This piece was featured in the concert "Audio Visual, Handbell and Live Electronics" of Musicarama 2012, on 12th October. It is presented by the Hong Kong Composers' Guild.
Huizi said, 'You are not a fish; how do you know what constitutes the enjoyment of fishes?'
Zhuangzi rejoined, 'You are not me. How do you know that I do not know what constitutes the enjoyment of fishes?' "Zhuangzi, The Floods of Autumn, 13"
I’m not even sure if the fish were happy. However, watching them swim around really relaxes me and is a form of self-pleasure. It also evokes the feeling of the Chinese Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi (369 BC – 286 BC) towards the fish in the dam over Hao. Initially, I didn’t have philosophical questions in mind; I simply wanted to create the gesture of water using different camera techniques. The title “Aqua” means “water” in Latin. Then I realised the fish’s movements actually outline the water’s gesture – a Taoist concept of “softness”. The music plays a crucial role in enhancing and softening the film’s rhythm.
我不敢斷定魚兒是否快樂。然而，凝視牠們游弋確實令我放鬆，也是一種自得其樂的過程。這不禁讓人聯想到中國道家哲學家莊子（公元前 369 – 286 年）於濠梁之上觀魚的意境。起初，我並未懷抱任何哲學命題，純粹希望透過不同的鏡頭運用，去營造水的姿態。作品題為《Aqua》，即拉丁文中的「水」。隨後我領悟到，魚兒的游動實則勾勒出了水的形態——這正呼應了道家「至柔」的概念。音樂在此擔當了關鍵角色，既昇華亦柔化了影片的節奏。
