Hong Kong – Reflecting Locations

Hans’s report

After my discussion with Katarina, we have finalized some main ideas of our work.

Our concept is doing ‘city similarity’ of Hong Kong and Zurich. We will shoot the footages in our own city separately. Though it is very risky but it is believe that we will find something beyond our imagination in this kind of cooperation.

The definition of ‘city similarity’ is finding the visual similarity of Hong Kong and Zurich. What we would like to discover is not only the similarity of cityscape, people’s behaviour, but also the culture, politic condition and social issue behind what we see and record. Personally it will be amazing to see the non-similarity or similarity in ‘city similarity’.

For me the video sources may not included first-handed footages only, but also the source from broadcasting media too. It is because I believe that people’s culture is strongly affected by media.

Furthermore, We thought about how to present the piece. We got a first rough idea, which is present our work as a video installation. Personally, I prefer use programming to match the footages from Hong Kong and Zurich, then present them in two separated screen. And of course, we are still thinking another way to present. we still discussing about it.

p.s. I’ll start to shoot some footage in the middle of December.

Team Up!

Dear all,

After the 3rd assignment, it is time to pair you up and start the collaboration.

Here you go:

Katarina – Hanz

Morena – Allison

Jelena – Karen

Joanna – Winnie

I believe Thomas and Birk are both open for other possibilities if you have a better idea on the team lineup, and please do let us know by this week for any suggestion or objection.

Phase 4: Finding methods and narratives

1. All of you should be able to find each others’ email address, please develop your own communication channel (Facebook, email, skype, whatsapp….) in order to ensure constant and effective discussion

2. To transform your interests into a small, personal narrative. Please try to come up a consensus with your co-artist, and

3. Based on your discussion, show your partners your research materials and methodology

4. To decide whether it will be one collaborative artwork, or individual under the same context and concept

5. To specify your topic, subject matter, methods, material……

Please submit your project documentation (research material) and a short artist statement / proposition (within 500 words) onto our blog by 30 Nov Monday.

More or less you will share similar idea/ practice with your collaborator, mentors will keep tracking your working process from time to time.

Good luck,

Chung

Switzerland in 80s

In my childhood, Hong Kong people always named food or commodity with Switzerland, for instance, cookies, candies, package food, etc. In addition, their logos were represented in the landscape of nature environment, such as snowy mountain like mont blanc. As a kid, we didn’t have any idea where Switzerland or Zurich is, the image of a country was being constructed through smell, taste or package of snacks, though the landscape had nothing to do with the candy. Later, I realised those food brands manufactured their products in rural area in Hong Kong, which migrated all their production lines to Mainland China. Indeed, they keep their brand in associated with Switzerland. Recently, I am working on my own research project on Communist film after WWII until early 80s; apart its propaganda part, protagonists always struggled with tough nature environment. Perhaps this is part of the reasons that the imagery of Switzerland was idolised and reflected in products.