The Floating Eternity Project

The Floating Eternity Project

浮得永生計劃

Adam Bobbette & Seth Denizen, BREAD Studio, Moosje M. Goosen, Grieve Perspective, Ho Sin Tung 何倩彤, The Estate of Charles LaBelle, Venus Lau 劉秀儀, Maha Maamoun, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Wang Hong-Kai 王虹凱

15 September – 10 November 2013 展期：2013年9月15日至11月10日

The Floating Eternity Project takes its point of departure from a 2012 architectural proposal by BREAD Studio to create an offshore columbarium to alleviate the pressing concerns over Hong Kong’s critical land scarcity and greying population as well as the implications of these issues on the city’s economy of the afterlife. Taking into account Hong Kong’s belief systems, BREAD Studio conceived of a temporary platform that would contain over 350,000 niches of equal auspiciousness for individual human remains, vital to the concerns of the Chinese fengshui tradition and at an affordable price. This columbarium was planned to be anchored in the outer waters of Hong Kong and to return to the shore when needed.

Through newly commissioned and existing architectural proposals, texts, videos and installations by Hong Kong and international artists, the exhibition explores notions of land scarcity, private and public spaces attributed to the living and the dead, and the formation of memory landscapes. The latter is informed by the traditions of death and mourning such as the Hungry Ghost Festival and the history of graveyards and burial rituals in Hong Kong. This history ranges from the establishment of the first unauthorized Chinese burial site on Cemetery Street (now Po Yan Street, on which Para Site is situated) in 1850 to the pivotal role Hong Kong played in facilitating the return of remains of members of past Chinese diasporas through institutions such as the Tung Wah Coffin Home from the late 19th century to the present.

This exhibition is accompanied by a series of public programmes. These include film screenings at Para Site exploring memory formation and space, as well as the representation of specters and the supernatural in Hong Kong film culture (on 5 October and 19 October 2013), co-curated with Venus Lau; a sound performance by artist Hong-Kai Wang, Terrestrial Excursions at Spring Workshop on 15 September, 15.00 hrs.

The sound performance, Terrestrial Excursions, will use conversation as a mechanism to explore the process and technology of reminiscence.

Starting in Taipei, Wang recorded an exchange between herself and Taiwanese composer Yong-Chih Chang discussing their memories of Ching Ming day - a tradition linked with tomb sweeping. Based on the transcription of the exchange, actors and collaborators Steve Hui, MiuLing Lam and Samson Young are invited to re-enact the conversation and intervene as a way of revealing to the audience the process of unfolding memories in a language shaped by circumstance and context.

「浮得永生計劃」展覽以2012年BREAD Studio的一個香港離岸骨灰龕建築計劃為 出發點。這個計劃旨在舒緩對本港土地短缺及人口老化日趨急切的情勢，以及這些 議題對本地「往生經濟」（economy of the afterlife）的影響。考慮到香港人對死 亡的避諱，BREAD Studio構想出一個能容納37萬個骨灰龕的浮動平台，所有龕位 坐位一致，皆為價錢相宜的風水吉地。龕場平日會留在香港離岸海域，需要時才會 回航，停泊在岸邊。 透過新近委約及現有建築計劃書、文字與香港和國際藝術家的錄像和裝置作品， 展覽探索土地短缺的概念、在生者與往生者的公共和私人空間，以及「悼念地景」 （Memory Landscapes）的形成過程。所謂「悼念地景」，從本地喪葬禮儀傳統如 盂蘭盆節及香港墳場墓葬歷史可見一斑。香港墓葬歷史可追溯至1850年首個非法 華人墳地（位於Para Site現址普仁街，舊稱墳墓街），以至香港在相關方面舉足輕 重的角色，例如由十九世紀末開始，透過東華義莊等機構團體，幫助在外身故的中 國僑民，將其靈柩、骨殖或骨灰運返原籍安葬。 「浮得永生計劃」展覽將連同一系列公眾活動舉行，包括兩場電影放映及一場聲音 展演。電影放映由策展人及劉秀儀聯合策劃，分別於10月5日及10月19日Para Site 舉行，探索回憶的形成與空間，以及香港電影文化中幽靈和超自然事物的表現手 法。聲音展演「Terrestrial Excursions」為王虹凱的作品，9月15日下午3點Spring Workshop演出。 聲音展演「Terrestrial Excursions」使用對話為機制，探索回憶的過程和技術。 王虹凱由台北開始，將自己跟台灣作曲人張永智有關清明節的交流討論錄音。 根據這段討論的錄音文稿，演員及協作者許敖山、楊嘉輝及林妙玲應邀將對話重新 演繹。他們的演繹構成一種干預，也是一種面向觀眾的揭示，揭示如何運用受環境 和語境所塑造的語言將回憶展開。

Bread Studio The Floating Eternity, 2013

Adam Bobbette & Seth Denizen International Debt Cemetery, 2013

Wang Ho Terrestri

Grieve Perspective Death by Decoy: King for a Day in Kowloon, 2013

Maha Maamoun Domestic Tourism

Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook The Class, 2005

ong-Kai ial Excursions, 2013

m II, 2009

Project Team 頂目團隊 Lily Kwok 郭麗麗 (Research Assistant 研究助理) Jims Lam 林志恆 (Programme and Production Coordinator 頂目及製作統籌) Qinyi Lim 林沁怡 (Curator 策展人) Marie Martaire (Research Assistant 研究助理) Para Site would like to extend our deep gratitude to the artists of the exhibition as well as to the following individuals who provide crucial support to the project Para Site 藝術空間想向展覽中的藝術家及一下提供重要支持的人士及致以特別鳴謝: Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong 亞洲藝術文獻庫 Nadim Abbas Rachel Catanach Yong-Chih Chang 張永智 Mimi Brown Janet Chan 陳靜昕 Hong Kong Museum of History 香港歷史博物館 Dr Ha Keloon Louis 夏其龍 Steve Hui 許敖山 Kwok Hiu Yeung 郭曉陽

Michael Lee Hong Hwee 李鴻輝 Miu-Ling Lam 林妙玲 Tyler Rollins Fine Art Saamlung Spring Workshop, Hong Kong Chantal Wong 黃子欣 Michelle Wong 黃湲婷 Wong Hing Nam 王慶南 Yeung Yang 楊陽 Samson Young 楊嘉輝

Graphic Design 圖形設計: Studio Manuel Raeder, Berlin Cover 封面: Chinese Funeral Procession, Tai Ping Shan, Hong Kong Island, c.1920 位於港島太平山一次華人出殯儀式，攝於約1920年

Chinese Funeral, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong Island, pre-1912 港島薄扶林舉行的喪禮，攝於約1912年前

Chinese Graves, Hong Kong Island, c.1930s 1930年代港島一處中國人墳墓群 Courtesy the Hong Kong Museum of History 「香港歷史博物館藏品，香港特別行政區政府准予複製

Para Site G / F, 4 Po Yan Street Sheung Wan Hong Kong

t +852 2517 4620 f +852 2517 6850 info@para-site.org.hk www.para-site.org.hk

Para Site 藝術空間 香港上環普仁街4號地下

t +852 2517 4620 f +852 2517 6850 info@para-site.org.hk www.para-site.org.hk