What kinds of memories or meanings do you see in the objects passed down to you?

Shing: So my grandma — and then my mom — were both people who really knew how to enjoy life. There was this amazing combination in them of decorum, of being polite and carrying themselves well, but also just knowing when to relax and have fun. That came through in the way they dressed and the things they chose to invest in.

Like this Kelly bag. I don't even remember how it ended up with me — I think my grandma just gave it to me one day. It’s this mix of functional and feminine. But also a bit masculine too — the lock’s on the outside, which is kind of practical. It’s got that deco quality. It just is what it is. And that’s how she dressed too.

I have a lot of her clothes. And jewellery. My mom’s things too. I wear them because they make me feel connected. Of course, I mix them with my own pieces. But it’s always been my hope that Mila would feel that too — and raid my closet. 

Mila: All the stuff I wear for my shows has basically been stolen from my mom. I wear a lot of Po Po’s jewellery too — I feel really connected to it, because it really suits me. There’s such a big range — little dainty charms, and also these big chunky jade pieces. You can really see her personality through them.

How do these heirlooms reflect the values of the people who passed them down?

Shing: My mom had a really funny relationship with brands. She was loyal to some, but couldn’t stand things that looked recognisable. Same with the Kelly. She didn’t want to carry it because it was so obviously a Kelly. But she told me to use it however I wanted. So I added a keychain to it — one she gave me. We have this little tradition of giving each other fruit and vegetable keychains. This one’s a cross-section of a lotus root.

One of my friends once said I should polish the bag, make it look pristine. But no way. All the dents, all the bends — which is what gives it its personality. 

And Mila’s my only girl — actually the only girl on my side of the extended family. So she just gets everything. It’s never even a question. Open the wardrobe: oh it's gone, Mila probably has it. It’s a joy to share things. And we just happen to have the same taste.

 
Passed down from Shing’s grandmother, finished with a 
lotus root keychain from her mother — part of a quiet
tradition of gifting fruit-shaped charms across generations. 

What's something — tangible or intangible — you have inherited from your mom?

Mila: I think what I’ve inherited most is an appreciation for small things — tiny details. You can see it in our fashion taste. We both like minimal stuff but also love detail, especially in accessories and jewellery.

Being an artist, that shows up in how I see the world. To write or create something, you need to notice those finer details — in life, in situations. That’s how you piece things together. That’s what helps me phrase things in a way that connects with others.

Also... most of the clothes I perform in are hers. They’re flowy, bohemian... a lot of her shirts from the 70s have made their way to me. There’s this one black pair with little zig zags that I love. And we have so many accessories. It’s like a wild selection. We have the same taste. Everything’s kind of boyish, but with poise.

Shing: Boyish with poise. I like that.

Mila: That’s the goal.

 
Among the pieces they return to often — a Hockney that sits 
at the heart of their home.

When it comes to art, what does this mean to you and what does it tell you about your family in the pieces that have been passed down?

Shing: We have a lot of paintings and prints from my grandma’s place. And I think part of how you feel in a space comes from how it’s decorated. My grandma loved decorating — it was all very eclectic. Some modern art, art deco teapots, antique china... all thrown together in a very relaxed way.

When she passed and we no longer had that home to gather in, having her art pieces around still made me feel close to her.

My mom collects too — specific artists she loves. But what I really admire is that nothing is too precious. Like we have this amazing Bill Turnbull horse sculpture outside in the garden. The birds poop on it, rain falls on it, and no one cleans it. It’s just part of life.

And then there’s this beautiful piece by Kim Lim — she’s Singaporean — and my mom literally sits on it in the morning to put on her shoes. And it’s not disrespect. It’s love. It’s this intimate, lived-in kind of relationship with art. I really value that and want to pass it on.

Mila: It’s like how we treat food — we respect it by eating it fully, with joy. I think art is the same. And it's really interesting to know that throughout generations, there's been a continuous love for decorating. My mom loves decorating space, and I love making music, and music is like decorating time.

I’m such a big art enjoyer. When we’re in London, I always ask to go to the museums. But I don’t just get inspired by music. I get ideas from books, poems, art — all of it comes together. I love the Hockney we have. Hockney is just... amazing.

What are some of the values or lessons that have been passed down in your family?

Shing:  I think the lessons I hope to pass down to Mila aren’t always taught directly — they’re lived. For me, it’s about valuing your family and recognising the roles that different generations play. We’re really lucky because we live right next to my mom, so there’s this constant exchange — especially around mealtimes. That daily act of sitting down with family, eating together, it becomes this quiet but powerful way of passing on values, almost without realising it.

Mila: I actually wrote a song about this. It’s not finished yet — just one verse — and I haven’t named it, but right now it’s called “We Carry Tiny Mythologies.” It’s about how the values we hold are shaped by what came before us, and how they live on. In the song, I write about how the hardships my mom has been through have kind of become the calcium in her bones — and then that calcium is what made my teeth. It’s metaphorical, but also spiritual. Like, the strength that lives in her becomes part of me, and it shapes the way I speak, the way I share myself with others. It's not so much just genetic, but it's energetic.

Shing: It’s energetic, yeah.

Mila: It's the fact that we are constituents of the same thing, and that is very palpable in what we say, the things that we enjoy, the things that we eat, we make, the way that we decorate. All of that carries these inherited values — in how we carry ourselves, and in how we treat other people.

What's one thing about each other you admire most? or will always carry?

Mila: I couldn’t possibly reduce it to one thing. There are so many different worlds where we share the same values. In the creative world, for example, we both put our art first. We don’t create based on trends — we create based on what we wish existed in the universe. That’s something I’ve really learnt from her: to trust your vision, even when it’s vulnerable, even when it’s hard.

There are always going to be obstacles when you’re trying to make something true to yourself — I’m still learning that — but what I admire is how we both have this ability to see beyond those obstacles. And then, in the realm of family, we’re really similar too. We share the same love languages — things like cooking, spending quality time, making gifts. My mom’s always been someone who knows what the people around her love, and she creates things that make them feel seen and cared for. That’s definitely something I’ve inherited — I love making things for the people I care about. It feels like such a natural extension of how we see the world.

Even in how we treat others, or how we dress — there are just all these overlapping values in different aspects of our lives that connect us.

Shing: Oh my god, so much. I mean, all the clichés about having kids are true — they really are your greatest gifts and your greatest teachers. Mila has always been that for me. I swear she was born old — not just in the way she looked, but the way she saw the world.

I remember this one time when she was about four. I had two young kids, I was trying to run a business, and I was in a really frantic headspace. I kept saying, “I don’t have time for this,” or “I can’t do that.” And she just looked at me and said, “Mommy, get time.”

She meant it so simply — like, you make time for the things that matter. Later, when she learnt to write, she even made me a little sign that said “Get time” and I’ve had it up in my room ever since. That’s something she taught me — that time is elastic. You get to choose how you fill it.

I think I’ve been learning from that moment ever since.

Watch the first episode of Past, Present, Mom with Shing and Mila — now live on our Instagram.