the rain, he appeared unwilling to give up his position.

My usual internal self starts to debate: Shall I give him some money? Does he need to be there? He is going to use the money for booze or drugs. - Alice, don't be a softie again. The most unsensible questions always dawned on me in this situation. I shamefully judge homeless people by the way they look and dress. No matter my decision, I hate myself when guilt speaks louder than shame.

Can you spare any change, please? 

I shook my head as I walked past him.

My longest journey to the underground station started there. I walked down the stairs, and yellow signs of WET FLOOR appeared around me, telling me it would be my fault if I slipped on the wet steps while my mind returned to my inner dialogue. Whether to search my bag for coins or continue my journey, I also knew I had to make a decision before passing through the barriers, or it would be too late. Just before I slid my ticket in the ticket gate, I turned and headed back towards the beggar.

I placed some coins into his hand. To my surprise, he said something that struck me: Thank you for walking all the way back in the rain for me. His words filled me with gratitude and sorrow as I realised he recognised my face from my earlier passage when I shook my head in response to his request.

I believed I was like anyone else, just another face, another person in the street who looked down while walking. But he remembered me from that fleeting moment, and his unexpected gratitude pierced through my anonymity. In that moment, I felt seen. I was no longer just a passerby. I was someone.

Alice Hsieh

---

I feel privileged to have some of my artworks featured in the Spring Art Fair organised by StudioMorey. The event aims to raise funds for Shelter, the charity facing huge demand due to the increased homelessness in London. This initiative helps the charity and provides a platform for new artists like myself alongside established ones. If you're interested in purchasing artwork from the fair, please request the catalogue or book an appointment by emailing Moreysmith@moreystudo.co.uk by May 2nd, 2024.

Special thanks to

@StudioMoreyDesign

@ShelterCharity

---