Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival 2024

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival, organised by the Tourism Commission, supported by the Hong Kong Geopark and curated by One Bite Design Studio, will be held from 13th November, 2024 to 12th January, 2025. Following last year’s accolades, including the Singapore Good Design Award 2024 (Experience Design category) and the Golden Pin Design Award 2024 (Integration Design category), this year’s Festival will return with honour.

Themed “Joy Again, Gather”, the Festival will feature ten new art installations celebrating the connections among communities on the four Sai Kung islands built over the last years, inviting everyone to share in the joy. In addition to the installations, the Festival adds new performances that combine artworks with augmented reality (AR) elements. Another highlight includes the first artist from overseas, Juhyung Lee, a France-based Korean artist who will design and perform on Sharp Island, marking his debut in Asia outside Korea. The Festival also features contributions from Sai Kung residents and the next generation of villagers, fostering a meaningful reunion of the past and present. Notably, one artwork is designed for the visually impaired, and inclusive guided tours will be available for individuals with various needs, ensuring everyone can experience the healing power of nature and art.

The Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival offers travellers an immersive experience that blends art, cultural, heritage, and green elements. This year’s Festival features 27 new and retained artworks across Yim Tin Tsai, Sharp Island, Kau Sai Chau, High Island, and Sai Kung Town – 10 pieces in Yim Tin Tsai, 4 on Sharp Island, 5 on Kau Sai Chau, 7 on High Island, and 1 in Sai Kung Town. A highlight is Ken Lo’s installation, “Hi! Sai Kung” located at the Sai Kung promenade. This fiberglass hugging sculpture, painted glossy blue, welcomes visitors and reflects the phosphorescent qualities of the Sai Kung Hoi. Having lived in the district for over 30 years, Ken views the pier as a vital hub, aiming to convey a heartfelt “Hi!” to all visitors.

This year, Yim Tin Tsai will feature two new artworks, namely “Meet’n Meal” by O&O Studio and REhyphenation and “Through the Years to Touch You” by 「X-ARt」. Located in front of an abandoned Hakka village house, “Meet’n Meal” showcases a mosaic of traditional Hakka dishes, inviting audiences to engage and connect through food. “Through the Years to Touch You” is situated at the old pier and combines bamboo sculptures, AR elements, and performances that express the emotions of villagers returning home. Christopher Chan of 「X-ARt」, a ninth-generation Yim Tin Tsai villager, draws inspiration from his father’s stories to convey his deep emotional ties to the community through this work.

This year, Sharp Island features a new artwork by an overseas artist, breaking new ground for the Festival by fostering international connections. The French artistic team Galmae, led by Korean artist Juhyung Lee, presents “It’s Not Here, It’s Over Here”, an installation that uses ropes to create a space for free movement and interaction among visitors. Juhyung believes that “the sum of individuals exceeds its individual parts,” emphasising shared experiences on the journey. The piece has been performed over 90 times in France and 14 other countries, supported by various French and Korean arts organisations. This presentation marks its first exhibition in Asia outside Korea, generating significant excitement.

Since Kau Sai Chau and High Island joined the Festival last year, the Festival garnered widespread acclaim. The kaito (street ferry), which had been out of service for over twenty years, resumed operations, allowing visitors to explore the islands and villagers to reconnect with their childhood homes.

New artworks on Kau Sai Chau, including “The Root of Squids” and “Village Whisper” highlight the island’s maritime stories. Villager Kelvin Ho and designer Jenny Tse transformed an indoor space into an ecological environment for bigfin reef squid, immersing audiences in the narrative of squid migration and fostering community ties. Beyond Vision International, the team behind “Village Whisper”, collected stories and daily objects from Kau Sai Chau to create tactile interactive installations for visually impaired individuals, offering a unique way to engage with the island’s history beyond visual representation.

High Island features four new artworks this year inspired by mythology and oral traditions, adding a fantastical element to the area. Artist Vivian Ho’s “The Chronicles of High Island” consists of three murals connecting the unique characteristics of the island’s villages, showcasing local flora, fauna, and Hakka and fishing cultures. Audiences should explore all the villages to appreciate the murals and the stunning scenery fully. Sculptor Ban Zhang and his studio ZLAB’s “Prismatic Rainbow Mascot” sculpture is located in front of the Tin Hau Temple, honouring the Goddess of the Sea for blessing local fishermen and residents. The “Prismatic Rainbow Mascot” will display a unique form of visual art viewing – as the audience moves, the perspectives reflected in the work’s mirrored surfaces will shift, allowing them to perceive deeper layers of consciousness and consciousness within the realms of illusion. “Dance with the Wind at Kwong Wo Yuen” created by leading conservation expert Fung Wai Keung and artist Stefan Chui, is situated at a former grocery store and features a restored sign that evokes nostalgia while showcasing Tung A Village’s culture. The sign is 22-word long listing out the items that were sold at the store, including oil, sugar, rice, and fabrics grains among others. The flags incorporate traditional Chinese mythological creatures – the Ao fish, symbolising the power and vitality of nature, and the Qilin, representing auspicious blessings. Finally, “Rhythm of the Dragon” by architects Shi Qi Tu and Adrian Siu, is located on Tung A beach, with a dragon’s tail that hides and emerges with the tides. Made from recycled plastic, the dragon scales flutter in the wind, symbolising the cycle of life. To foster community engagement, local residents were invited to paint the scales, adding a personal touch to the artwork.