Antiplayground

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Brainchild of sound artist and composer Alain Chiu and researcher and writer Ho Ying Yi and funded by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, the cross-media exhibition antiplayground will be presented from 16 – 26 December 2021, along with 10 performances and lecture performances.

The project seeks to assemble a roomful of playthings assimilated with entertainment facilities in an amusement park and playground. The project is built upon continuous contemplation: What constitutes a playground? The word “anti” challenges the norms or conventions of spaces designated for creating joy, questioning presumed boundaries of reality and artificiality. The work consists of a two-week exhibition and a series of music performances and lecture performances, will form a cross- disciplinary narrative to delve into the subject matter.

Highlight performances include lecture performance on philosophy presented by Chun-Yin Yeung,
Uncle Salt (鹽叔) from Corrupt the Youth (好⻘年荼毒室), performances from Cong Quartet and more.

Within the title made up by the two words “anti” “playground” , a contempt for conventions of spaces can be observed. A difference of dimensions implied between the two words: if without an actual space, what could a playground appear to be? A ’ground’ becomes associated with a continuity of fabric, whereas a playful ‘moment’ assumes connotations of ephemerality. #antiplayground, a research in the form of exhibition and performances in a street-shop, is semblance of the spectacular in a playground; is also a means of provocation to shift  attention from preceding depleted playground/parks, to their more humanistic particulation, examining the messy/ fuzzy events that exists within them.

Exhibition 17 – 26 December 2021
Performances 17, 18, 19, 23, 25 December 2021

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Composer and sound artist Alain Chiu's body-of-works sits firmly at the juncture of contemporary music, sound art, and multimedia art. It ranges from traditional music, sound installations, experimental musical theatre, to virtual reality videos and video installations.

Working as an arts writer, curator and producer, Ying Yi actively produces cross-disciplinary and music practices as a creative process to anchor lived realities. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Conservation in the University of Hong Kong.