My network diagram

The other day I found in my mobile phone have over 250 contact numbers store in the phone book. I then realize that some of those contacts I have not been calling for over a year. This turns into a beginning of an idea of my social network:
To evaluate the people in my network in two directions, how close am I to these people in thoughts and opinions, and how far or how often we see others.

I rarely have a (serious/personal) conversation to my colleague who seat next to me, although his physical present are so close to me, but our thoughts is distinct and apart. Versus some friend I have outside Hong Kong, we don’t see each other often, but every time we meet, our thoughts are so close and we connect so quickly and I found that quite amazing.

In my network diagram there are all sorts of people, they are business parts, colleagues at work, friends of friends, and old school buddies. They are all distributed all over my diagram and base on the two directions I laid out earlier. I can group them into soul mates, close friends, random friends, co-workers, and strangers. This turns out into an interpreting finding to self.

HKIFF#3 - Hunger

Director Steve McQueen is a visual art artist. First debut movie and he demonstrated his personal touch and feel to it.

The entire move split into 3 phrases, the first phase is the background of the movie: 1980’s Britain does not admit they have political prisoners in North Ireland. The prisoners of the subject are on hunger strike: They do not take food of any kind, no bath or shower, only use rags to cover their body as a silence confrontation. As the terms silence confrontation suggested, the movie have very little dialogue, story telling thru acting.

The second phase of the movie is a twist and distinctive portion of the film: One scene is a long shot with 20 minutes straight of dialogue. The close friend of the hunger strike leader came visit his old friend. The leader’s friend is a priest himself, try to persuade his old friend to end this madness. The leader refused and they are so determine to fight till death...

The third phase of the movie is images of the hunger…For an individual, what kind of thoughts and believes he needs to have in order to starve to death? It is a very striking scene...

I always appreciate movies story telling thru visuals but not dialogues. Compare to narrative movies, this is quite a contrast and very unforgettable.

Hunger official website

HKIFF#2 - Che

Another revolution in a week after “Burma VJ”

Both the topic and director attracted me to watch this 270 minutes duration movie. This is the very first time for me to watch such a long film.

Renounced director Steven Soderbergh telling the story of the Marxist idealist Ernesto "Che" Guevara. The film was split into 2 feature films. The first part of the movie narrates from this controversial figure in an interview and mixed with events in his life. Start as an ordinary pleasant, join Fidel Castro and start a revolution in Cuba and over thrown the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Met the love of his life and complete with the first part of the story. All this composed into powerful and full of surprise story telling. Lots of details and events and make it into an interesting movie, but it is somehow hard to follow in my opinion.

The second part of the movie started with Che Guevara went to Bolivia after he was married. He joined the guerilla and fight with the locals. His acceptance of the locals is not so good although he fight along side with them in great passion. Later he was captured and executed……The second part of the movie is relatively straight forwards. The beginning of the second part is mostly characters dialogue, the later part is the twist of the plot.
Che official website

HKIFF#1 - Burma VJ – reporting from a closed country

Burma VJ official website

Burma VJ – reporting from a closed country, a film by Anders Ostergaard, a documentary about the uprising from the Burmese people during September of 2007. Compare to other typical documentary, this particular one detour quite a bit. The entire movie compose of small clips from various ‘civilian reporters’ lives in Burma, reporters with no proper training but just click and snap image thru their digital image capture devices. Part of the film based on the civilian reporters’ memories and narration. In order to protect these reports, some scenes relayed to the reporters, places were deleted.

There is about 30 minutes after screening Q&A session. The film maker answered about 10 questions from the audiences.

Ostergaard wanted to film about Burma, but later on he feels the typical documentary maybe a bit too subjective and he rather choose to use the source from these civilian reporters.

Some audiences questioned the ‘re-composition’ is not exactly a filming documentary method. The re-composition refers to a conversion between the civilian reporter and the monk. This conversion never been filmed, and was re-composted afterwards. The audience opinion suggests it should give the reporters an interview, but the film maker thinks that the more important part to bring the audiences the info first, then analyze later. I don’t really agree with this point of view and I think the re-composition is necessary. This is not an ordinary documentary film, but to help these civilian reporters to send out the messages to other people. These reporters are in a very difficult position; they have to reuse their tapes a lot and for these little faults are very understandable.

The civilian reporters provided another definition of documentary film, a documentary film not driven by the film maker.

Behind a diagram

1. An organize chart of police in ChengDu.
2. A train cabin map of Taiwan high speed rail.
3. The information display of Incheon International Airport.
4. A market complex signage.
5. An effect instruction of 3D computer application.






I like various form of diagrams, as well as signage and information graphics.

Inspired by the lesson tonight, I recalled I have quite a collection of snap shots of this kind. Prior to this thought, I have not really attempt to take a closer look or pay any attention on their reasoning behind each of these diagrams and their arrangement. Objects on the diagram not only provided information but always have metaphorical meaning through the structure or organisation.

Writing In Water 水中之書

Hong Kong Repertory Theatre
Writing In Water 水中之書

Before I went to Stan Lai’s latest theatre production ‘Writing in water’, I was simply thought the meaning of this play is about a script or writing in water. After the show, I finally realize writing in water is a conceptual scene, a Buddhism concept to open audiencesers mind.

The ‘writing’ in ‘writing in water, is not a noun, but and a verb. The meaning of writing in water is like the name suggested, write over water.

Often time we use the metaphor life is like a piece of paper, we are hoping to imprint all accomplishments and events, fill them in the paper and treat it as a report card of our life. But sometimes I don’t feel like life is a piece of paper, life is more like write on water surface: doesn’t matter how you write, what you wrote, when you pen reach the water surface, the ink of the pen will dissolve, no trace will be found. So, a lot of things, such as career, love, wealth, even youth, we should not take it too serious: Because at the end of the day, none of these things are really under our control.

Shall we give up ‘write’ on this thin surface of water? The answer is No. Ink dissolved in water, and it can also turn in to a wonderful scene. We shall write whatever we feel like, just because there is no right or wrong. It is about the process, we shall enjoy the process of the writing and the endless possibility and outcome.

What I really like to see, is at the end of the day, the water turn back to the peace and calm flat surface. I think, maybe this is what the true happiness is.

This play has the best play writer around in Chinese modern theatre. This play started with a light comedy for the views and slowly pick up the paste and lead to an anticipating ending. The core thinking of this play is the modern people pursuit of happiness. It left lots of room for audiences’ imagination and in my opinion is a very good arrangement.

Re-making Hong Kong

Architecture as culture

Response Exhibition of the 11th International Architecture Exhibition of Venice Biennale Hong Kong Exhibition – Fabrica Cultura


Contextualization remarking of Hong Kong

Recently I attended this exhibition about remaking Hong Kong. In this exhibition, one of the work title as ‘Contextualization remaking of Hong Kong’, by Desmond Hui, is an image of a manipulated images of Nathan road. It composed of various images and transforms the real, known area into a virtual and imagery landscape. Quite an interesting thought in my opinion, and make me raise a question: Since we can form any known landscape into something imagine, shall we use more of these as a planning tool prior to urban planning?

Hong Kong ArtWalk 2009

I went to the Hong Kong ArtWalk the other day held at Hollywood road Soho area.
The event was held in an open area within the Soho, lots of attendee traffic with open discussions. In my opinion, it is a very good setting for event of this kind, ideas flow with the people’s discussion. In contrary, the proposed purpose built WKCD with lots of polish and refinement may not have the same effect. So I beg the question, why we want to spend so much tax money and built something less effective?





Chen Jiagang solo exhibition @ Contemporary by Angela Li

Chen jiagang, an artist as complex as his work, is a former architect, businessman and curator. Taking China’s rural industrial landscape as his subject matter in this widely received exhibition the title of his series ‘Third Front’ refers to the Chinese government’s series of initiatives in the 1960s to construct a new frontier of industrialism in the South-western provinces. Just as quickly as they were erected, a couple of decades later these frontiers all but disappeared. What remains of these frontiers in the wake of a rapidly modernizing China are only forgotten ghost towns with Chen’s haunting photographs bearing witness to the ‘footprint’ left behind by revolutionary ideas of social idealism.

Lisa Ono 小野麗莎 @ The 37th Hong Kong Arts Festival

The 37th Hong Kong Arts Festival
Lisa Ono - A Celebration of 50 years of Bossa Nova

I am a big fan of Lisa Ono. Her distinct vocal, her exception guitar skills, and the Bossa Nova style are all the things I like about her. It is impressive to listen to a Japanese to sing in Portuguese and have a surprisingly pleasant sensation. I am so very excited finally attend to her live performance…

Lisa Ono was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She spent her childhood in Brazil until 10 years old. She started singing and playing the guitar when she was 15 years old and her debut as a professional Bossa Nova singer was in 1989. She has performed with many top musicians such as the legendary Antonio Carlos Jobim, the Jazz Samba giant Joao Donato, and has been performing enthusiastically in New York, Brazil and Asian countries. Her natural voice, rhythmic guitar playing, and her charming smile led her to a huge success and helped Bossa Nova to be popular in Japan. She has established a determined position in the Japanese Bossa Nova community.

Crimes?

Departure

Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong and Macau Contemporary Art Exhibition
He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen



HK artist Luke Ching 程展偉video presentation: "cross-border crimes in 2007-2008" shown in Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong and Macau Contemporary Art Exhibition. Ching’s idea through committing “minor crime” as defined with Hong Kong law standard in other region of the world and observe local law enforcement reaction:
Such as eating and drinking in the London underground (metro train), smoking at a local restaurant in Taipei. The artist presented the different values of the various acts in different regions. These behaviours defined as "offense" or "crime" in one region may not consider as a big deal in another part of the world.


As a matter of fact, we may engage in a wide variety of offense every day, such as crossing roadways without follow traffic lights or signs, not bucket up car safety belts on taxi or mini-bus, present or shown street arts in public space and so on ...

One other example was about household live poultry farming. Animal farming in residential area is illegal in Hong Kong. It is worth noticed these acts as "offense" in certain regions maybe an indispensable part of the people's daily lives in other part of the world.

33rd HKIFF

第三十三屆香港國際電影節

The 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival

MY WATCH LIST

Blow Up 春光乍洩 - Michelangelo Antonioni

Burma VJ - Reporting From a Closed Country 緬甸起義－看不到的真相 - Anders Ostergaard

Buy a Suit 我不買西裝 - Ichikawa Jun

Chandni Chowk to China 從印度到中國 - Nikhil Advani

Che 捷古華拉 - Steven Soderbergh

The Country Teacher 鄉村有機老師 - Bohdan Slama

Cry Me a River 河上的愛情 - Jia Zhangke

The Desert Within荒漠裡的人 - Rodrigo Pla

Ghajini 凶心人在寶萊塢 - A.R Murugados

The Girl from Monaco摩納哥迷湯 - Anne Fontaine

Hunger大絕食 - Steve McQueen

Lake Tahoe 墨西哥幾點 - Fernando Eimbcke

Liverpool利物浦 - Lisandro Alonso

Maradona by Kusturica 踢爆馬勒當拿 - Emir Kusturica

Michelangelo Antonioni Shorts Programme III安東尼奧尼短片集（三） - Michelangelo Antonioni

Red Desert赤色沙漠 - Michelangelo Antonioni

Still Walking橫山家之味 - Kore-eda Hirokazu

Tears For Sale 魔幻女兒國 - Uros Stojanovic

Unmade Beds迷樂英倫 - Alexis Dos Santos

World Animation世界動畫精選 - Franck Dion, Murata Tomoyasu, Kai Lappalainen, Jean-Francois Levesque, Ami Lindholm, Park Jae-ok, Konstantin Bronzit

A showflat

Illegal Structure – A site-specific architectural installation exhibition by William Lim @ Tang Contemporary Art - Hong Kong


‘Showflat’ It is a typical apartment setting in an extreme compact way. The color scheme is mainly white, three levels with a couch sitting on top of a shelf with very little headroom, and a flat screen TV mounting on wall right in front of the couch. It reminds me of the overly crowded living setting we have in our daily life. It challenges the real estate developers’ build up congestion and the lack of human touch.

The exhibition Whispers of Blended Shadows: The Art of Jerry Uelsmann

Another great afternoon during the trip in Taipei, visit to Jerry N. Uelsmann's great photography works at Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

Jerry Uelsmann is a radical surrealist photographer who famed in the US in 1960s. He is well known as “image magician” and “black and white alchemist”. His ideas were fermenting during his study life in university. That one should not just photograph the object themselves, but should show the world beyond the objects was particularly influential to him.

Uelsmann proposed the concept of “post-visualization” in 1965, which creating a photographic aesthetic that applies after the camera images are taken. Use mainly traditional darkroom techniques, he uses several enlargers to combine different negatives film into a single picture by means of masking light and partial exposure, also using exquisite skill to create an artistic image out of photo montage in a hand-made ways. He discovers the mystery and surprise of recreating images during this process, freeing photography from the shackles of “representation of the real world”.

"Untitled" (1992), This particular Uelsmann's piece come with some deep thoughts and meanings. The top part of the picture shown a dry old tree with no leaves, representing the reality; the lower part represent the reflection of the reality, some sort of idealism, showing the same place with vegetated and lively landscape.

Uelsmann’s works stimulate my imagination and amazement while enter to strange space and atmosphere of the visuals.

Pope of Pop — Andy Warhol World Tour Exhibition (Taipei)

http://www.mediasphere.com.tw/andy-warhol/index.htm




Pop-art pope artist meets traditional historical venue in Taipei.

The exhibition holds at National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial hall (中正記念堂). Andy Warhol’s sketches, paintings, silk-screen print on shirts and photographic displayed, sorted chronologically with Warhol’s works. A large size presentation board showing Warhol’s timeline right in middle of exhibition hall, this particularly interesting arrangement was to guide the attendee to the renounced artist comprehensive life. Not just focus to his signature art works.

The entire guided tour takes about 45 minutes, described Andy Warhol’s life dedication to the art. Unlike the other exhibition I attend in the past, the Taiwanese attendee gives active feedback. The interaction between tour and each attendee is more or less like a focus group discussion, create an excellent atmosphere.

Fotanian: Fotan Artist Open Studios

伙炭藝術工作室開放計劃 2009















































I had been working in Shatin area for more than 4 years, this is my very first time to visit “Fotanian: Fotan Artists open studios”. This exhibition is on its sixth annual, located in one of the Shatin industrial building.

Similiar gestation of the successful Beijing 798 Art Zone started by professors and students of China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Fo Tan studios were started by the art students of art department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Sharing a very simulate idea, the young artists were looking for low rent work space as art studio. Soon after, artists share similar thoughts move in and an art zone in an industrial area was born...

It is a unique blend of industrial and arts in the community of Fotan industrial area: fast food road side café, local corner store, automobile service centre, warehouse, showroom, food manufactory, light industry factory, artist studio, and gallery, an art fusion of its own.

The industrial building looks battered but many units are still in business. Some workers were working through corridor while visitors walk around the studios. This is real and a living experimental setting, involved art community and normal every day working class. I recall a similar experience in Beijing 798 Art Zone, there are also factories still operating along with the art studios that live within the industrial area.


Some observed in this event:

- A participant friend of mine told me the landlord (Sino group) expenses of all promotion materials this year.

- Some art studios are hiding themselves away – not listed on the building’s unit directory.

- Since the other units are still in business. Scents of traditional Chinese barbecue from the food manufacture plant are a real bonus while visit these galleries...

- The quality of the art works present in this event are quite varies. Exhibition items ranging from top notch piece to less refined works.



The Blue Lotus gallery in one of the art studio that drawn my attention. The art works they feature in their gallery heavily involves traditional Chinese splash ink paint with a unique Le Corbusier kind of contemporized touch. Very unique and distinct fusion of those two form of art.

Red Cliff movie poster VS Mona Lisa

The other day I came across a movie poster of Red Cliff 2 (赤壁2) directed by John Woo. I found the arrangement on the poster is familiar. The centre of the poster showing Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮), the ancient Chinese genius during the Three kingdom period, with a serious facial expression with thoughts and worries of the Chinese civilians during the endless civil war. The burning village set in background representing the people in the time suffer greatly. Later on I found out the arrangement closely reassembled the Mona Lisa.