Thomas Lin 練錦順x Liu Yichang劉以鬯 + George Ho左治x Tats Lau劉以達: Intersection 對倒
JCCAC Hong Kong, February 2012
Located in the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, the exhibition had a touch of nostalgia. A video of a smiling face cut into two halves, superimposed by a text/poem, and accompanied by dream-like film music. A three-dimensional ‘model’ of an elephant’s trunk, modeled after Tino the elephant from a now non-existent Hong Kong theme park. Tino supposedly remembered the children even after they have grown up. When you touched the elephant’s trunk, you could hear the sounds of children’s laughter. Photos combined with poems inspired by a Hong Kong writer, who addressed the topic of the city and its inhabitants. It had a sense of longing for the past, remembering the days of youth: A younger generation of Hong Kong artists reflecting on the days gone by. It also linked well with the location of JCCAC which used to be a factory. It was an exhibition intended to show a mirror to the visitors, making use of emotions and memories. Maybe it was too emotional, but in some way, it was ok, because it felt honest. It was a show that engaged the surrounding area and addressed the expected community audience, and on top it proved interesting to me as well, giving glimpses into the Hong Kong past and the way how Hongkongers reflect it.
“Exhibition to be held in the Gallery on the first floor includes the unrelated works by two pairs of creative producers. One is the photography of literature comprising of Thomas Lin and Liu Yichang’s “Tête-bêche, Era”. Inspired by Intersection, Thomas Lin made a series of upside-down images, picturing the forgotten living scenes, and declining humanistic activities: “I attempted to use inverted lens of camera to capture upside-down images in order to revert those reversed values.” In his new work, “Tête-bêche, Era”, as a tribute, Thomas Lin employed the unique words of the stream-of-consciousness writings of Liu Yichang to kindle memories, experimenting the counterforce that overturns the times. “To observe, and even to think using this indirect image,” said Thomas, “I find two coexisting worlds at the extremes. This is surprisingly contradictory!”
The reality is also an “Intersection”. Just as Thomas Lin and Liu Yichang started their conversation, the other side finds a sound interactive installation, “Where Memories Go — Tino the Elephant”, by George Ho and Tats Lau, who were having a discussion related to memory coincidently. “The post-60s recognizes me as a musician”, said Tats Lau, “while the post-80s calls me the Abbot, Wet Dreams” This remark of Tats Lau ascertains the creative direction of George Ho in a production of an interactive installation exploring the faulted layer of collective memory.
Originated from his own childhood memory, George Ho made use of layers of wood boards to put together his work, “Where Memories Go — Tino the Elephant”. George recalled, “My mum brought me to Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park to feed that elephant; she said if you feed it sincerely, it would remember you forever.” With the passing away of the elephant and the disappearance of the park, this myth was embedded in mind under the faulted layer of times. George believes that the experimental sounds by Tats Lau contain a psychic archeological power. “Touching the nose of the elephant in front of this elephant installation, it will then tell you this secret. If this elephant remembers you, then this is the unique installation which helps to uncover memories,” George said.”