I'm well and truly back in the UK, and getting used to the cold and damp weather as well as busily writing up my report for the module assessment of which my trip to Hong Kong has been the main part.
I would like to take this opportunity to profusely thank Mian Ng and the University of the West of England; Mian for deciding to choose me as the candidate for the Hong Kong residency, and also UWE for generously putting up the funding for my flights and accomodation in HK. Their generosity has given me the once-in-a-lifetime chance to immerse myself in my print-making and engage with the city, its people and culture in a way that would not have otherwise have been possible - it's not a trip I could easily have funded myself, if at all; and without UWE I would not have had the connections to printmaking that have been so valuable to me during my stay.
I hope that I have used my time well (I feel sure I have) and laid down the foundations of a relationship with Hong Kong Open Printshop and also the Island School that will benefit students that may visit in the future, and that UWE's faith in me as a student and ambassador for the University will prove to be a well founded investment...
Thankyou so much UWE!
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Goodbye Hong Kong - Reflections on a month’s stay
I’m back in the UK, and Hong Kong has receded from my consciousness in much the reverse way that it unfolded - an MTR ride from Mei Foo to the airport, and the view from a 747 window of Lantau’s green hills bathed in sunshine... and then finally disappearing out of view beneath the cloud ceiling.
The residency has given me a once in a lifetime opportunity to view, absorb, and record aspects of HK life with ‘an artist’s eye’ - in ways I would not have done had I just been on holiday there; the extended visit has allowed me the luxury of time to consider and reflect on the things that have caught my attention and return again to these things during the course of my stay. Being a guest of Hong Kong Open Print has enabled me to observe the day to day practice of an organisation in the process of transitioning into an one that aims, through its outreach programmes and now with its new studio space, to bring art and print to a wide cross section of the local and wider HK community. They have also educated me, via invitation to various workshops, in areas of print of which I had little or no previous knowledge - with skill, passion, and humour! It has been a truly memorable experience for me. It might have been quite difficult to manage on my own for five weeks had it not been for the cordiality and friendship of the people I met through HKOP and its network of friends and associates, whom I will miss now that I’m back home. I feel as though I made some real friends as a result of my stay. My concern at the outset was how I would adjust to life in HK. Now it’s how I will adjust to life now I have returned!
Hong Kong remains an enigma. I do not understand how the place survives or can survive; how can you live here without going mad? How can so many people live that closely together, in such conditions of proximity and in such a climate with all that noise and pollution, with such equanimity? There is a level of tolerance here that I don’t see so much of in the UK; there are few outbursts of rage, little evidence of mindless violence, not much sign of vandalism, very little litter. People here do seem to have respect both for their environment and each other; and so although it is crowded in a way that is hard for us here to imagine, it is also cared for in ways that make me feel ashamed; collectively, we seem to care less for our own environment than they do.
And the process of expansion is ever present and remorseless. You don’t have to go too far in any direction in HK to see the extent of this - multiple engineering feats on the scale of the Second Severn Crossing occur here year on year - land reclamation, bridge building, residential programs, road rail and underground building on an unprecedented scale... and speed - as a mere individual it blows your mind. Their efficiency is staggering and yet this mega expansion brings with it the destruction of their heritage, and the city’s history. Talking to some Hong Kong-ers, there seems to be a real concern about how and if it can be kept in check. And yet for many this is just an acceptable price for progress.
Of course you can know much of this from pictures and reportage, books and the internet, if you care to; but it’s seeing it first hand that really has had an impact on me - my direct experience of the place.
Maybe this is the biggest lesson I’ve learned from my visit. And I hope that my own personal first hand views, recorded here along with some of my drawings and photographs, will convey at least some part of my experience of this wonderful and fascinating place, with a sense of both conviction and authenticity.
The task that lies ahead for me is to maintain a real sense of connection with Hong Kong albeit at a distance, and to relive the experience of being there in my artwork, drawings and printmaking - and my writing.
But most of all I hope that my writing and drawing will make you want to visit the city for yourself, and make an experience of Hong Kong that is all your own.
The residency has given me a once in a lifetime opportunity to view, absorb, and record aspects of HK life with ‘an artist’s eye’ - in ways I would not have done had I just been on holiday there; the extended visit has allowed me the luxury of time to consider and reflect on the things that have caught my attention and return again to these things during the course of my stay. Being a guest of Hong Kong Open Print has enabled me to observe the day to day practice of an organisation in the process of transitioning into an one that aims, through its outreach programmes and now with its new studio space, to bring art and print to a wide cross section of the local and wider HK community. They have also educated me, via invitation to various workshops, in areas of print of which I had little or no previous knowledge - with skill, passion, and humour! It has been a truly memorable experience for me. It might have been quite difficult to manage on my own for five weeks had it not been for the cordiality and friendship of the people I met through HKOP and its network of friends and associates, whom I will miss now that I’m back home. I feel as though I made some real friends as a result of my stay. My concern at the outset was how I would adjust to life in HK. Now it’s how I will adjust to life now I have returned!
Hong Kong remains an enigma. I do not understand how the place survives or can survive; how can you live here without going mad? How can so many people live that closely together, in such conditions of proximity and in such a climate with all that noise and pollution, with such equanimity? There is a level of tolerance here that I don’t see so much of in the UK; there are few outbursts of rage, little evidence of mindless violence, not much sign of vandalism, very little litter. People here do seem to have respect both for their environment and each other; and so although it is crowded in a way that is hard for us here to imagine, it is also cared for in ways that make me feel ashamed; collectively, we seem to care less for our own environment than they do.
And the process of expansion is ever present and remorseless. You don’t have to go too far in any direction in HK to see the extent of this - multiple engineering feats on the scale of the Second Severn Crossing occur here year on year - land reclamation, bridge building, residential programs, road rail and underground building on an unprecedented scale... and speed - as a mere individual it blows your mind. Their efficiency is staggering and yet this mega expansion brings with it the destruction of their heritage, and the city’s history. Talking to some Hong Kong-ers, there seems to be a real concern about how and if it can be kept in check. And yet for many this is just an acceptable price for progress.
Of course you can know much of this from pictures and reportage, books and the internet, if you care to; but it’s seeing it first hand that really has had an impact on me - my direct experience of the place.
Maybe this is the biggest lesson I’ve learned from my visit. And I hope that my own personal first hand views, recorded here along with some of my drawings and photographs, will convey at least some part of my experience of this wonderful and fascinating place, with a sense of both conviction and authenticity.
The task that lies ahead for me is to maintain a real sense of connection with Hong Kong albeit at a distance, and to relive the experience of being there in my artwork, drawings and printmaking - and my writing.
But most of all I hope that my writing and drawing will make you want to visit the city for yourself, and make an experience of Hong Kong that is all your own.
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Dragon Boat racing, Po Toi Island
(Sunday 10 May)
It’s my last Sunday here in HK and I’ve
been invited to the dragon boat festival on the island of Po Toi, the most
southerly island of Hong Kong.
The most spectacular events during Hong
Kong’s racing season (March to October) are the fishermen’s races from
late-April to May, especially the Tin Hau regatta held on sleepy Po Toi Island.
You’ll see fishing junks moored in the harbour, decked out with flags, and
people cheering, drinking and casting paper offerings into the water.
Overlooking this on a cliff is a bamboo theatre where Cantonese opera is
performed for the gods, and nearby is a temple where fishermen go to pay their
respects. At sundown, all is tranquil once more as the junks leave with their
dragons secured to their sides, the way they had been for years before the
world knew about dragon boat racing.
Each boat has a beautiful carved dragon’s
head at its prow, bedecked with intertwined leaves and flowers. Before the
racing prayers and offerings are made by each team to Tin Hau, Goddess of
Fishermen and the sea, for favour in the coming race.
After the excitement of the racing has
finished, we are invited onto Tina’s junk (it’s Tina, another HKOP workshop
participant, who has invited us today), where there is an endless supply of
chilled beer and the remains of a pig roast for consumption. Life doesn’t get
much better than this! Its been a really great day, and a great boat ride home
as the sun shines on the flotilla of junks making their merry way, colours
flying, back to Aberdeen…
It’s nearly the end of my five week stay
here in Hong Kong - and this has been a wonderful and memorable way to end my
final weekend.
 |
| Early evening Sun (and Cloud) |
Visit to Lamma Island
(Saturday 9 May)
Having discovered the delights of Lantau
with its attractive climate, lush green hills and lack of crowds, I’m in the
mood for a repeat experience, but this time with a trip to another of HK’s
nearby islands - the island of Lamma. I visited 25 years ago, and my memories
are of good seafood, lovely deserted beaches, drinking (rather a large
quantity) of Schnapps whilst waiting for a return ferry, and an electrical
storm and torrential downpour the like of which I’ve never experienced before
or since.
 |
| Mo Tat - The Old Quarry behind the junk is where new housing is planned |
We are desperately in need of some rain
today, because although promised for the past three weeks, no precipitation has
as yet materialised and it’s getting increasingly hot and humid, quite
unpleasant in fact. An MTR ride to Tsim Sha Tsui and the Star Ferry gets you to
the Central Ferry Piers; Lamma Island is reached from Pier 5. My preferred
destination Sok Kwu Wan on the island’s southwest corner is an hour’s wait, so
I opt for a ferry to Yung Shue Wan, which leaves straight away. The walk to Sok
Kwu is only 1.5 km along a concreted path, and I fancy the walk anyway. Most of
the ferry passengers are destined for Yung Shue which is Lamma’s biggest town
and where most of the restaurants, bars and shops can be found. I negotiate a
steady stream of tourists, bicycles, tow carts (there are no proper roads or cars
on Lamma), which thin out towards the edge of the village, until I find the
path marked family route to Sok Kwu.
This walk would be a cinch if it were in
our temperate climate, but here in this heat and humidity, the steady climb up
and away from the town on a path offering very little shade is a killer! I’m
glad I have a cap, sunscreen, water and above all an umbrella, as all are
essentials in the slow and sweaty progress I’m making - plus lots of stops for
a towel down and a swig of water. The views back towards Yung She are lovely -
pity about the enormous power station to its left which is both huge and ugly!
The walk should only take an hour, but I’m
making slow progress and I’m wondering if it’s worth the effort especially as I
will have to return to catch the ferry home. But as I’ve arranged to meet up
with an English editor, Vicki who does some work for HKOP and who I met on the
lithography workshop, I decide to continue. After the main beach at Hung Shing
there’s very few people left on the path south; just me, the constant chirrup
of cicadas, the odd lizard, and some beautiful looking birds (one, the Bubul,
has a beautiful white crest).
Sok Kwu is a tiny fishing one-horse town,
with jut a row of seafood restaurants and shops. Still it’s a welcome rest from
the heat, with shade, food and a cold drink on offer. Mo Tat, twenty minutes
beyond (where Vicki lives) is even less than that. Still, it does have a bar
and beach with great views across the South Lamma Channel to Aberdeen.
I’m befriended by a local dog who sits at
my feet and it would be the perfect spot to draw were it not for a group of
Americans who have hired a junk for the day, and swum ashore to consume a
quantity of Tsing Tao beer - I’m glad when they get bored and return to their
boat, leaving me and Max (the dog’s name as I discover) to the relative
tranquillity of the bay.
The storm clouds are gathering, and when
Vicki arrives, we decide that the walk to Tung O beach is probably not a good
idea, so we seek the sanctuary of the bar. Its just as well - there is a rapid
cooling of the air and a rising wind, and just as suddenly Aberdeen and the
South Lamma Channel disappear in the thick greyness of the approaching storm.
The Typhoon is mild by HK standards but it does nonetheless hit you with a
punch - the rain hammers on the metal roof, the trees bend and twist and I’m
relieved we are under cover. It seems there may be a repeat of my last visit
and the storm I so vividly remember.
 |
| Aberdeen from Mo Tat Wan |
But then things just as suddenly calm down
and Aberdeen re-emerges out of the mirk. Vicky tells me there’s a kaido service
from here to Aberdeen, where it’s a bus ride back to Kowloon, and I decide to
opt for this as I don’t want to walk back to Yung Shue.
The kaido ferry is an enjoyable ride across
the channel in the company of the odd loved-up couple and a group of happy
chatty nut-brown fishermen.
Lamma is still quiet and relatively
unspoilt - but it won’t surprise you dear reader, to learn that HK’s voracious
urbanisation program includes an imminent scheme to develop the old quarry
across the bay into a complex of residential high rises, that will see
the population of the island more than quadruple and change its character
forever.
Lessons in Lithography - Part II
( 7 May)
I get the opportunity to print my plate
today, and to see what the print is like on decent paper stock. So far I’ve
only proofed the plate on newsprint. The exercise gives me the opportunity to
hone my inking and sponging skills - lithography is a very physical process;
each print in the edition requires 4 passes to ensure that the plate holds
enough ink for the print, so an edition of 10 prints will require 40 ink passes,
plus sponging in between each pass, and finally pulling the print… it’s quite a
workout!
The photographs here show various stages of
the process…
 |
| Rolling up |
 |
| Inking the plate |
 |
| Positioning the paper |
 |
| Lifting the printed paper from the plate |
 |
| Inspecting the print |
Saturday, 9 May 2015
Sketching workshop with the Island School Students
I offered to run this workshop as part of my
professional practice experience during my stay here in Hong Kong. The help I’d hoped to have
from the UWE undergraduates was not possible, as they were due to return to the
UK on 4 May.
When I turned up at the school, seven additional students had asked to come on the trip in addition to the original twenty-one I was originally going to be taking. Twenty-eight 14/15 year olds loose in Hong Kong Park - no pressure!!
It was quite difficult to get the students to engage at first. I think for a lot of them there aren’t many opportunities to get out. They are taxi-ed or bussed to and from school and with either one or both parents working late HK hours, they entertain themselves (mainly on their phones) for long periods of time. In HK these kids don’t have the opportunity to go out on their own, and if they do they are chaperoned or looked after by and large. Don’t get me wrong, these are nice kids, well behaved ,and happy to do the sketching exercises I suggested - but reluctant to make suggestions or come up with their own ideas.
They all produced some lovely sketches in the park - there’s plenty of potential here for the aspiring artist - a lake full of carp and turtles, a wealth of diverse trees and shrubs all different colours and textures, as well as botanical hot houses and an aviary. And of course there is the backdrop of HK’s iconic buildings - The Bank of China Tower, The twin Lippo Buildings with their climbing koala bear geometry, to name but a few. Some of their work is shown below to give you some idea of how good they were.
The exercise they really seemed to enjoy most was when I got them to draw each other - although some of them insisted on taking photos and then drawing from the phone screen! These kids do everything with their phones, and I guess they’re not that different from kids in the UK in this respect.
28 kids is a big group to manage, but I did get round all of them and I hope was able to give them some useful advice on drawing which I hope will stay with some of them. They did really like the small A5 sketchbooks I’d brought all the way from the UK for them - result!
When I turned up at the school, seven additional students had asked to come on the trip in addition to the original twenty-one I was originally going to be taking. Twenty-eight 14/15 year olds loose in Hong Kong Park - no pressure!!
It was quite difficult to get the students to engage at first. I think for a lot of them there aren’t many opportunities to get out. They are taxi-ed or bussed to and from school and with either one or both parents working late HK hours, they entertain themselves (mainly on their phones) for long periods of time. In HK these kids don’t have the opportunity to go out on their own, and if they do they are chaperoned or looked after by and large. Don’t get me wrong, these are nice kids, well behaved ,and happy to do the sketching exercises I suggested - but reluctant to make suggestions or come up with their own ideas.
They all produced some lovely sketches in the park - there’s plenty of potential here for the aspiring artist - a lake full of carp and turtles, a wealth of diverse trees and shrubs all different colours and textures, as well as botanical hot houses and an aviary. And of course there is the backdrop of HK’s iconic buildings - The Bank of China Tower, The twin Lippo Buildings with their climbing koala bear geometry, to name but a few. Some of their work is shown below to give you some idea of how good they were.
The exercise they really seemed to enjoy most was when I got them to draw each other - although some of them insisted on taking photos and then drawing from the phone screen! These kids do everything with their phones, and I guess they’re not that different from kids in the UK in this respect.
28 kids is a big group to manage, but I did get round all of them and I hope was able to give them some useful advice on drawing which I hope will stay with some of them. They did really like the small A5 sketchbooks I’d brought all the way from the UK for them - result!
By 3.30pm, after Helen had dropped me off near Wan Chai, I was completely exhausted but
decided to visit Yau Ma Tei on the way home as its just a stop off the MTR line. That was quite an experience and
the polar opposite of HK park. If I have time, I'll cover that in another posting...
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
Cyanotype workshop
The wonderful thing about cyanotype is that it
requires no special equipment to achieve great results; water, sunshine, 2 chemicals,
and some paper or absorbent material can produce beautiful and
interesting pieces of work.
HKOP use it in many of their outreach
projects because they can pre-treat rolls of material, bag it up to prevent
exposure, and then take it out onto the streets where participants can lie on
it or place objects on it. The results can be seen after ten minutes or less -
Ho Yin showed us examples he had made at Chueng Sha Wan residential plaza, of a
cyan frieze created by the local residents, catching them in various
contortions and poses. It looked really good and he said they really enjoyed
making it because they could see the results of their participation straight afterwards.
Here’s some history and a brief overview: cyanotype
(or sun printing) is one of the earliest photographic processes, developed by
Fox Talbot and Daguerre in the 1840’s. It relies on the mixing of two inert
chemical solutions to create a sensitised liquid that can be applied to any
absorbent material and then exposed to a powerful UV source. Back in the day,
the only source powerful enough to do this was the sun. Images are produced by
protecting the sensitised medium with an object/objects, or contact negative.
After exposure the unfixed chemical is washed away, giving a positive image in
cyan blue, hence the name. The process was adopted and used by English botanist
Anna Atkins in the late 19th century, who wanted to find a way of
preserving images of botanical specimens that she realised would not make the
long journey home.
I really enjoyed this workshop, which
unlike lithography or etching, is quite straightforward and yields pleasing
results in ten/fifteen minutes or so. The images I created seem to be connected
to the past and somehow transient, which seems apt.
The Shatin panorama which I’ve shown here
looks for all like an image taken twenty years ago or more, a snapshot in time
- which it is. Who knows how it will look in another twenty? My photo, taken
last Sunday, is already history.
I’ve already mused on the fragility of Tai
O; an image caught in ferro-cyanate brush-marks seems to me in some ways
equivalent to a place briefly fixed in time by factors of geography,
history and economics…
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