Fotanian 2009

This is the 6th time for the "organized" open house activities for the artists working in studios in the area of Fotan.

I can't say it's a long time but it really took a lot of hard work from voluntary artists in the first two years. Those who contributed voluntarily were just one or two among the artists in Fotan, but surely they got to face a lot of pressure from themselves on their creative lives and the co-ordination of the progress of the exhibition.

From a visitor few years ago to one of the artists currently working in Fotan, I am feeling the shifting of the positioning of "Fotanians". It's not about good or bad, but acquaintances say "Fotanians" is becoming commercialized (due to sponsorship from Sino? Perhaps.) And now I find it interesting that the exhibition is actually "organized"/"curated" by a group known as PEP, which is merely a personal link to people in Fotan. Well, that's not bad, if the show is good, they take the praise, if the show is bad, they are to be blamed, and no longer the voluntary artists in Fotan. Who knows?

Any way, I sincerely invite you to mark 10/1, 11/1, 17/1 and 18/1 on your schedule, spare your time visiting this interesting place, look at the works, meet the people, and share your views on art and life.

Take your time! Do drop in to my studio "917 Playground". If you meet me, I may serve you a cup of expresso.

My works will be exhibited at B917, Wah Luen Industrial Building, Wong Chuk Yeung Street, Fotan, N.T.

See you there!

Miao Miao

《渺渺》

又是台灣，這趟是台北。

一個女生和另一個日籍交換女生的半年交往。

活潑跳脫的女生，嘻嘻哈哈的和日籍女同學建立了友誼。糊裡糊塗的闖進一家唱片小店，遇上那個憂鬱老闆，交換生愛上老闆，活潑的女孩為她奔走，替她約會他，可是他心裡一直揮不走一個他不敢愛的他。他勇敢的愛勇敢的表白，他害怕迴避鬧蹩扭，還未可以好好想想之前，他意外身亡，他把他的音樂聲音都刪掉，然而，他後悔了，把自己關起來，日夕戴著那對靜音耳機和世界分開。

世界沒有因此而停下來，昔日的伙伴找上門，記憶重新起動。

店子要關了，愛他的女生失戀了，他根本沒有留意過這個女孩，女孩的好朋友看見她失戀，她更是難受。

曾幾何時，兩個女孩要好的時候，她們握著手在台北街頭到處跑。她說那暖暖的手是太陽之手，特別適合做麵包和蛋糕。交換生的學期結朿了，太陽之手要離開，她送她一個有兩隻重疊的手作為圖案的黑森林。她打開發現的時候，她已經在飛回日本的航機上。在那刻她才對著天空大叫其實一直很喜歡她…

最後，她懂了戀愛的滋味，也吃過失戀的苦頭。女孩走了，憂鬱老闆才發現她把他的碟子換了包，串成一小女孩羞澀的情話。

每個人都在錯過，一次又一次的錯過。

難道，得不到的真是最美好的？

幸好，沒有錯過精彩的美指，也沒有錯過這個美麗的故事。

Cape No.7

X：

終於看了《海角七號》。

這片子會在甚麼時候在你的城市上映呢？

躲在幽暗的電影院，看著看著，竟然不自覺的淚流滿面，是風光太美麗？故事太似曾相識？還是懷舊調子太叫人觸境傷情？

台灣屏東和墾丁的景色的確很美，加上後期製作隊伍的心血：天空異常的藍，那棵椆零在海邊的老樹既寂寞又溫暖，面對大海的變幻，它不知道度過幾多個風雨，然而它又成為多少過客的依靠？

「信」這個概念一直穿梭在影片中；一個多情懦弱的日本教師如鬼魅的在信件中的獨白、失意音樂人回鄉當不稱職的郵差。於是，他積壓了大堆待派的郵件，結果繼父和朋友大伙兒為了讓這個任性慵懶的郵差可以專心為音樂會的暖場作品趕工而出手相助，把積壓的郵件一一派遞——人生中還有許多積壓的人和事，要嗎任讓他們積壓封塵然後遺憾終老，要嗎就撇脫把他們的轇轕理順。

影片的每個人物有對生活都有所執著，也有許多要放不放的情意結，可是每個人都有勇氣在那個關鍵時刻對自己坦白，把苦杯喝下然後繼續去闖。或多或少，那位陰霾不散的日籍老師的懦弱和坦白教曉仍然在人生路上闖的人們要把握每一個機會。鬱鬱不歡的孫女在得悉那盒自日本寄來給老邁的奶奶友子的信，管不得前嫌，著年青的友子趕快把信送給那位老人家。曾經錯過就不可以再犯。小伙子送信給老人家，自己也上了很大的課。「不要去，要不我跟著來。」他抓緊的不只是眼前的女孩，還有對重拾生命的勇氣。

黃昏音樂會情緒的激動，老中青少樂手奏起國境之南之際，我嚐到的是苦澀。

很想找到那日籍教師七封信的原文，許是借來的剖白。

先把歌詞放在這裡：

如果海　會說話　如果風愛上砂
如果　有些想念遺忘在某個長假

我會聆聽浪花　讓風吹過頭髮
任記憶裡的愛情在時間潮汐裡喧嘩

非得等春天遠了夏天才近了
我是在回首時終於懂得
當陽光　再次　回到那　飄著雨的國境之南
我會試著把　那一年的故事　再接下去說完

當陽光　再次　離開那　太晴朗的國境之南
妳會不會把　妳曾帶走的愛　在告別前用微笑全歸還

海很藍　星光燦爛　我仍空著我的臂彎
天很寬　在我獨自唱歌的夜晚
請原諒我的愛　訴說的太緩慢

寄意。

你的
Y

二零零八年十二月廿四日

True Women for Sale

《我不賣身。我賣子宮》
劉美君以此片獲二零零八年台灣金馬獎最佳女主角，要不是聽到新聞的報導，也許會完全不察覺這齣電影的出現，也會完全記不起劉美君以前也拍過電影。

記憶中沒有看過邱禮濤執導的作品，原因是我怕沉重。可是，我更怕爛片，所以我對上的本地電影已經要追溯至陳果的《香港製造》或者是《去年煙花特別多》。可是，是劉美君獲獎的電影嘛，據知真的是超冷門姿態勝出，要去看。

電影演員的組合也挺有意思，男演員有黃秋生、森美，還有大量相當「麻甩」的大叔，女演員有劉美君、黃婉伶、姚樂怡，還有久違的鄭希怡和大堆青春少艾，入型入格的充當「過份」年青的「企街」。當中在城巴上產子一幕更動員到邱大導一眾工作人員當臨記，究竟有幾多位演員最後會收到片酬，還是不計酬勞的友情客串呢？

也許我帶了過多期望及預備了要承受沉重，看著電影的發展竟然有一種莫名的荒謬感：銀幕會亮起保險從業員對人家的保單價值的評估、做「雞」(妓女)的會養雞拜祭雞的亡魂和放生雞隻、衣食豐足的攝影師手持英文階級導論扮地盆工人、國內的酒家公關為錢替一個老得可以當她父親的香港男人生完一個又一個的孩…荒誕緩和了沉重，真實和誇張的演繹彼此交錯著，導演甚至不惜要最後搬出留港自強的口號，不可以說不用心良苦。

可以我納悶，劉美君的演出確很真摯，除了那水潤口紅外，全片不施脂，要眼淚有眼淚，要有多悲痛有多悲痛，我有被感動的，但是，這就是奪最佳女主角的原因？難道同期獲提名的其他候選演員真的演得不好嗎？

也許影片太真實；深水埗南昌街汝州街基隆街大南街、化了名的廣華醫院，都是熟悉不過的地方，實在的反而變得不真實。穿插在荒謬中的人情遘味是濃厚的，只嫌不夠而矣。

後記；在這齣電影的官方網站，讀到導演的自白，說到本片劇本的「鬆散」成為一直找不到投資者的原因。的確如是，我看得不自然原來是因為此片鬆散…

My voice in the air

Thanks to a lot of luck given to me, I was one of the interviewees representing my art group "Artmatch Group" at RTHK sometimes ago. The recorded interview was aired last Saturday. With a lot of excitement, most of our members gathered in front of the radio at Cultural Corner Art Academy ("Man Yuen") in the air time and listened the programme. Of course, we have good response from all around, not only the voices of us are not as bad as daily heard (i.e. noisy and squiggy), the content and the presentation are really nice. What a good experience! Let's share the link to the programme here with you. It's an archive that last for approximately one year.

Fun with Gmail

Perhaps u've already used the themes of Gmail for a while. For a night owl like me, well only in holiday, seeing the Gmail look like this early in the morning is nothing but an understanding smile.

See? Cute ghost foxes have their tea time at midnight. The living fox is sleeping soundly in its bed.

How to pass the difficulty?

I passed my difficult weekend with this song, but even with greater difficulty afterwards...

Art Chic~

Thanx to Gaylord! The chic is so cute!

1C! It's your turn! (This is not coincidence, I source this result)

Friday at the Peak becos...

Friday on the Peak...

My beloved students

At the Guangzhou Trienniale

My kids

Artmatch Group Exhibition 2008 Opening

This video was taken on 12 Oct 2008, in the opening of the Artmatch Group Exhibition 2008. The show will be good till 5.00p.m. 26 October 2008, if you miss the show, please go. If you miss the opening, view this!

Location? 404 Shanghai Street, Yaumatei, Kowloon, HK (near MTR Yaumatei Exit A)

The Paris Cafe (even more Parisien than Paris)

Henry Moore and my childhood

This sculpture stands by Jardine House (previous known as Connaught building) for years. Once it was on a piece of dry land and children including me liked to climb on to the ring, re-calling me of the view of small children exploring the 'Hammer' sculpture of Claes Oldenburg in the evening of the summer in 2007. Now, deliberately or not, it is re-located on a 'wet' stand commonly used in so-called contemporary environmental design, especially for expensive business premises. Well, I have grown up and not going to climb it again. But, is it necessary to 'isolate' the sculpture completely from the public by a 'fortress river'? Just wonder...

Crab season

Speakeasy at my friends' studio, free-style kitchen, free-style acquaintance :), and big time XD

Terribly busy in work, but life is boring

Yeah, somehow busy office work means boring life. So we do some funny add-in to our cramped office desktop: contemporary vs old-fashioned, anyway, they work!

Hazel and Freddie's Wedding

Thanks to this couple for giving me a very unforgettable wedding banquet, from the very details of the sourvenirs to the arrangement in the marquee in the Golden Coast Hotel.
These sourvenirs are the best I ever received, and don't mention the stylistic mini-photo album included in the invitation.
Hazel, you are the very lucky girl.

Invitation to the JCCAC visit on 27 September 2008

::My visiting plan::
Date: 27 September 2008 (Sat)
Time: 1.30p - 5:30p (Gather at Shek Kip Mei MTR Exit A)
Venue: JCCAC, Shek Kip Mei
Attractions: Glass studio of Wong Kwok Chung, works of painter and photographer Liu Ka Yee, photographer Ceci Liu.......

JCCAC was a factory building for years and few years ago. As the rebuilding project starts in Shek Kip Mei, lots of old style public housing estates (徙置區) were pulled down together despite this factory buidling. It was renovated and reconstruction from a factory building to a multiple-purpose niche for artists working on different media. We can find classrooms for The Art School, Baptist University, and studios of different sizes to fulfil the needs of various artists. This Friday, Mr. Donald Tsang will visit this symbol of creativity of HK, in its grand opening and afterwards, the studios will be kept open for some days with different exhibitions in them. Don't miss this chance. Join me and have a look of the JCCAC!

Zhou Bi Chang -- Unexpected discovery

Heard of the name of this "Super Girl" sometimes ago, and it was just the name, not her works. But after receiving a song (依賴) of Nicky Lee (李玖哲) from a good friend, and i start searching for more Nicky's work, I find he has a song with her (你好嗎?). It is a sweet R&B and both artists' voices blend nicely together. Zhou got a deep and strong voice unlike those girlish voices. This is rather addicitve to me. And I keep listening to her early work "多麼的想你" recently. Though her full album can be found in Baidu, I just wonder if I can get her albums in Hong Kong, or should I go to Shenzhen to buy her CDs?

Biggest gift

Angela, thank you!

I've just graduated!

Happy Birthday!

My colleague thought this is my old student. Oh my!

Lovely minority kids

It's been a while of not teaching visual arts, years or months? Well, depends on either in formal school lessons or informal lessons on voluntary base by definition. But this time it's a really new experience to have lesson 100% conducted in really simple English for kids of only 5 years old from minority group. They are very adorable!

A visit to the JCCAC

Do you know a place in Shek Kip Mei known as Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre? It locates in Shek Kip Mei old industrial buildings, and it just takes few minutes walk from Shek Kip Mei MTR station.



Drop in this centre after knowing numbers of local artists moved and moving in in the past few months. Longing to see what's going on in it but got no reason to go until receiving the invitation from one of the artists working in 8/F of the centre. Though I missed the opening cocktail on 16 Aug 08 evening, I paid a visit in the centre on the next day.


It's an interesting place, with kind of special feeling especially because of its close location to the place I lived in my childhood and my secondary school.

The above three are works made by a newly-met friend, Kiwi Liu Ka Yee. Miss Fat! She is currently a hardworking art student and works in the studio on Unit13, 8/F of the centre.

Btw, JCCAC is going to have the grand opening on 26 Sep 08 (Friday) and I am planning to conduct a tour to this centre on 27 Sep 2008 (Sat). Interested party, please let me know! :)

While I open my suitcase after the trip...

I found this CD bought from New York, and I simply love the whole stuff of this musical Xanadu.

I have no idea of why I am so familiar with most of the songs in it, but I got to admit that, in Helen Hydes Theatre, I could be one of the youngest audience. All the aunties and uncles said this is the best show they ever saw in years. Believe it?

Well...

This is just the beginning... And I should say thanks x 100times to Gordon next to our booth as he kept urging me to remove the facepaint on my face. Yeah, I removed it at lunch hour. But those on my upper arm... I removed them at the end of the event, and.... alas! Here comes the 'daylight tatoo'! Well...

And thanks x 100000 times to our team! Florence, Su, Kitty and Amy, you are great!

Good job! Team!

CUHK 45th Carnival on the go!

Supporting the Beijing Olympic Game!

Golden Gate Bridge in mood

Jeff Koons and Metro4ever

On the 86th floor of the Empire State Building

Look! My favourite Chrysler Building

Empire State Building out of subway

At the Lincoln Memorial

Washington DC Capital Hill

Gorgeous!

Saluting to Lichenstein

And this is the first piece of artwork in my US trip, yeah, seriously. Not in NY but Washington DC. Alas~

At the 3rd line from the stage b4 the musical Xanadu

Taste of Liberty

Dam Tour

Dam! The Hoover Dam!