Wrapping up

I only have a few days left now. Going home never felt so strange, or sounded so wonderful. This last week I've been busy making final preparations and installations for the show, getting my last tourist things done, and saying bye for now to family.

Setting up for the show - I had to do this at night in order for it to be dark enough to use the spot lamps. I also had to do this before they shut power down to the track lighting in the building, so it was a bit of a race against time.

The entrance

 as soon as you walk in (that table will be covered in food later)

The kites - I mounted both on found wood. Mainly out of necessity, but also to keep consistent with the plexiglass pieces and the wood they are also mounted on. The wood also really echo's with my time here at JCCAC. They (studio mates) really are good at creating work from recycled materials. Found objects being upcycled seems to be the norm. 

 The installed the umbrella's in the open top area where the wind can really get to them.

As of this writing, the exhibit opening reception is tomorrow (but actually today).  I'll make another post about how that goes and a summary of this experience later on. 

The last thing I needed to do before I left Hong Kong aside from spending as much time with family as possible, was to revisit Cheung Chau Island. I only faintly remembered this place from my last visit, but I do remember the food being amazing. Fitting then, that my first and just about last (and all of them inbetween) blog posts are partly about food then, no? I managed to find the same restaurant I ate at last time I was here - and managed to find the exact same dish! Life goal = completed

 Oh yes.

Food aside, Cheung Chau Island is an interesting place. Unlike the rest of Hong Kong, the atmosphere is much more relaxed. It makes sense, being on an island. No cars present except for emergency vehicles. Bicycles dominate.

And unlike the city, street furniture actually exists.

Despite this more calm demeanor, I couldn't help but feel that it would only get busier as the night went on, and people got hungry. I was right.

I did some urban exploration and found this great court, and then headed back to the city

The ferry waiting zone

And now I'm tired and need to sleep, as it's 2am here. Good night for now.

Getting into the thick of things

New years vibes are still out there. I still see locals giving each other red packets, two weeks after the main festivities are over. They seem to be just getting back into the swing of things, while decorations are slowly coming down. I've even heard Christmas music being played in some stores still. It's very strange to me. Most of the tourists have left though, many of whom were from mainland China. The people are so different from the locals here, despite belonging to the same Country. It was not uncommon for tourist attractions to be three hour lines during new years. The city felt even more packed then it already was, which got me thinking, how do artists manage to make work like this and get away with it?

The following two images were taken in quite popular areas of Hong Kong, so it would be extremely difficult to not be spotted doing these. Not to mention their locations! The work as far as I know was done by street artist 'Space Invader'. Sorry for the cell phone pics. 

Now you might be thinking that the artist clearly did these at night when no one was around. But until you've lived here for a while, you won't understand that you never really are alone here. Despite the quiet appearance of some area's, there is always someone else there, unless you're on top of a mountain. Even there you have a good chance of finding people. This city is just so packed with people and it hardly has any places to rest. Benches on the street? Nope. Benches at the mall? Nope. Benches at the bus stop? Nope. Benches at the train station? Yes, but there's only one and it only fits two people. If you stand still for a moment instead of following the crowd hoping to not get run over, you'll realize just how many people are moving about. I took these photo's at an intersection:

When you do finally find a park (or a 'street rest' as I've heard it referred to), they show a different side of people. All the stress of the everyday seems to be gone, and people are finally free to just relax for a moment, even if it may only be briefly. I snapped this shot of a cat in the street rest, which had captured the attention of a little girl as well.

And the Filipino workers out on a Sunday, gathering in a park to sing for Church

Getting back into the studio, or out of it, depending on how you look at it:

Getting ready for the final solo exhibition in this very studio space. Prints have been printed, pieces have been pieced back together, and something is forming.

Some night time shots of the space. My studio is in the center, between the large paintings and the blue wall.

I managed to make use of the plexi where it had smudged, thanks to some input from some studio mates. Mistakes open up new doors for possibility, if you let them. 

It's been so great working with other artists through JCCAC in this last while, but also exploring the city and uncovering more of it you normally wouldn't see on your own. They seem surprised by my willingness to help, but it's all new for me. It isn't work, it's all an adventure. This past week the studio has been creating and setting up for a 15 couple wedding, one day before Valentines Day. The wedding happened at a 'zero emissions' building, solar power, eco friendly and the like. The idea was to have a 'low emission wedding', therefore only using recycled materials for decor. JCCAC was commissioned to tackle this project. I was able to help set up. Sorry once again for the cell phone pics on these ones.

 All recycled skids and misc. found wood, hand painted

 Loading the truck trailer

 Installation

 Inside

 Hand crafted paper flowers

and butterflies

 and hand painted vases as well, adorning each table

Adventures and new years!

After the first failed attempt at flying the first kite, and after simply not having enough wind to work with on the second kite, it was time to change my environment. On the studio rooftop (where I attempted flight both times), you are able to see a hilltop that looks to be just slightly taller than the very roof I that was standing on. Time to get there. See the white steps? It looked steep even from that distance - and believe me, was it ever steep.

I figured the hilltop was bound to have more wind, as there should be less buildings blocking airflow. Before I left I packed some extra supply in case things went wary and the kite broke - I knew there would be no coming back once I started the climb. Off I went, camera on my back, and kite a in bag. After a good ten minutes trying to find out how to get to even the base of the hill, I finally found it. It was almost hidden from sight, I'm not sure why. When I finally found the first set of steps, somehow it wasn't until I took my first step to begin my climb that I realized how steep it really was:

This'll be fun.

It wasn't. Nothing to hold you in place, and no rails on any of the flat ground. And of course the kite broke. But that's alright, because I packed supplies to fix it in case things went bad - except that I totally left them in the studio! I was forced to rely on whatever I had on hand and the materials of nature to fix the snapped balsa wood (with the apparently useless glue that I remembered to bring):

Once I finally made it as far as the steps (more like ladders) would take me, I found this guy at the top. Can you see him (and the first guard rail in sight)?

If you've been following this blog, you'll notice that there have been quite a lot of wild dogs I photograph - I seem to encounter them everywhere. Despite how isolated this one looks, he was not. But he sure was peaceful, unlike his friends. 

I walked around the peak for a moment and realized a few things. First, I could have gotten a car ride up here. Second, I was not the only person there. There were a handful of men chatting away at the top. Third, there was actually a really nice, safe looking, leisurely alternative path I could have taken to the top. Lastly, there was more dogs. Can you see the white bags on the cement? They look more like trash in the photo (no these were not white dogs). 

I went to go inspect, and it would turn out they were bags full of cooked meat - typical foods you'd find in the markets. At first I was puzzled, and then it became all too clear as to their odd placement when I was met with a deep growl from behind me. I turned around to find three wild dogs (the black dog was not present), not more than 6 feet away, slowly inching up to me in a half circle formation. The men chatting at the top of the hill must have left this food for them. My options were:

A) Fight to the death over something I didn't even want

B) Fight to the death over something I didn't even want and tumble down the mountain
C) Back away slowly and try to take a picture of the wild pack of dogs, and then possibly fight to the death over something I didn't even want 

D) Back away slowly

(yes, other Education majors, I realize my answers are not properly pyramided, but no, I do not care)

I chose option D! Therefore I am alive but there is no photo of the hangry (so hungry that they're angry) dogs. Sorry to dissapoint. Never in my life have I understood something so primal. I did in the end however, manage to get the following shot of the kite - the reason I decided to get to the top of the hill in the first place. 

It wasn't what I expected, but that's what I really enjoy about the kite series. I can only plan so much - the rest depends on elements essentially outside of my control: the wind, the form altered by the wind, and the light. It's almost like trying to photograph wildlife - you wait and you wait for that perfect moment to use the shutter, but sometimes that moment never comes. Sometimes you just have to go with what you've got, take it or leave it. Hesitate for even a moment and what could have been a great shot, never gets captured. It does not let you decide what is right and what is wrong, for it simply is.

It's a big stretch from my usual, more tedious studio work. The first attempt at this piece went so wrong that I had to redo it, evidence of my nature. Controlled, precise, but not without flaw... somehow I'm okay with that. The two mediums coexist with each other for the moment. One solidified, the other fleeting. Which one is which for me changes all the time.

working shot of the touch up stage

Final:

I should also mention that Chinese New Years has just passed! Happy year of the Horse! It didn't really hit me till the night of the 1st, of how special this really was. Back home for me, Chinese New Years has never been that big of a deal - here some companies take a week off. They even shut down the studio for a couple of days so I've been forced into taking a break. I'm so happy to have experienced this in Hong Kong.

 This man was writing this all in chalk - not the stick, but powder.

The streets were shut down on the night of the 1st, towards the harbor. People began to pour in:

They all gathered and stood still, waiting. I was one of them.

Then, at 8pm, it had started:

The next day I noticed that many of the streets were littered with paper for some reason. I thought they were lotto tickets for the new year - they might as well have been. They were Jockey Club (horse racing) betting tickets!

Horse Racing was also free for spectators for the new year!

                                                                                                        Happy 2014!