Such gates are used to mark the entrance to sacred grounds or gods' territories. "The tori gate symbolizes the division between the sacred and the profane, and is considered a spiritual gateway between the physical world and the spiritual realm."

Inspired by a shopping center near his home in south Philadelphia, Ken Lum designs a board for an imaginary strip mall, calling on the viewer to imagine the people behind each of the shops. The signs themselves are simply and crudely designed with garish colors and loud text, together forming a cacophonous collage of identities and survival. Lum explains that the imaginary shop names are taken from people and battles of the Vietnam War, such as Phan Thi Kim Phuc and Le Nguyen Khang.