(Eng Ver.) JCNAP2020 Brothers of War Appreciation Guide 賽馬會藝壇新勢力2020《沙兵馬將》導賞手冊

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Jockey Club New Arts Power

JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power, launched in 2017, is an annual Arts Festival presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council with the funding support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The Festival brings together established and emerging local artists to produce creative, approachable and engaging arts experiences for all. Over the past three years, 38 arts groups have participated in the Festival. Together they produced 72 live performances and a remarkable number of major exhibitions. Uniting art groups and various organisations from the social welfare, academic and commercial sectors, the festival held over 450 community and school events, reaching some 380,000 participants. JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power 2020 / 2021 will be held from September 2020, featuring a total of 9 selected programmes that include dance, theatre, music, xiqu, multimedia and visual arts exhibition, as well as presenting more than 100 community and school activities.

Table of Content About Hoi Chiu .................................................................................................................. 2 About Brother of War ....................................................................................................... 2 About Sand Painting ......................................................................................................... 3 Hoi Chiu’s Style of Sand Painting ...................................................................................... 5 Sand Painting Tutorial: How to Draw a Gorse? ................................................................ 6 Unleash Your Imagination! Family Theatre Challenge ..................................................... 7 Create your own sand painting at home! ........................................................................ 9 Dialogue with the Artist: Let Your Family Grow in Love and Company ........................ 10 The Untold Chapter of Brother of War .......................................................................... 12 (Note: The English version is translated from the Chinese version. In case of discrepancies between the two versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.)

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About Hoi Chiu Hoi Chiu, “tide” in Chinese, sees the world in a grain of sand. As a renowned sand painting artist, he explores the possibilities of sand through various media such as puppetry, drawings and performing arts. Active in promoting sand painting in popular culture, he keeps experimenting with music videos, animations, TV and social media. In 2016, Hoi Chiu created his first animation work Red Egg which was later nominated in various international film festivals. It also received the “Best Digital Entertainment Silver Awards” by the Hong Kong ICT Awards. In 2017, Hoi Chiu, with his animation Digisolate, won the “Rising Star Award” (Animation Category) in Canada International Film Festival 2019.

About Brother of War A grain of sand is a momentary pigment. The beauty of painting with sand lies in its impermanence. Presented by celebrated sand painting artist Hoi Chiu, Brothers of War is a tender story about peace and friendship. Merging live sand painting with animation, music, dance and theatre, the performance has toured in Kaohsiung, Beijing, Guangzhou, Foshan and Xiamen before returning to Hong Kong. One day, two patients in hospital turn into a young warrior and a war horse. The two embark on a journey into the great historic battlefields. When all these glories are built on sand, they slowly learn the value of belonging and companionship. A sand-toned tale promises to warm your hearts.

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About Sand Painting A Brief History of Sand Painting Originating in the 70’s, sand painting, also known as sand animation, is a form of performing art utilising sand as its creative media. During each performance, its content undergoes perpetual changes, thus resulting in successive images. Apart from the technique of rapid sketching, sand painting poses a substantial demand about the skill of narrative/storytelling with individual images. Overseas Sand Painters Hungarian animator Ferenc Cakó is one of the epitomes and pioneers in sand painting animation. Focusing on stopmotion animation in his early career, he discovered a brand new form of animation by shooting an originally frame-by-frame movie in a continuous fashion and subsequently created a prototype of his later oeuvre. Ashes (1994) The Short Film Golden Bear, Berlin International Film Festival Ukrainian artist Kseniya Simonova achieved overnight celebrity from Ukraine’s Got Talent in 2009. Depicting the cruelty of war, her work received critical acclaim in the show and gained worldwide recognition via the Internet. You are always near by Performance on “Ukraine’s Got Talent”

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Three major elements of a sand painting performance 1/ Shooting equipment and accessories • Shooting equipment consists of three parts: camera , sand art table , and projector , which also involve the controlling of camera shots, lighting, and projection • Drawing media: sand – sand with different components may be used according to the needs of performance

2/ Live painting experience A live painting performance offers no room for sketches but covers the whole drawing process. These criteria, which differ from traditional paintings’, present stresses that performers have to overcome. 3/ Incorporating other artistic elements As sand painting performances are regularly accompanied with music, it is of utmost importance to choose a score that suits the story. It helps not only the unfolding of plots but also the expressing of emotions as well as engaging viewers into the dramatic world. By contrast, if the tune is inappropriate or played at unfitting moments, the overall effect will certainly be undermined.

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Hoi Chiu’s Style of Sand Painting Formerly a professional theatre practitioner, Hoi Chiu encountered sand painting during his pursuit for creative breakthroughs in 2003. With technical pen trainings received in his early career, Hoi Chiu attempted to assimilate aspects of Chinese ink wash painting into his sand paintings. In contrast to conventional Western style, the landscape and figures in his doings portray a profound sense of magnanimity and layer. Consequently, his performances constantly require an enormous amount of sand.

Types of Sand Sand from various origins demonstrate distinctive qualities and sensations due to tidal waves and long-standing wind erosion caused by natural landscape and climate. Beach Sand: Black Sand: Desert Sand: With a higher content of Black sand originates Desert sand is found in the ore, beach sand offers a from such places as United Arab Emirates and wider range of colour Southern Indonesia and Sahara Desert, etc. With a tones and layers, making Kujukuri Beach, Japan. balanced and all-rounded it more effective for With a higher value of colour and diminutive delivering the sense of iron, it is characterised by nature, it has greater force. It is the most heavier weight and difficulty in achieving a popular option for deeper colour. It is scattering effect. Its colour performance and is predominately used for tone is relatively warm. available in art supply outdoor performances. stores.

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Sand Painting Tutorial: How to Draw a Gorse? Hoi Chiu considers the realistic sand painting of horses as his most signature achievement. Step by step, you may also follow his demonstration and use the different parts of your hand to make a sand painting of horse. 1/ Draft the contour of the horse, starting from its head

Tutorial Video

2/ Arrange the texture of its muscles

3/ Adding the details of its hair and tail, etc.

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Unleash Your Imagination! Family Theatre Challenge During children’s development, parents can certainly act as their best playmates. The following two scenes are adapted from excerpts of Brothers of War, featuring Ah Bo the kid and Gutsy the horse. The script gives an opportunity for family with children to unleash their imagination. Start your adventure by setting a theatre stage with your sitting room and transform your household items to costumes and props. Scene 1: Ah Bo, Mount on Me! • Roles: Ah Bo (Bo), Gutsy (Gut), Narrator (N) • Props (for reference): broom, quilt, back scratcher, and bedspread N: The first mission: mounted archery. Bo: What is a mounted archer? Gut: This means shooting the arrow while you are riding. Bo: But I don't have any knowledge about archery. Gut: Ah Bo, mount on me! Bo: Slow down! Gut: Ah Bo, follow my command! Pull your string! Bo: Yes! But I can’t pull it! Gut: Pull it harder! Bo: Oh! Gut: Release! (Hitting the target area) N: Mission accomplished. Tips for parents to inspire their imagination: • Covered with a quilt, the broom’s end is commonly feigned as a horse’s head and the wrapped part as a horse’s back. Do you and your kids have any other ideas for making your own props? • Who say only adults should impersonate the horse and only a kid should play the role of Ah Bo? Try swap your roles! • How should you define a successful a mission? Maybe you would like to find a judge!

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Scene 2: Against the Pillow Man • Roles: Ah Bo (Bo), Gutsy (Gut), Pillow Man, Narrator (N) • Props (for reference): broom, pillow, back scratcher, balloon, quilt, and blanket N: Second mission: duel Bo: A duel? Come on! Gut: It means you have to ride on me and fight. Stop asking and just do what you are told! Bo: So who would be the enemy that I would be duelling with? (Here comes the pillow-man) Gut: (Pointing at the pillow man) Officer! Bo: What? No way! He is too strong, and I am scared. Gut: Ah Bo! Clutch your spear tightly! Bo: Right! (Both Ah Bo and Gutsy acquire the combat posture) Gut: Here comes the chance! (Ah Bo stabs the pillow-man with the back stretcher, bursting the balloon inside) N: Mission accomplished. Bo & Gut: Yeah! We did it! Tips for parents to inspire their imagination: • Cover the balloon with the pillow case to imitate the sound of explosion. You may replace the balloon with other objects if your kids are afraid of the sound of bursting. • What is the combat posture for children? What is that for parents? • Be aware of household safety regardless of what is being taken as the arrowhead.

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Create your own sand painting at home! Ways of producing your own sand painting animation with simple devices You could stay at home and draw your own sand painting with your children simply with the following equipment: 1. An LED or other forms of drawing pad. Its light source feels more balanced and adjustable. 2. A glass pane for making simple animation. It is larger and smoother than the drawing pad. Furthermore, it does not transmit static electricity or easily get scratched. 3. Sand is available in ordinary stationary stores. We recommend using sand that is small in size.

3 Steps to Make your Own Sand Animation 1. You may capture the drawing process frame-by-frame with a cell phone or a camera 2. Download a software or apps for creating stop-motion 3. Import your pictures, start streaming them to create an animation Tips on sand paintings by Hoi Chiu Sand paintings require the As there does not exist Sand paintings carry coordination of your any standard for a good meditative function. heart, eyes, hands, and or bad sand painting, it When one focuses on mind. Convert your hands allows enormous rooms drawing, one could vent into unlimited number of for children to express his or her feelings and paint brushes! themselves. quiet the mind.

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Dialogue with the Artist: Let Your Family Grow in Love and Company Incorporating such elements as drama, pingshu (storytelling), and music, Brothers of War expands the possibilities of performance and establishes itself as a multi-media theatre show. As an author and performer, Hoi Chiu hopes to allow adults and children to experience the whole event together. “During one’s growth, actually, what matters most may not be the result. What we should value most is every single step of the process.”

Training and Growth in the Process of Participation Hoi Chiu, who employs sand paintings as his major creative media, is already used to working his hands as paintbrushes. Regarding children of the younger generation, however, there are reducing opportunities for them to manoeuvre their hands. “A child can solve a lot of issues with only one hand. But we have ignored the training of their body control and denied their creative freedom. Consequently, the muscle memory in their bodies is constantly declining. Sand paintings highlights the connection of heart, eyes, and hands to transform transience to concreteness.” Hoi Chiu emphasised that there does not exist a yardstick of good and bad for creative endeavours. What really matters is sustaining our imagination, learning, and trying. “When I began to draw my first horse, I realised I knew nothing about its bodily structure even with a clear idea of it.” Finally, he acquired the understanding of its structure by attending live races and reading books. It is the process of involvement that gives rise to his tribulations and growth. Don’t Just Watch Your Children Grow For adults, the pursuit for outstanding achievement is still deemed as our universal value. This contributes to the stress and fear that tend to hinder our growth. “Whenever I invite my audience to join me, the common responses received are “I don’t know” and “my painting is bad”, etc. It is precisely the sense of frustration and concern for making mistakes that sabotage the learning and development of our children.” Hoi Chiu hopes parents can eliminate their children’s feeling of loneliness by genuinely accompanying them during their growth. “While parents nowadays would often hang out with their kids, they occupy themselves with taking pictures, thus overlooking their children’s actual needs – shared experiences. They unconsciously take up the role of bystander without authentic engagement.”

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Treasure the Time to Face Fear Together This is precisely what Brothers of War revolves around: “love and company.” Ah Bo, who is gifted with imagination but timid in nature, makes a perfect partner to Gutsy, an invalid who believes himself to be a war horse. Encouraging each other, they embrace their hurdles and refuse to give up on themselves anymore. “Through this family drama, I would like to remind viewers the significance of company. This is not rocket science. I only hope people could seize the moment for being with each other and experience how to confront fear and contest together.” To Grasp the Meaning of Love through Interaction The willingness to “accompany” usually means “love”. However, people tend to choose to disregard it and define “love” with materialistic value. “It is usually demanding for two generations to comprehend each other’s concept about ‘love’. For instance, children invariably believe by taking their parents to a Chinese restaurant, they are fulfilling the filial piety. Their parents, by refusing the invitation, may actually want to prepare meals for them at homes.” There may just lack the interaction that occurs naturally during the time they spend with each other. “I hope to, with the boundless possibilities and space of sand painting, allow people nowadays to explore again through interaction of drama. What is the meaning of ‘love’? How do ‘we’ exist?” What kind of new experience do viewers go through after watching the show?

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The Untold Chapter of Brother of War By Hoi Chiu An illustrated side-story of Brothers of War, recounting the unknown adventure of Ah Bo and Gutsy. Parents may read it with their children and recite it for them.

Prologue Assisted by a war horse called Gutsy, Ah Bo eventually musters up his courage to join the army; the two manage to defeat their enemies in union. Afterwards, they are entitled the “General of Agile Cavalry” and the “Horse of General of Agile Cavalry” respectively. However, despite possessing wealth and fame, Ah Bo is still missing his grandma, who resides in their remote hometown. He intends to bring her the gold and jewellery as well as valuable medicinal herbs bestowed by the Emperor. Without a permission, he took an unauthorised departure from the military camp. Gutsy, on the other hand, is reluctant to give up the status of “Horse of General of Agile Cavalry” and blames Ah Bo for being irresponsible. But Ah Bo is determined to leave even if that means a separation for the two of them. Noticing this, Gutsy begins to harbour worry for Ah Bo and decides to escort him during his blizzard laden homecoming trip.

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1/ Travelling through a desert and enduring the snowstorm, the duo are gradually approach the village that accommodated them in the past.

2/ Barely recognisable, the village is now dilapidated. There is no trace of living beings.

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3/ Ah Bo frantically searches for his grandma throughout the desolate suburb. His quest is unsuccessful; he can only find her scarf among the ruins.

4/ Ah Bo decides to return to the military camp and plots his revenge against the massacre committed by Xiongnu’s troops.

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5/ Ah Bo takes out a long glaive, namely Mo Dao, and orders his soldiers to prepare for the anti-cavalry formation

6/ Gutsy disagrees with his anti-cavalry strategy, explaining that it is the Xiongnu’s army who initiated the war; their horses are innocent.

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7/ Ah Bo replies that this is simply what Gutsy suggested when he convinced Ah Bo to join the army back in those days: to peruse his career and fame at the cost of others.

8/ Led by the Xiongnu’s Emperor – a burly figure and sharp buckteeth – tens of thousands of Xiongnu’s cavalry troops are marching forwards.

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9/ As Ah Bo issues his command, soldiers armed with Mo Dao emerge from the ground. One can soon notice the moaning and groaning of horses.

10/ Witnessing the aftermath of the killing, Gutsy weeps in shame and remorse and attempts to interrupt Ah Bo’s assault plan.

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11/ However, Ah Bo lets no one dissuade him and ultimately overpowers the Xiongnu’s emperor.

12/ After overthrowing the Xiongnu’s army, Ah Bo is conferred the “National Marshal” and assigned to guard the border.

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13/ Gutsy eagerly persuades Ah Bo to return to their hometown and resume their playful and fun-loving lifestyle.

14/ Unfortunately, Ah Bo can no longer understand what Gutsy says but hear only his repeated whine.

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15/ The Imperial Censor delivers the Mighty Mechanical Horse to Ah Bo, who subsequently avoids Gutsy.

16/ In the end Gutsy is taken out by a solider and ordered to transport army provisions. Lamenting in the manger alone, he watches Ah Bo leaving gradually.

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Epilogue Since then, Ah Bo has lost the capacity to comprehend Gutsy’s words; he never sees him again either. On the other hand, Gutsy is relegated to a subordinate and unnoticed position like he was before. He feels nostalgic for the time spent with Ah Bo but it could never come back. Soon afterwards, the Xiongnu’s army invades the country again. Gutsy is certain that Ah Bo will ride on the Mighty Mechanical Horse for the warfare. Unfortunately, it is vulnerable and incapable of fighting alongside with Ah Bo in the battlefield. In the midst of chaos and turmoil, Ah Bo is struck in confusion. He remembers how Gutsy used to encourage him and how callously he treats his partner. But regrets come too late; enemies are approaching from all directions. What should Ah Bo do? And where can we find Gutsy now? Participating Artist: Hoi Chiu Publisher: Hong Kong Arts Development Council Editor: Cultural Connections Design: PAPAPER Date: October, 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

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