The Lams of Ludlow Street

This work is an investigation into the life of one Chinese family living in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood. I originally intended to document the lives of multiple Chinatown residents to reveal their realities and to raise awareness to affect social change. I hoped that by exploring as many different Chinatown realities as I possibly could, I might also answer some personal questions I have about my own Chinese identity. Although I am half-Chinese and have close relatives living in Chinatown, I have never felt a particular tie to my ethnic heritage. What began as a documentary project involving several different Chinese families evolved into a deeply personal investigation into my own self and what it means to be “Chinese”. The questions I have always had regarding my Chinese half were ultimately addressed in a completely different experience than I originally envisioned as I began to understand the Chinatown family I never had.


holton_thomas@hotmail.com