Sarah Morris: ETC

EVENT DESCRIPTION

M+ and Tai Kwun Contemporary are pleased to present ETC (2023), a feature-length film by American artist Sarah Morris (b. 1967). Commissioned by M+ and Tai Kwun, ETC will be exhibited on the M+ Facade every night from Friday, 26 January to Sunday, 17 March 2024.

ETC is a cinematic portrait of Hong Kong made in the spring of 2023, presenting the city in a moment of transformation. The film documents the psychology, architecture, economies and culture of Hong Kong, layering daily life with complex histories. The film spotlights both iconic and lesser-known locations across the city including the HSBC headquarters, Legislative Council Complex, ATL Logistics Centre, Sham Shui Po’s Electronic Market, Hop Cheong Pens & Lighters Co., and Hong Kong West Kowloon Station of the High Speed Rail. Graphic designer Henry Steiner, architect James H. Kinoshita, and actress Josie Ho are featured, along with many other Hong Kong residents.

ETC continues Morris’ examination of the chain of global sites in the electronic and digital age. Since her 1998 debut film Midtown, which captures a day in the life of New York, she has made sixteen films to date. Morris’s global cinematic production has featured locations including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Beijing, and Rio de Janeiro among countless others.

The title ETC playfully recalls the Electronic Teller Card, one of the first digital banking devices to be used around the world. Inspired by Henry Steiner’s early design for HSBC’s Electronic Teller Card held in the M+ Collections, ETC alludes to the history of Hong Kong as a global banking centre, while forming a futurist abbreviation for Morris’ latest film.

Sarah Morris says, ‘ETC is shorthand for a day in the life of a city. Now Hong Kong. We filmed throughout the city in many locations – the simultaneity of all things. This is an ongoing project – a chain of interrelations.’ 

In anticipation of the launch of ETC on the M+ Facade, two of Sarah Morris’ previous city portraits will be screened at the M+ Cinema. Strange Magic (2014) probes the materials and processes associated with commercial production, while Abu Dhabi (2017) captures the architectural and geographical grandeur of the city. These films will be screened on the afternoon of Sunday, 21 January 2024 as part of the M+ Cinema Winter Edition.