Artist of the Year | Arts Criticism Lok Fung (Natalia Chan)

Artist of the Year | Arts Criticism
Lok Fung (Natalia Chan)
What are your memorable experiences on arts creation or
performance?
In the Hong Kong Dance Awards presentation ceremony in April 2013, I
recited my own poem, ‘Interface’, on the stage. This is especially
memorable to me because it was an inter-sectoral performance. I
became a member of the stage who had to coordinate with music and
dance. The direct physical experience made me aware of the spatial
structure of the stage, which was completely different from the
experience of being a member of the audience. In June of the same
year, I cooperated with a musician in a concert in the City Hall. The
poetry I recited had the city’s crisis as its theme, which was
accompanied by live music performance. It was a response to Hui
Cheung-wai’s June’s Poem. And in the opening ceremony of LitStream in
October 2015, I cooperated with Unlock Dance Plaza in an inter-sectoral
performance of poetry and dance. We had made the arrangements and
rehearsed accordingly in the dance room, but there were unexpected
and significant changes to be made at the spot. These experiences are
useful for my writing of criticism because when I am a performer instead
of a critic, I have a very different feeling for space and performance.
What are the goals and wishes for your arts creation?
I hope I can break the norm in my creative writing and compose
inter-sectoral writings, just like the multi-media stage performances I
participated. My former teacher, Yesi, also composed inter-sectoral creative
writings. In fact, can the genres of word compositions be clearly defined, or
is it necessary to do so? I have recorded a real-life experience of telephone
fraud on facebook, but some people who read it thought I was writing a
detective story. And for example, I often received comments on the poetic
and rhythmic quality of my arts criticism articles. Ignoring the boundaries
can give more fluidity and possibility to the use of words.
What are your upcoming works?
A major project of 2016 is the large-scale dance theatre, Chinese Hero, which will be presented by the Hong
Kong Dance Company in December. I am responsible for the script writing and compilation of reference
materials. This is the first time for me to be the playwright for theatre, which is a new challenge. My most
important task is to outline the plot and characters’ personalities for helping the dancers to get into the roles.
In addition, I will join Prof Chu Yiu-wai, Stephen’s team of the “Lyricists of Hong Kong Popular Music Research
Series” and write a book of 100,000 words on Chow Yiu-fai. Besides analysing his lyrics, I will also interview
singers such as Anthony Wong and Juno Mak. I especially hope that this book can transcend the boundary of
lyrics analysis and touch upon the voices and performances of the singers, or even discussions on the
relationship between Hong Kong popular music and Hong Kong. It is expected to be completed next year.
Other projects in preparation are an inter-sectoral book launch that combines dance and writing for my dance
criticism collection, Dancing in the Maze, as well as a publication project to be carried out in collaboration with
Culture Plus, which I am still planning.
Artist of the Year | Dance
Yu Yan-wah, Jacky
What are your memorable experiences on arts
creation?
Toppling the World is a pretty unforgettable
creation over the years, which is also the most
important work among my productions. I really
like the structure of the work, as I spent a long
time to conceive it; it was also the first time for
me to use lightboxes in my creation. The work
won the Hong Kong Dance Awards 2006, which I
think was a kind of recognition. Besides, Toppling
the World was performed during the pandemic
of SARS. The scenes of people rehearsing and
performance viewing with masks were very
memorable.
For more recent performances, Gestalt I
choreographed earlier this year was also
memorable. The performance lasted for about
half an hour and consisted of physical
movements only, and there were seven dancers.
For many years I haven’t produced such a
performance. The previous one was The Key to
Songs I performed for the City Contemporary
Dance Company in 1992. That was a
performance of purely body dance that lasted for
22 minutes. So Gestalt is a big challenge for me.
Gestalt
(Image courtesy of Mark Lam)
What are the goals and wishes for your arts creation?
I think it is to challenge myself. I hope every new performance will be
different from the previous ones and bring out new ideas and elements.
This should be the same for all artists ─ to add new things in every
production, making it more attractive. Every new attempt is a new
self-challenge.
What are your upcoming works?
I am still planning. Maybe I will re-run Toppling the World in 2016 / 17. If
that’s implemented, I wish to make revisions to the movements and
music. I will evaluate the whole performance and improve the flow of
the production so that it will run more smoothly with a more compact
structure.
Artist of the Year | Drama
Danny Yung
What are your memorable experiences on arts
creation?
None. When I finished The Third Trial: Contempt, I
moved onto the creation of Contempt 2014. Many
of my works are like this, running consecutively,
independent from but still connected with each
other. My work Memorandum explores what
memory is and how we understand memory. The
story is about the past but what it explores is
actually the future. I think we should not indulge
ourselves in the past.
The Third Trial: Contempt
(Image courtesy of Cheung Chi-wai)
What are the goals and wishes for your arts creation?
Cross-regional and inter-cultural exchanges, as well as the promotion of
cultural and arts policies are the issues that I have been concerned with
and actively advocated. In many aspects, Hong Kong is currently in a
stagnant position. Our culture and arts rarely make connections with
neighbouring regions on the level of policies. I hope inter-cultural
exchanges will bring more inspirations that create new spaces.
Therefore, I hope Hong Kong artists can interact more with artists from
other places. I don’t just mean organising some exhibitions, but
thinking more on what kind of cultural and arts policies we need. Only
through exchanging and comparing with the outside world can we
know our requirements so that the next generations will have the
chance to develop.
What are your upcoming works?
Several exchange projects are in progress. One of them was planned in
2010, the Toki International Arts Festival that takes place in Japan which
will be organised again this year. Previously, we have conducted many
workshops to explore how the market, technology and international
relations affect the arts, and this year, we will continue to host a series
of workshops in summer. All event arrangements will be confirmed in
winter. Initially, I only led Kunqu actors to participate in the Festival; but
now, artists who joined the Festival are actors from many countries
such as Thailand and Indonesia. An important point to mention is, this
is a festival for the artists but not the consumers. I think artists are in
need of their own festivals to contemplate their own questions and
equip themselves to create new spaces through inter-cultural and
cross-regional communications.
Artist of the Year | Film
Philip Yung
What are your memorable experiences on arts creation?
It was a tough path for Glamorous Youth and Port of Call to progress
from planning to completion. They have expressed my feelings
towards some social issues and life. Besides, I also made a short film
named Fundamental for Hong Kong architect, William Lim. The work
was played in his solo design and architectural exhibition, which is a
rather satisfactory work among my artistic short film creations.
What are the goals and wishes for your arts creation?
I hope I can continue to be persistent and devoted to my work, as
well as to say something meaningful and be determined enough to
speak for the good. I also wish to train up and enhance my cinematic
techniques and standard, presenting society and cultural
phenomena from more new perspectives through films.
Port of Call
(Image courtesy of Mei Ah Entertainment
Group Ltd)
What are your upcoming works?
I am producing a Mainland film named The Sea.
The work is about the infighting and killing
among a group of unlicensed seafarers on a
fishing vessel, reflecting many current social
problems. When I received the script outline
from the scriptwriter, San Shi, I was
dumbfounded for being greatly moved by the
story and had a strong desire to film it.
Artist of the Year | Literary Arts
Chung Kwok-keung
Opened Umbrella on the Street
What are your memorable experiences on arts creation?
I think The Growing House, Opened Umbrella on the Street and Wandering in
Poetry are unforgettable creations. The Growing House has more of my own
thoughts and less of the influence of predecessors compared to my earlier
works such as Circled Days, Scenery on the Road and Storm and Windows.
The work’s topic is also of enough depth and scope, so it is a milestone that
signified the maturity of my creation. Opened Umbrella on the Street has
collected 60 poems; 11 of them express my responses to the Umbrella
Movement in 2014. I used different points of view to represent the many
dimensions of the Movement. Many of my Hong Kong friends also think that
some of the poems were more sophisticated than my previous collection,
Everydayness. Wandering in Poetry all-roundly presents my personal views
on my favorite poets such as Hong Kong poets Yam Kong and Wong
Leung-wo, Taiwanese poet Sun Weimin, Irish poet Seamus Heaney and
Polish poet Szymborska. The fresh perspective is pretty rare in Hong Kong.
Some of the poets I discussed even thanked me for the comments I made.
The poetry criticism also encouraged some of my peers or the younger
poets. What’s more, the simultaneous publication of Opened Umbrella on
the Street and Wandering in Poetry is particularly meaningful because while
one of the works reflects how my inner feelings combine with external
stimulations, the other one reveals the directions of my poetics.
What are the goals and wishes for your arts creation?
Personally, I wish to continue to write about my family, my native land
and the history of Hong Kong. In addition, I also want to write about my
observations of the others, society and political events. I will attempt to
add more permanent elements so when people read my works many
years later, they can still feel the universality of the content. Besides, I
hope to devote myself to fiction writing. In terms of the creative
environment, I am glad to see there are new writers to join the writing
circle. There are also quite a lot of determined writers who write
persistently. I hope Hong Kong’s social system and resources allocation
can protect the freedom of speech and support writers to create freely.
What are your upcoming works?
As my mode of working changes, I have more time to do creative writing in recent years, so I plan to dedicate my
time to fiction writing. In fact, when I was still a student and became interested in writing, I began with fiction. I
also submitted works to the school newspaper. It was a pity that after I entered society, I was too occupied by
work. As a result, I have been writing poetry for 30 years and prose essay for 10 years, but have only written
fiction for three to four years. Hence I wish to challenge myself with fiction again this year. I will begin with short
stories and aim at publishing a collection of short stories in the middle of the year. If I can show one tenth of the
talent of the fiction masters such as Anton Chekhov and Raymond Carver, I would be very grateful. I am also
anticipating the publication of an essay collection by the end of the year. For poetry collection, although I have a
significant amount of works in hand, I don’t have a confirmed publication plan yet.
Artist of the Year | Music
Yu Qiwei
What are your memorable experiences on performance?
It seems that there isn’t one especially memorable or satisfactory for
me. I regret every time after my performances because I think I have not
performed well. It is not perfect enough. I am particularly discontented
with my recordings that were released while I was in my 30s. They
would give me goosebumps if I listen to them now. I cannot stand my
past performance because I was too young back then; I put in too much
force and energy. Many artists are not satisfied with their past works.
They constantly reflect on and criticise themselves and strive for
improvements.
I had tried many new attempts in the past, but when I entered my 50s, I
began to feel the biological changes within me. There is no problem with
playing traditional titles or short pieces such as Autumn Moon over the
Calm Lake, Birds Returning to the Forest and Steps Ascending, but it is a
bit difficult to play in large-scale concertos. Therefore, I invite composers
to adapt traditional titles such as The Sorrow of Lady Wang Zhaojun,
Double Sorrow, Autumn Nostalgia by the Dresser and Autumn Moon
over the Calm Lake in concerto compositions and I play the main part of
the traditional melody. The part for the band is arranged to be more
symphonic. Such an adaptation is not as extreme as a revolt against the
tradition, but is a complement to it. At the same time, this model of
performance would not be a hard task for me, and my way of thinking
and cultivation have become more refined, so the nuance of my
performance has been enhanced and become richer. I will attribute the
change to the gaining of wisdom, as I understand what one should do at
different stages in life.
What are the goals and wishes for your arts
creation?
I feel truly contented and grateful at the
moment. For me, the most meaningful thing to
do now is to nurture new generations of
musicians, so I spend most of my time on
teaching. I have participated in fewer
performances in recent years, especially
performances outside Hong Kong. Although
many large Chinese orchestras of other places
have invited me to perform, I am not able to
attend all of the performances because my
body is not as strong as before and cannot
endure the toil.
What are your upcoming works?
There are two recurrent performances in the Chinese Music Department of the Hong Kong Academy for
Performing Arts annually. More than 70 people perform symphonic modern Chinese music in each
performance. In addition, we also have 8 to 10 sessions of small-scale performances. I will design some
small-scale compositions for the students. Some of them are traditional while some others are modern. I
always joke about my role and say I am the logistics manager. It is my pleasure to be the stepping stone of my
students. I hope they can excel their predecessors in their artistry.
Artist of the Year | Visual Arts
Ho Siu-kee
Body Geometry ─ Works by Ho Siu-kee
(Image courtesy of the artist)
What are the goals and wishes for your arts
creation?
I don’t have any concrete goal or wish. I hope I
will never lose my initial heart and continue to
make progress on the path of my artistic
pursuit.
What are your upcoming works?
In the near future, I will continue to research
on multi-media creation of sculpture and
performing arts. Actually I have already
applied a research funding. If the application
is successful, I will go to the UK to conduct an
academic study. The library of the Henry
Moore Foundation in the UK has very good
resources in this aspect. I know that there
were artists who conducted similar data
collection there.
Besides, I become interested in traditional
bamboo arts in recent years. I will conduct
some data collection and academic research
on this and apply the new element to my
creations. Bamboos have very great potential
for making artworks. My past works mainly
used metals; I believe bamboos can bring a
new outlook to my creations.
What are your memorable experiences on arts creation?
The large-scale solo exhibitions, Body Geometry ─ Works
by Ho Siu-kee and The Things: 100 Objects that Relate to
the Art of Ho Siu-kee collaborated with the Art Map and
am space in 2015, are the most memorable exhibitions in
recent years. Throughout the years, I have not organised
solo exhibitions frequently, only once in three to four
years. So the solo exhibition last year could be considered
a summary of my creations in the past few years. Besides,
the process of organisation for the exhibition was rather
tough. Our team completed an exhibition of museum
standard with limited manpower and resources. I am very
pleased with it.
Artist of the Year | Xiqu
Li Chi-kei, Danny
What are your memorable experiences on performance?
When we toured in Malaysia, the “Street Drama” we performed was
the most memorable. If there was anyone who was willing to pay for a
session of performance in the neighbourhood, we would perform for
them. Sometimes we planned to perform for five days originally, but
because there were people kept paying for the performances, the
period was extended to a whole month. They might choose which
titles to perform, so we probably had to perform different plays
everyday. I remembered that those people would ask for some really
old plays which were unfamiliar to most of us. Fortunately there was
an old master, Chan Chau-wa, who was nice and familiar with many
plays. We sought his help whenever we encountered unknown
requests, so we could complete our performances in the end.
What are the goals and wishes for your arts creation?
To reform xiqu, I think there can still be some new
elements to add to the lighting and design of the setting.
The scripts can also be more simplified. But Cantonese
opera should be performed according to the tradition.
Traditional Chinese opera cannot be changed
dramatically. Besides, I wish every experienced
Cantonese opera actor who still performs on the stage
can spend some time to teach new generation actors so
that they can learn from the predecessors. Young people
should also treasure the learning opportunity and never
be satisfied with their current condition. A Cantonese
opera practitioner should keep learning as he or she
grows old. Knowledge of Cantonese opera can never be
exhausted.
The Arrant Revenge
What are your upcoming works?
I will be the artistic director for two Cantonese
opera projects in July and September
respectively. They both consist of six sessions
of performance in five days. The July
performance will be held in the Ko Shan
Theatre. The repertoire mainly consists of the
works of Tong Dik-sang, including provisionally
Butterfly and Red Pear, The Reunion at the
Moon Pavilion and The Story of Horse Selling.
There is also Yip Shiu-tak’s Three Glimpses of
the Princess Liu Jinding. Besides organising the
performance and arranging for the setting and
costumes, I also have to spend time on
revising the scripts so as to reduce the
duration from more than four hours to around
three. As the cast is comprised of mostly new
Cantonese opera actors, I have to rehearse the
repertoire with them. For the September
project, we will perform Madama Butterfly,
and there is one other play to be confirmed.
Although I have to be responsible for the
organisation and script revision as well, I am in
a more relaxed position because the cast
includes veteran actors such as Law Kar-ying,
Wang Ming-chuen, Liza and Yau Sing-po who
are already very familiar with the
performance.