Vegetable Stall Makeover Project
In Jiixing Market, a community hub in Chongqing’s Jiulongpo District, this socially engaged art project focuses on the often-overlooked stall owners, Mr. Huo and Ms. Chen. Through interviews, observation, and co-creation, we distilled their shared spirit of “resilience and calm acceptance of life” into a vibrant visual identity system that enhances their stalls’ visibility and approachability. Beyond aesthetic improvement, the work reframes public perception—transforming routine transactions into meaningful connections—and demonstrates how art can foster spatial justice, social understanding, and recognition of individual life stories in everyday spaces.
About Jiixing Market
In Jiixing Market, a typical community public space in Jiulongpo District, Chongqing, the stall owners serve as a vital support for the daily life of the community, yet they are often overlooked. Due to their long working hours and limited social opportunities, their life experiences are rarely deeply understood by outsiders.
This project adopts a socially engaged art approach centered on “listening and co-creation.” Through multiple rounds of field interviews, observation, and collaborative discussions, we distilled the core value of “resilience and calm acceptance of life” from the life journeys of the couple stall owners, Mr. Huo and Ms. Chen, who have worked hard across cities. Based on this, we co-designed and implemented a visual identity system for their stalls, using bright colors, distinctive imagery, and clear signage to both highlight the stall owners’ individuality and effectively enhance the stalls’ visibility and approachability.
Illustration
Final Outcome
The significance of this work goes beyond mere visual enhancement; it aims to reshape the public narrative by enabling community members to perceive the stall owners’ life stories beyond everyday transactions, transforming simple commercial exchanges into warm neighborhood connections. Through this artistic intervention, it helps real individuals gain emotional recognition and social attention, highlighting the unique value of art in promoting spatial justice and social understanding in everyday life.