INFO
| Name | Memories of Mercury Plaza |
| Year | 2019 |
| Writer(s) | Helen Yeung; Pon Huey Min; Jean Teng; Diana Hu; Abbey Gamit; Kevin Shen; Aisha Nursriamina Johan; Clint Taniguchi; and others |
| Publisher | Migrant Zine Collective |
| Type of Text | Zine |
| Artform | Zines |
| City | Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland |
ABOUT
Memories of Mercury Plaza is a Migrant Zine Collective zine that was created in response to the demolition of Mercury Plaza in 2019. Mercury Plaza was an iconic Asian food court on Karangahape Road that provided a sense of comfort and familiarity for many migrants of colour in the '90s and '00s and was demolished in 2019 to make way for the City Light Rail transport system.
Bringing together writing, ephemera, collage and illustration from a range of contributors reflecting on their memories of Mercury Plaza and its importance in the migrant community, the zine was created to coincide with Mercury Plaza: Origins + New Beginnings, an exhibition curated by Joni Lee and Jia Luo that took place in Mercury Plaza. Editor Helen Yeung describes the purpose of Memories of Mercury Plaza as “a zine to archive memories of the space”.
Stylistically similar to many other Migrant Zine Collective works, Memories of Mercury Plaza utilises a DIY aesthetic to embrace the community roots of zinemaking. Food is a common theme in Memories of Mercury Plaza and much of the writing is centered on memories of particular dishes from the food court. Because the zine features a range of contributors, there is a notable change in style between each page — however, the aesthetic and tonal differences are offset by the overarching connection to the site.
LINKS
Key works / presentations
2019 — Memories of Mercury Plaza: Interactive Zine Table
2019 — Invited workshop for Mercury Plaza: Origins + New Beginnings, Mercury Plaza, Tāmaki Makaurau
