SEEK Raleigh: Ciba Punch 女拳手打糍粑

Join huiyin zhou and Laura Dudu, co-directors of Chinese Artists and Organizers (CAO) Collective 离离草 for this interactive experience at Dix Park as part of a SEEK Raleigh public art project.

SEEK Raleigh: Ciba Punch

Rooted in an ethic of care, the project invites community members to join in the process of transforming steamed sticky rice into ciba (糍粑 – traditional Chinese rice cakes often enjoyed with brown sugar or other toppings) by punching the rice.

In bringing the making of Ciba into public space, the artists aim to honor and reframe the traditionally feminized labor of cooking, while highlighting food as a living archive for community connection, cultural exchange, and movement building. Participants are invited to channel emotions such as rage, grief, and love into the shared labor of food-making.

During the performance, “Spiritual Figures” will move through the space, offering quiet guidance through humming and breathwork, embodying the presence of queer/feminist ancestors and future selves.

All are welcome to participate in the Ciba Punch. Sanitation gloves will be provided; however, the food produced during the performance will not be prepared under regulated food safety conditions. Consumption of the rice cakes will be at the participants’ own risk.

Free to attend. Please register so the artists ensure enough supplies for all participants.
See link above to sign up.