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I am a native mandarin speaker and I have lived in China for the first 15 years of my life where I used to use Mandarin to communicate on daily bases and for academic purpose. However, I was exposed to English environment back in primary school level were English is pervasively being taken as one of the four compulsory subjects alongside Chinese, Maths and Science. Therefore, English was taught as a subject where we focus on grammar and vocabularies, and it functioned as a competency when I was little — if you are able to read or write in English, you must be intelligent.

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> In library or at home
> Writing in English
>  On paper

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I used to be taught to speak in an American accent and my friends used to joke about saying how sweet and different I sound like when I talk in English compare to Mandarin. But since I started studying in England, my accent shifted unconsciously due to the language environment. I went to a private girl school where most of my friends in school are from similar region and class background, so are my host families. In that case, I was exposed to a monolithic language environment, I subconsciously imitated their accent and tone, that I found my accent changed to British midland and middle-class accent. I noticed that I didn’t sound as passionate as I was when I used to speak with American accent, to a lot of my bilingual (in English and Mandarin) friends, I sound a lot firmer in English than when I speak Mandarin whereas beforehand when I used to speak with American accent, I sounded a lot bubblier than when I talk in Mandarin; I was confused initially, but it is true, I have different stigma and I perform different identity when I speak different languages, or even speak different accent for the same language.

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> On my bed
> Reading in Chinese &
English
> Printed/ digital

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I moved to England for six form when I was at age of 15 and now I am studying in London for my undergraduate degree, the purpose of English shifted drastically. I listen to teachers delivering lessons in English, do readings in English and write essays in English. The experience of learning (English) is extremely different from back in China, it was nothing like the rigid 45-minute lessons that we had 3 times a week in school. I noticed that for me, English is not only a competency anymore, despite its academic purpose, English is also used for all purpose and being exposed to the full English speaking environment allowed me to use English to communicate in all situations.

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I like going to Art Galleries to appreciate artworks, as well as the atmosphere. But I have to confess that I never read the commentators understandings of the artists’ works before I finish walking through each section. In my opinion, reading analysis from the others on particular objects prior than going through the artefacts themselves, is a bit unfair for the artefacts. Why should I wear a pair of glasses containing others subjective views prior to formulate my understanding to the artefacts?

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(However, after I have lived in England for few years, I suffered from bilingual dilemma where I use translanguaging so often when I speak in my mother tongue. There was once when I was talking with my grandmama in local dialect, I kept skipping back to English for wordS that I couldn’t think about on the spot and I ended up crying because I think I lost of my identity…)

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> Breakfast at home
> Reading in English
> Printed

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> Study desk in Library
> Scribbling in English
> On paper/ on devices

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When the commentators ‘use language to imagine what the world is like and what it might be like’ (Barton, 2007, p.17), I wonder if the life of the artists and the artists themselves’ idea on the artefact actually resonate with each other. And as for me, one of the most interesting part of going to galleries is to guess if the commentators and I are reading the arts from similar perspectives, or whether if its drastically different and I then can learn from them. It does not mean that I always go to exhibition empty-minded, I do like to browse through the overall introduction of the exhibition, and read around the autography of the artists before I go to the exhibition.

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> van Gogh Museum
> Reading in Dutch &
English
> Spotted my favourite
artist!

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‘The most common understanding of literacy today is to mean reading and writing’ (Duncan, 2016), but what do we read and does it necessarily have to be associate with written work? In my understanding, arts, photographies and to juxtaposing the kind, there are so many things you can read from!!! Last time when I went to see the exhibition ‘Shape of Lights’ and I was really engaged with all art works in 13 Rooms. It was like a modern history book about the evolution of photographies and abstract arts in the latest 100 years in western world, I love reading exhibition, in this context, it successfully engaged me with the history more than texts.

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> Dinning table
> Reading in English
> Printed

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I didn’t take pictures of any artefact while I was wandering around the exhibition. After I came out from the exhibition I then realise that ‘oh, I’m out from that world’ and here is the picture of my last glance into the exhibition.

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Barton, D. (2007) ‘Talking about literacy’, in Literacy: An Introduction to the Ecology of Written Language. (Ch2, pp10-32). Oxford: Blackwell.Duncan, S. (2016) Handout for Literacies Across the Life-course Module.

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> On my bed
> Writing in Chinese &
English
> On paper

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I am more easily attracted by visual representation, and the first impression of the artefact tells a lot about it which made me want to look into it even longer and being arose into the individual world the artefact unfolded in front of me.

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‘We take photos as a
return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.’