What is architecture? A place of passing? A place of style? A place of hope? A place of identity? A place of existence? A place of worship? A place that exists only when a space is experienced? A space of memory? A space with history, story, and no aesthetic value? What is architecture when there is not architecture?

Architecture to me is not about how tall a building is or how innovative materials changed the ways in which we construct. While relevant to the study, my study of architecture has become the understanding of social narratives in which these spaces continue to preserve and challenge history and integrity.

My interest in documenting Southeast Asian's space in Providence was inspired by the lack of a place in Providence that speaks to the cultural and social demographic changes. Particularly in communities, such as South Providence, the West End, Elmwood, and Cranston, where newly arrival Southeast Asian refugees are recreating and sustaining cultural presence through fabrics of homeland and the new urban landscape.