An Image-based Multimodal Approach to Post-colonial Everyday Visual Experiences: A Case Study of Superimposition (UK-HK)

The colonial history connects the United Kingdom and Hong Kong culturally. Even today, colonial objects and architecture are still ordinary in Hong Kong, creating post-colonial visual experiences. This paper proposes an image-based multimodal approach to explore new embodied post-colonial visual experiences. The approach aims to enrich the existing historical way of examining such experiences. Starting from examples of post-colonial space and objects in Hong Kong, the paper discusses colonial history and its impact on everyday visual experiences. Following is a literature review on multimodality as a speculative approach to anthropology, which establishes a theoretical framework for the later discussion. Lastly, the paper introduces and elaborates on an image-based multimodal approach by discussing a collaborative artwork Superimposition (UK-HK), which uses film swap and photogrammetry to examine post-colonial everyday visual experiences.