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.