revision captions to be refinished
Phoebe Man
Phoebe Man Light is the basic element of moving images. I want to find different ways to transform light. The method is kind of sculptural. That is to treat images as raw material and use addition, subtraction and repetition methods to change the images. It is also kind of mathematical and experimental. It looked rational and I wanted to add human touch to the work to create contrast, so my hand appears in the video. Subtle feeling is conveyed through the touch. I did not draw storyboard. The process of making video and trying different things was a process of discovery and self exploration. It shows direct feeling and is kind of abstract and I wish that can leave more space for imagination. The audience feedback is encouraging, for example a girl said the work was kind of sexy. I have not thought of that before and found it interesting. The feeling of the work is led by the physical environment where I made the piece. I found the image of light in my small bedroom and thought of doing something about it. The whole work was produced in a small enclosed space. It was full of stuff and it pushed me to make the video clean, quiet and focus. It is also a common living environment in Hong Kong, pack and small. It is very expensive to own a flat in Hong Kong. Therefore a lot of Hong Kong people's private space is very small. The sound was made after I had finished the piece. I told my artist friend to think of water and small enclosed space. He made the sound part that matches my piece.
Captions 1, details
Captions 2, details
An interview with
Phoebe Man Phoebe Man's research focus on the essence itself of moving images: light. Her works have been exposed in intern ational exhibitions like the Venice Biennale and she received awards from the Hong Kong Museum of Art and Philippe Charriol Foundation. The tactile element is no doubt a fundamental aspect of her artistic research: in her works, the screen seems to become a touchable and at the same time ethereal surface. We are really glad to present her video Touch the Moon in this Videofocus Biennial. Phoebe, you define
your method "sculptural". Could you introduce our readers to your creative process? Light is the basic element of moving images. I want to find different ways to transform light. The method is kind of sculptural, that is, to treat images as raw material and use addition, subtraction and repetition methods to build and carve the images. It is also kind of mathematical and experimental. This looked rational and I wanted to add human touch to the work to create contrast, so others could also see my
Captions 3, details
hand transforming the images in the video. Subtle feelings were conveyed through the touch of the “screen�. I could do it slowly and softly, or violently. I chose the former. I did not draw the storyboard. For me, the process of making video and trying different things was a process of discovery and self-exploration. It shows feeling directly and is kind of abstract. I wish that leaves more of space for imagination. The feedback of the audience is encouraging. For example, a girl said the work was kind of sexy. I had not thought of that before and found it interesting. Your creative process is led by the physical environment where you realize the piece.
You have realized Touch the Moon in a small enclosed space in Hong Kong: since the first time we have watched your work, we had the impression to get in touch with a small place. Could you introduce our readers to this aspect of your art?- How did you come up with the idea for Touch the Moon? Would you tell us a particular episode who has helped the birth of this project? I saw the reflection of light when I moved my desk in my small bedroom. It looked like the moon had dropped on my desk. I sort of wanted to play with it. The whole work was produced in a small enclosed space cluttered with different
Captions 4, details
kind of stuff and it pushed me to make the style of the video clean, quiet and focus. The physical space created a psychological effect. The video shows the Hong Kong culture. Small spaces are characteristic of the living environment in Hong Kong. It is always packed and small. It is very expensive to own a flat in Hong Kong. According to the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey, Hong Kong has been the most expensive housing market in the world for the last four successive years. On average, up to 65% of the household income goes to rent or housing mortgage. That is why private space of Hong Kong people is so small.
Chinese media art scene is often underrated, nonetheless we have found it very interesting and rich of young experimental filmmakers and artists, often working with average budget, but with stunning results. You have curated many Hong Kong experimental videos programs: what do you think of the artistic scene surrounding you? That is true. A lot of independent artists are working on low budgets and yet are producing interesting works. There is almost no market for experimental films and videos in Hong Kong and audiences too are small. Most of the video works
Captions 5, details
are non-commercial. The themes are about personal lives or social issues. Most of them use free styles, improvisation methods and are nondecorative in nature. Works of some artists with scholarly backgrounds are more conceptual and they use marginalized topics or styles. Most of them show strong resistance to grand narratives of ideology. We have a rich creation of works which are about personal identities, with strong personal character and styles showing the richness of personal lives. Nationalistic concerns are rarely reflected in works of Hong Kong artists. These works mirrors Hong Kong’s long history of colonial education, avoids touching on the past of the city and national awareness and identity of the Chinese citizens.
In the past, artists simply did not care about nationalism or the nation but now people resist talking about it. Although Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997 and 93.6% of the people of Hong Kong are Chinese, a large proportion still does not have a sense of belonging to China. In 2012, there was a huge protest against the “brainwash� national education reform. Hong Kong people were being criticised for not being patriotic enough. The Chinese government wants the head (Chief Executive) of the Hong Kong Government to love China as well as Hong Kong, in other words, be loyal to the ruling party of the Mainland Government. However, many of Hong Kong people are asking for democracy.
They want the government’s power to come from the citizens. There are disagreements between the Mainland Government and the people of Hong Kong. Because of these differences, the identity of Hong Kong people has grown stronger in the last few years. There are more and more media art has political and social concern. Self exploration is a fundamental step in your creative process. The invisible connection you get with the audience is important too. What aspect of your work do you enjoy the most? What gives you the biggest satisfaction? I think both parts are equally important because I am also the audience of my work. I need to please myself as well as the audience. As a viewer, I have always questioned myself. Is there anything new in my work? Is it critical? Is it overdone or under developed? What is its link with culture or art history? I enjoy the process of discovery. I am always happy to see unexpected and good things happening. Have other artists influenced your work? Yes, Duchamp, Magritte, Marina Abramović, Suzanne Lacy, actually a lot…. The ideas of my works come from daily life. When I have an idea, I like to search it on the Internet to see how others have handled that idea, think of how I can further develop the idea and avoid looking like other people’s works. Thanks for sharing your time and thoughts, Phoebe. What’s next for Phoebe Man? Are there any new projects on the horizon? Yes. I am doing several socially-engaged art projects. One of them also has a dot image. For the coming project “The Whole-Heated”, the transformation of the “dot” image is not me changing the form and material; the public can participate. I am working with an NGO, Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation, on the comfort women issue. The image of the work is also a dot but this time it is the flag of Japan. The public can participate by drawing on the flag. There is also the image of a heart to comment on the comfort women issue. I plan to put all their works together to make an animation look like a heart that is beating. Here is the promo of the campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWi5dpAO4 BE.