Fieldwork and Housework
April 29, 2014, 8-9pm
McAulay Studio, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Messiah 2.0 (2014) from Alex Yiu on Vimeo.
Single channel video, 720p, colour, stereo sound
2014
Standing in the yet-developing West Kowloon Cultural District overlooking the bustling Victoria Harbour, I realised the soundscape would soon be overshadowed by future construction. Inspired, I decided to create a soundscape video there. Victoria Habour’s atmosphere is defined by its surrounding skyscrapers and hills, creating a paradox of openness and exclusivity. Surprisingly, the harbour itself offers a rich sonic environment, filled with the rumbling of ship engines, the flapping of helicopter thrusts and the crashing waves against the shore. I chose Handel’s Messiah libretto, written in 1742, as the narrative for this never-happened “resurrection” of this innocent virgin land.
單頻錄像,720p,彩色,立體聲
2014
佇立於尚在發展的西九文化區,俯瞰繁忙的維多利亞港,我意識到眼前的音景很快便會被未來的建設工程所淹沒。受此觸動,我決定在此創作一部音景錄像作品。維港的氛圍由四周的摩天大樓與山巒所界定,形成了一種既開闊又封閉的矛盾感。出乎意料地,海港本身蘊藏著豐富的聲響環境——船隻引擎的轟鳴、直升機旋翼的拍打,以及海浪拍岸的聲音,此起彼落。我選用了韓德爾於 1742 年寫成的《彌賽亞》歌詞,作為這片純真處女地那場從未發生的「復活」之敘事文本。

