SHIVER PRESENTS: JAMIE CHI

'安全距離 Safe Distance' Film Poster by Jamie Chi

Giclée Print on Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl Paper

“Year 2020. The closest we’ve been to ourselves.” “Safe Distance” explores queer Chinese individuals’ lived experiences and narratives in the UK under COVID-19 pandemic.

'Seasons of Love' by Jamie Chi

Giclée Print on Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl Paper

"I took this photo because I want to show everyone that love is beautiful. Our film celebrates queer people and our desire for a more compassionate world. We believe that diversity makes us better and stronger."

'Fearless' by Jamie Chi

C-Type Print on Fujifilm Quality Dry Photo Paper

"This collage is part of the animation for the documentary 安全距離 (Safe Distance), which compares the HIV pandemic in the 1980s to the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to remind people of the history of ostracisation and discrimination against the queer community. We hope to ignite passion and enthusiasm in people to be part of something that contributes to solidarity and humanity."

'New Year' by Jamie Chi

C-Type Print on Fujifilm Quality Dry Photo Paper

"I shot this during Lunar New Year in SOHO when I started filming Safe Distance. When we researched the history of racism and homophobia, we found most racism and LGBTQ+ hate crimes in the UK and US happen in Chinatown and gay bars. The documentary was born out of community urgency, and we invite you to co-construct a society that embodies kindness and empathy with people from all walks of life."

Haoran Wang x Jamie Chi

"I look forward to the new generation of Chinese people. I hope they will have a more open mind, a freer society, and better views."

Xander Gu x Jamie Chi

"If you have a very overall thought about your goals in life, you will know more clearly about how to do the things you are doing now."

Yanchun Chen x Jamie Chi

"I want to study sociology as well , just to understand the world around me. Why society works in the way it does, it gets increasingly as well now with corona virus and anti-Asian. It’s just so much happening in the world right now."

Wu Chen x Jamie Chi

"I heard a conversation between a mother and daughter at an airport in China. Her daughter taught her mother, Mom, you are too conservative, and then explain to her mother what homosexuality is and ask her to respect them. I find it very interesting. I feel that the views of the two generations in China are a bit different. I think the new generation’s view of homosexuality are a bit different from the older generation’s."

Dalion x Jamie Chi

"Do you really know yourself? Are you yourself, or are you just a projection of others?"

Scarlett Ng x Jamie Chi

"Especially during covid-19, as an Asian or a Chinese, we are afraid. If we wear a mask, we will walk with our heads down. We avoid having eye contact with others. When we buy stuff, we are afraid, and we are afraid to wear gloves and we try to leave the shop as fast as we can. A lot of times, our ethnicity, gender, and sexuality influences the way we walk; we talk or act in our everyday life. How we use a public space or private space."

Nat x Jamie Chi

"My name is Nat, I am a furniture designer, a maker and an artist based in London. I label myself as non-binary and pansexual."

Jamie Chi

“Fear is the real virus.”

Vincent Ren x Jamie Chi

"An old lady who lived upstairs. Everyday, she would sit here reading while smoking. I think it's very good. If I can do this in the future, I'll be OK, and it's very good and very chill."

Yifan Zhou x Jamie Chi

"Everyone knows what has been pixelated or blurred, so I think this behavior is useless."

Kay kay food x Jamie Chi

"If you look at history of all the pandemic, like Spanish flu, SARS, H5N1, Mers, even HIV , these are diseases where they are zoonosis, so it’s transfer from animals to humans. If we continue to eat them and destroy their habitat. The link between us and them is going to be forever close."

SJ Zhang x Jamie Chi

"You do good, you pay your taxes, you got a job, they let you stay in their country , don’t speak out for anything, keep quiet, i think that’s the attitude of a lot of the older generation, i think people now are more understanding that it’s important to speak out."

Jack Zhang x Jamie Chi

"My animation got censored and my account deleted because I posted it on Chinese social media, despite the fact that I actually pixelated it, they still get my project censored, it makes me feel like there’s less opportunities back home."

Bling Wang x Jamie Chi

"I want to strive hard for my girlfriend."

Qiu Bai x Jamie Chi

"The past year has been a particularly difficult time for the Chinese queer community, because we may face racial discrimination and LGBTQ+ discrimination. I hope people will continue to pay attention to and support Queer China UK, and that we will create a more equal and diverse society together."

Jiaxi Wang

"The most recent label is Autism, Queer has always been, and Asexuality is also a recently discovered identity. The label is a language for me, I can use this language to describe me."

Jamie Chi

"I shot this during Lunar New Year in SOHO when I started filming Safe Distance. When we researched the history of racism and homophobia,we found most racism and LGBTQ+ hate crimes in the UK and US happen in Chinatown and gay bars. The documentary was born out of community urgency, and we invite you to co-construct a society that embodies kindness and empathy with people from all walks of life."

Xintong Zhang x Jamie Chi

"I think the LGBT community has always been in a very marginal state, just like the weeds that happen to grow in the garden, people tend to clear it out and pull it out."

Jialin Wang x Jamie Chi

"Maybe we should take a closer look at what we young people are thinking in our minds when we are dealing with problems and have more introspection."

Shi ting x Jamie Chi

"I filled out the census form the other day. I ticked bisexual. I felt very warm because there is this option for sexuality and it’s great."

Julie x Jamie Chi

"Asexuality: it can be difficult to claim it, as Asians are often desexualised and I do support sexual liberation for other people and queers, so it can feel difficult to feel like I can claim it in that sense, without feeling like my existence kind of contributes to stereotypes about Asians or goes against the motives of queer liberation... Which I guess is a problem for asexuals in general but even more when you're a race that is often desexualised."

Shawn Chan x Jamie Chi

"Only until one time, when a black woman walked towards me, we both gave way to each other, we have connected, because we are the minority. This never happens when a white man walks towards me, I’m always the one who has to give him the way."

Jai Chan x Jamie Chi

"The same day, myself and 2 other tomboys (from Hong Kong), 3 of us got attacked. I got a left hook right in the face. That’s why I think you should learn self-defence just to protect yourself and your loved ones."

James Wong

"In Singapore there’s a provision called Section 377a, which criminalises sex between gay men, whether they are consented or not. I thought that was very unjust. i told my law school interviewers that I wanted to get it repealed, or struck down. And they said ‘haha, good luck with that.’ That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to become a lawyer."

Jonathan Larson’s Rent inspires me not only in work but also in life. Rent was set during the 80’s HIV/AIDS pandemic and the queer community was living in fear and hate. Listening to Rent always reminds me to choose love and live in the moment, and that’s also what I am trying to achieve with Safe Distance.

For this documentary, the main musicians are Vicky Zhuang, Julia Fan, Lyn Dawn and Hanahazukashi. “Hey You” was written by Vicky Zhuang out of frustration from constantly being stared at as a Chinese person on the streets of Pakistan. “I'd get stared at not just because I'm a woman, but because I'm Chinese, and I’d get called weird phrases, like ‘cheeni, ching chong …’” said Vicky. Our animation team made a video collage using this song in hope that we can recognise patterns of racism and homophobia and choose alternatives: love and compassion.

DO YOU HAVE ANY HABITS OR PERSONAL RITUALS YOU DO IN ORDER TO GET IN THE ZONE FOR CREATING?

My friend told me that completing a documentary is like running a marathon, so I practise martial arts to keep my body strong and my mind focused.

Check out this playlist by Jamie to hear what they're listening to right now.