17

décembre

Contemporary Art: Artist vs. Craftsman

par LIAO Wenhui
Contemporary Art: Artist vs. Craftsman

Template-1, 001, by Ai Weiwei  2007, Ming and Qing dynasty wooden window frames and doors

The first impression of this installation may be disorderliness. But in fact, the large structure which was the Project 3 of Fairytale Art Event produced in 2007, was conducted by Ai Weiwei.

The work built out of Ming and Qing dynasty wooden doors and window frames. Those used objects were actually belonged to destroyed houses from destroyed ancient townships in China. Ai explains, ‘the materials I use comes from objects destroyed in the name of development, or would be used by antique dealers to make copies of antique future’. The doors and window frames are no longer used in themselves but become an artwork taking by artist. Surprisingly, Template was finally collapsed under heavy weather condition. Ai claimed that Template was more beautiful than before.

Lire l’article →

16

décembre

Connect and challenge the nature

par CHUNG Hiu Man
Connect and challenge the nature

 The Gate, Cornelia Konrads, 2004

http://www.cokonrads.de/situ/gate.html

For the first impression of above-mentioned installation, I just see some floating stones. And I think the artist wants to show some unbelievable scenes from fiction movies purely. I would say people in reality can feel what characters feel in movies after appreciating this installation, which named “the gate”, created in 2004.

This mind-bending site-specific installation was created by a German land artist Cornelia Konrads. The Gate is mysterious, sometimes I do not know why I love it. But I think I am not just attracted by its amazing exterior but also its inner charms. Konrads makes use of material from the nature to build up “the gate”. Thousands of pieces of rock were connected by several steel ropes. It is almost camouflaged by the surrounding woodlands. I love the sense of harmony. Indeed, the most attractive feature of this installation should be the illusion of denying gravity and the violation of Newton’s law. When you get close to the pillar, you may just see several steel bars link pieces of rocks. But when you view it in distant place, a magical phenomenon appears before your real eyes. Those heavy rocks appear to be floated in mid-air individually. They never drop off. She uses her hand and some normal tools to generate a weightless space.

Lire l’article →

14

décembre

Evolution of Organisms in Virtual or Reality World?

par CHAN Hoi Yin
Evolution of Organisms in Virtual or Reality World?

Time of Doubles: Flux by Haru Ji (Korea) and Graham Wakefield (UK), 2011, immersive interactive art installation

Time of Doubles: Flux is one of the version of their Artificial Nature series which is a research project and an evolving art installation since 2008. It is an immersive interactive art installation, which consist of stereoscopic projection with an arc- shaped screen, 3D depth camera sensing, and a surround array of active loudspeakers. And it aims to let audiences to experience mirror existences.

There are different creatures on the screen, such as small green balls are protists (they look like frog somehow), long transparent snake-like life-forms in blue are bigger marine animals, and orange particle of sun are humans. All of these elements are formed a food chain and imitated ecosystem.

Lire l’article →

When smile implies other meanings.

par LEE Yan Yi
When smile implies other meanings.

Execution by Yue Min Jun is probably the most expensive Chinese contemporary art work. Every face inside the painting is same, and all of them are giving a jaw-breaking grin. The sense of weirdness rises from your heart since the guy’s responses in the painting are contradicted. Actually the guy is self-portrait of Yue MinJun, which manages to reference the 7th-century Laughing Buddha, the happy Communist worker of the 20th century .Yue MinJun is so famous with his laughers, the meaning of them are not just present the sense of happiness but always can be looked as a mask that hiding real feelings of helplessness. Responding to the painting, it is easy to understand what feelings and the emotion that Yue was inspired by 1989.

Lire l’article →

13

décembre

Voiceless messages from nature

par WONG Woon Him
Voiceless messages from nature

Manuscript of Nature V and IV by Cui Fei
Installation, tendrils, dimensions variable, 2002-present
Installation view from New Britain Museum of American Art, 2007 

What do you consider about the relationship between you and nature?

Cui Fei, a Chinese artist who moved to New York City to pursue her artistic career. She usually like to use many natural materials produces her installations.
Miss. Cui developed a solid foundation in a wide variety of media, including drawing, painting, sculpture and calligraphy. Her artworks always using calligraphy and natural materials to evoke the relationship of human and nature. Both the concept of nature in her Chinese heritage, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of all beings, and the Western theory of Transculture, which stresses living beyond the limitations of any particular culture, offer her a unique vision to view the relationships between cultural differences; between culture and nature; and between nature and human beings

Lire l’article →

No More Text

par LEE Wing Tung
No More Text

“If I wrote you a love letter would you write back?” (And thousands of other questions).
Sound and network installation by Helen Pritchard and Winnie Soon, 2012.

This artwork has been shown in the Microwave International New Media Arts Festival 2012. The exhibition area is rectangular and a white rectangular chair is at the middle of the area. When I first stepped in the exhibition area, a lot of earphones hanged on the wall. The headphones are wireless. Thus, the audience can seat on the white rectangular chair and using the headphone listen the audiotape. While I put on the earphone and listen to the tape, a lot of text message can be heard. When I listened the audio thoroughly, I found that all the content of the audio are about love and some speeches are not human voice. I also found that all of the audio didn’t repeated when I switched to another earphone. The speeches are continuous and non-stop.

Lire l’article →

Shadow Touch! Media art that fools the senses

par Zachary Ip
Shadow Touch! Media art that fools the senses

Shadow Touch! by Teruaki Tsubokura

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ8fbp4b3Jw

“We began our research because we wanted to eliminate the distinction between real and digital objects.”                                         -  Teruaki Tsubokura(坪倉輝明)

 What is Shadow? A sign of fear? A symbol of darkness? Or lack of light purely?
Can you imagine that you can play with shadow by moving your hands? Is it possible?

Shadow seems to be mysterious and untouchable. It was inspiring and I started thinking what is the nature, function or meaning of it. In a certain extent, shadow is the evidence that something exist in the world. In Shadow touch!, it is creepy that shadow is shown but there is no any object on the top of the shadow.

Lire l’article →