Installation Arts Exhibition – Peacescape
Peacescape is an artistic concept to bring people towards art installations centered on the theme of world peace. A " Social Bench" by artist Wong Tin Yan with paintings of animals from different parts of the world, made from recycled wood, formed the center piece of this space, enabling the audience to gather and ponder over the "Red White Blue 365" creation of 365 doves by Au Hoi Lam. Ben Au and Robotalex Chang utilized graphic symbols as a medium to create a game called " Imagine Peace". Peace will be achieved if people interact with mutual trust and respect. One can choose to live in peace or alternatively, choose to live violently. But it is only through peace that our society will flourish and the world becomes worthwhile for us to live in. Through their creations, the collaborating artists have vividly depicted the concept of Peacecape originated by
Cybil Chiu and Christa Tom.
Au Hoi Lam – Red White Blue 365
Red, white and blue are the core colours of this piece of work - red doves, red bird cage, white doves and their blue collars, this tricolor symbolises "republicanism, liberty, or revolution". There are a total of 365 doves in the park, some are red and some white; each of them has a collar with No. 1 to No. 365; red doves are all trapped in a red bird cage while the white doves scatter all over the park. The dove itself symbolises peace. The white doves represent peace and freedom. Being trapped in a birdcage, Red doves reflect a state of unease and the loss of freedom. Imagine if the red doves are set free from the bird cage and transform into white doves, then there will be 365 white doves flying freely in the park which would symbolise the completeness of peace.
Au Hoi Lam graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (MFA 2004 & MPhil in Philosophy 2009). She works and lives in Hong Kong. Through artistic creations, AU ruminates over her life experiences, but not to express herself eloquently.
Ben Au & Robotalex Chang – Imagine Peace
Dedicated to UNESCO, the name of this installation is "Imagine Peace", Ben & Robotalex worked together and advocated the message of peace by integrating visual languages into the space. The work is very interactive, for example there are slogan stickers that would make audience pause and think, and these stickers also echo with the exhibition space; in another installation, balloons are used as a medium to connect different participants, the process of reassembling the balloons indeed carries a message of “peace”. By participating in this process, the audience will realize the main idea of the artwork-- everyone, regardless of their age, has to work together to realize the vision of peace and by playing a part, you will experience this universal value which is derived from innate humanity.
Ben Au & Robotalex Chang are course mates when they were studying in the Polytechnic University School of Design. After graduation, Robotalex engages in environmental design work, while Ben works as graphic design magazine industry.
Robotalex likes to rethink the relationship between the scene and the audiences, he often conveys his idea with installations in a particular space; Ben likes playing with the hidden message behind texts and images, he often expresses his ideas with simple design elements.
Wong Tin Yan – Social Bench
In Hong Kong, it is easier to spot thrown-away wood blocks somewhere rather than trees. Some of these wood blocks would have rough surface and vicissitude texture which are quite unique. Utilising these recycled wood blocks, the artist worked jointly with people from different cultural backgrounds to assemble and created a bench called “social bench”. It allows people to sit and take a short break. When sitting on the bench, distance among people are inadvertently shortened, which enable them to form a "small community" by striking up conversations with strangers and connecting people. In addition, animal species from different countries are painted on this “social bench”, reflecting a harmonious community with diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Wong tin yan was born in Hong Kong. He graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2000. As a sculptor, he likes to collect reusable discarded wood pellets to create cartoon animal sculptures either by traditional Chinese joining techniques or in D.I.Y. furniture style. His works are not only affordable and comprehensible, but also symbolic of the philosophy of Usefulness" and " uselessness”. His works are widely collected by museums and private collectors.
