Download the soundtrack to your smartphone before your visit to Locke. Earbuds or headphones are highly suggested.
‘Traces of our Roots’ is an audio essay that weaves together field recordings, music, poetry, and soulful anecdotes from artists of Locke and those who spent years in the historical landmark town of Locke.
Locke is a historical hamlet famous for being the last-standing boomtown built and formerly run by first-generation Chinese in America. Today, it is also known as an artist’s haven. For the past two decades, many town creatives have served as stewards of that history. The soundtrack highlights the voices of local artists and those who spent decades or grew up in Locke. Angie constructs an audio collage that echoes aspects of the human condition like loneliness, wonder, loss, lessons learned, and social connection. She starts from a point in time when the original Chinese inhabitants aged and gradually died or moved out, then its doors opened wider to ‘outsiders’, and its population diversified. The revving of motorcycle engines, symphonic mating calls of frogs, the coo of doves, the hum of air conditioners, contemplative voices, and live music converge and depart unexpectedly yet naturally, like the tide of its Snoggrass slough.
Listening room
During the opening of a 2-day street festival over 300 visitors came to the listening room to hear individual stories from inhabitants of Locke. Visitors can still go to Locke and scan the QR code at the Boarding Museum to download the audio as they walk around the town.
Making of
This project was funded by a 2023 California Arts Council Impact Grant in collaboration and sponsorship of the Locke Foundation.
Special Thanks to Al’s Place, Brock Alexander, Dave Bowles, Alex and Joyce Eng, Justin Cairns, Clarence Chu, Martha Esch, Virginia Giles, Erv Gon, , Larry Hall, Ning Hou, Tom Herzog, Jack Jue, Darwin and Lili Kan, Joy Kuo, Corliss Suen Lee, Carol Lee, The Locke Foundation, Jeff Lee Kan, Kim King, Ronnie Maiden, Dustin Mar, Mark Miller, Alfredo Gochi, Brandon Rankin, Parks and Recreation, Sismombro, Chris Spencer, The Pearl, Seeker, Martine and Lucia Topete, DR Wagner, Stuart Walthall, and Water Tower.
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