2024
情感幾何 Geometry of the Sentiments
Jan 27, 2023 - Jun 30, 2024
All things new start decaying at the moment they become newer
1a space proudly presents "Geometry of the Sentiments," a captivating six-month exhibition that will unfold from January to June 2024. This extraordinary endeavor will be divided into three distinct phases, each unraveling the mesmerizing transformation of 1a space's gallery space into a living artwork. Immerse yourself in the realm of artistic exploration as this exhibition pushes the boundaries of spatial creativity. Moreover, prepare to be enthralled by a diverse array of public programs that will enhance your experience and foster a vibrant sense of community. Join us on this remarkable journey and witness the harmonious fusion of space and art.
Curator｜Chang Hoi Wood
Participating Artists｜Chang Hoi Wood, Kachi Chan, Haynie Sze, Wong Chun Hoi, Obie Chan, Donald Wu, Lincoln Yeh, Yik Wing Chun
Venue｜1a space, Unit 14, Cattle Depot Artist Village, 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, To Kwa Wan
Curatorial Statement
Lights off /
the empty exhibition space /
hollow / dark /
it has nothing /
it has only itself
Without exhibits, the exhibition
space is just being there and
waits for the next rebirth /
each exhibition is a rebirth of the
exhibition space and becomes
a new self
Then / you read a promotional leaflet /
you read an exhibition title /
you write down the date and time/
you plan to go to this exhibition/
then / on the day you have written down /
you walk to somewhere which is
either familiar or unfamiliar /
you walk into an exhibition space /
you see an exhibition about the
exhibition space itself /
you see it showing itself within it /
and then / you ask /
where the works are /
this is just /
an empty and dilapidated /
field of nothing
Later /
I write down the day /
I walk to somewhere which is
either familiar or unfamiliar /
I walk into an exhibition space /
I see an exhibition about the
exhibition space itself /
I see it showing itself within it /
I hear the voices of this exhibition space /
I read the whispers of thoughts
of this exhibition space /
I see the images of memories
of this exhibition space
Later /
as he wished /
he touched the moment of its rebirth /
he touched its transformed body
and soul /
he measured its emotions within it /
and offered /
even the ambiguous /
unrecognizable /
geometry
Curator & Artists Introduction
Chang Hoi Wood – Curator & Artist
Born in Hong Kong and studied architecture. After graduation, he practised at EDGE Design Institute and oversaw the project "Suitcase House, Commune by the Great Wall" (Beijing 2002). From 2003 to 2005, he was the artist-in-residence at the Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart, Germany. He then joined The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and taught design. His works have been presented in exhibitions, screenings and performances in Hong Kong, U.K. and Germany over the years. He curated and organised projects and exhibitions “Building . Power”, Architecture Exhibition in Los Angeles "Island_Peninsula - Glamor, Efficiency, Orderliness & Constant Change: Making of the Hong Kong Architecture Landscape", JCCAC Festival feature exhibition "Dimension of Living: A House is", “Hong Kong Interior Design Week”, etc. He is currently coordinating Place-making and Arts Tech projects funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
Kachi Chan – Artist
Kachi Chan is an artist and researcher who navigates the spaces between the physical and digital worlds. His exploration takes form through computational design, digital realities and robotics. His research primarily focused on employing cultural informatics to recast social issues artistically, all while giving voice to lesser-known perspectives within systems. Kachi was a recipient of the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence, which enabled him to pursue advanced studies at the Royal College of Art and Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London.
Kachi’s research-driven artistry has gained significant recognition, including an Honorary Mention at Prix Ars Electronica, the Bartlett Medal, OPPO Renovators Creativity Award, and the Arts Council England Project Grant. His work has been exhibited at notable events such as Ars Electronica Festival, ISEA International, Art Basel Hong Kong and London Design Festival.
Kachi is currently a Research Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University where he teaches histories and theories within media art.
Haynie Sze – Artist
Haynie Sze is an architect cum artist who graduated with a Master of Art in Fine Arts (2021) and a Master of Architecture (2005) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is active in art making, curating and research, besides her career as a practising architect. She is the recipient of the Emerging Artists Development Grant of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (2023), and her award-winning artworks have been exhibited in local and international art exhibitions. Public artworks include Whistling Aloft and the Letters installed at the Hong Kong Science Museum Plaza in Tsim Sha Tsui and the Central Post Office, Hong Kong. Haynie’s artworks explore the intertwined relationship between space, body, mind and spirit, with her line of research based on spatial psychology and perception.
Haynie is also active in curatorial involvements. She is currently a curatorial panel member of the 1a space, and has been a curatorial team member of the Venice Biennale of Architecture – “Delta Four (1984-2044)” (2014), and a team member of the SZ/ HK Bi-city Biennale of Architecture – “City Mobilization” (2009) & “Beyond the Urban Edge: The Ideal City?”(2013), and Venice Biennale of Architecture – “Quotidian Architectures” (2010) & “Vertical Fabric – Density in Landscape“ (2018).
Wong Chun Hoi – Artist
Graduated from the School of Creative Media in City University of Hong Kong, majored in Critical Intermedia Laboratory. He treats Anger as the initiation of making art. His works mainly involve sound and electronics. Being honest and sincere is his basic creative principle. His work aimed at exploring the necessary useless-ness of technological medium, and to regain the consciousness of articulation of them. Wong got the gold award (Media Art category) in the 23rd ifva festival. Currently working as the artistic engineer in self-run art space "Floating Projects". Sometimes he works as sound designer and engineer.
https://www.wongchunhoi9.com/about
Obie Chan – Artist
Drawing on a solid background in interior and architectural design, Obie possesses a passion for creating innovative spaces and objects that explore the seamless integration of diverse materials, colors, and patterns. His portfolio spans a wide array of projects, ranging from exhibition design and pop-up stores to the development of small community facilities. Not confined by any limitations, he embraces a multitude of presentation mediums in order to uncover the full spectrum of possibilities within the realms of craft and design.
Donald Wu – Artist
After graduated from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and received BA (Hons) in Environment and Interior Design, he participated in more than 50 construction of interior projects. Passionate in executing a plan from the beginning of an idea. He tries also adopting this ideology in other aspects of life, encouraging people to look at oneself as a project—be free from our inner obstacles, achieve the goal and fight against destiny.
Lincoln Yeh – Artist
After graduated from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and received BA (Hons) in Environment and Interior Design, he participated in commercial and public art furniture projects. He is interested in social and inner life of the city and explore new opportunities of space in Hong Kong, with the spatial relations of cultural diversity, density and complexity.
Yik Wing Chun – Artist
Graduated from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and received BA (Hons) in Environment and Interior Design. With a keen eye for optimizing confined spaces, he focuses on uncovering the full potential of every area, and thoughtfully employing subtle colour palettes that contribute to a serene and welcoming atmosphere.
Interview Videos
Curator Interview — Chang Hoi Wood
Artist Interview — Kachi Chan, Haynie Sze, Wong Chun Hoi
Artist Interview — Chang Hoi Wood, Obie Chan
Artist Interview — Chang Hoi Wood, Donald Wu, Lincoln Yeh
Phase 1
| ○ | — The cyclical movement of things toward renewal (the repeated interruptions of continuity) and the possible encountering of the accidentals (the "first-time" without commitment, or as spectacles)
Exhibition Period｜27 - 28 January 2024 (Spectacle 1), 3 – 4 February 2024 (Spectacle 2)
Time｜11:00 - 19:00
Opening Reception｜27 January & 3 February 2024 15:00
Curator Tour｜15:00
Spectacle 1
Exhibition Setup
Exhibition Recap
Spectacle 2
Exhibition Setup
Exhibition Recap
Phase 2
｜△｜— A pretended resemblance of thing that can never again be itself (a virtual yet eternal thing that never existed or once existed)
Exhibition Period｜9 March – 14 April 2024
Time｜Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 – 19:00
Opening Reception｜9 March 2024, 15:00 – 19:00
Artist Sharing｜9 March 2024, 15:30 – 17:00
Curator Tour ｜10, 16, 17 March 2024, 14:00
Artist Sharing
“Sentiments” and "Geometry" - exhibition space as the object, using 1a as an example
The “Geometry of the Sentiments” exhibition enters its phase 2, with the subtitle “A pretended resemblance of thing that can never again be itself (a virtual yet eternal thing that never existed or once existed).” 1a space will exhibit four sets of artworks. The artists used sound, moving images, text, and space as their medium and starting point. How do the artists pretend their artworks? And what do the works resemble? How do they view the "sentiments" of 1a space? What exactly are the "sentiments" of a place, location, or exhibition space? How do the artists describe and outline the various "sentiments" of 1a space? Let's see how each artist expresses their own "geometry".
In addition, the curator will also look back to the two "spectacles" of phase 1 and their connection to this phase, as well as preview the extended installations that will be exhibited at Art Basel in mid-March and the third phase exhibition in June.
—
< Geometry of the Sentiments — Phase 2 Artist Sharing>
Date｜9 March 2024
Time｜15:30 – 17:00
Moderator｜Chang Hoi Wood
Guest Respondent｜May Fung
Participating Artists｜Kachi Chan, Haynie Sze, Wong Chun Hoi
Language｜Cantonese
Venue｜1a space, Unit 14, Cattle Depot Artist Village
Exhibition Recap
Phase 3
｜□｜— The endless delay of the imagined ideal state (always unattainable) and turning into an idea making it eternal
Exhibition Period｜1 June – 30 June 2024
Time｜Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 - 19:00
Opening Reception｜1 June 2024, 15:00 – 19:00
Opening Performance｜1 June 2024, 15:30 – 16:00
Forum｜2 June 2024, 14:30 – 16:00
Curator Tour｜2, 9, *22, June 2024 —— 16:00 – 16:45; *30 June 2024 —— 14:00 – 14:45
Transformation (‘Packed’ to 'Chaotic’)｜1 June 2024 16:00 – 16:30
Transformation ('Chaotic’ to 'Parallel’)｜9 June 2024 16:45 – 17:00
Transformation ('Parallel’ to 'Gallery’)｜22 June 2024 16:45 – 17:00
Transformation ('Gallery’ to 'Packed’)｜30 June 2024 14:45 - 15:00
Forum
*Where Space Resides, Art Emerges*
Geometry of the Sentiments Phase 3 exhibition reverberates through the walls of 1a space, not just as a physical transformation of the gallery in Unit 14 Cattle Depot, but as a symbolic step into a new era for the organisation. Since its inception in 1998, 1a space has witnessed the flourishing and evolution of countless local art spaces. Across different eras, artistic talents have held diverse perspectives and navigated unique socio-cultural landscapes, leaving distinct imprints on the city's artistic landscape. This forum aims to bring together founders and curators of various art spaces to engage in a dialogue that shares their experiences in nurturing artistic growth and collectively envisioning the future trajectory of Hong Kong's art scene.
—
< Geometry of the Sentiments Phase 3 Exhibition — Forum >
Date｜2 June 2024
Time｜14:30 - 16:00
Venue｜1a space, Unit 14, Cattle Depot Artist Village
Language｜Cantonese
Moderator｜Chan Sai Lok (Artist, 1a space curatorial panel member)
Guests｜Chloe Chow (Head of Exhibitions and Programmes of WMA), Kenneth Yuen & Makkie Tang (Founders of Mooroom), Katie Ho & Isabella Isabella (Founders of Hidden Space), Reds Cheung (1a space board member & curatorial panel member)
Guest Bios (Sorted in random order)
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
WMA
WMA is a non-profit platform dedicated to facilitating greater understanding of Hong Kong through the lens-based art.
Mooroom
Mooroom was founded in December 2022 by four Hong Kong Art School Alumni. It consists of three main parts: Studio, Workshop and Gallery. The place allows artists of different mediums to create artwork, as a community, curate exhibitions, and conduct art-related workshops, thus gaining experiences from various fields.
We hope that Mooroom can become a link between everyone and art.
Hidden Space
Hidden Space is an independent artist-run space founded in 2017 by three Hong Kong artists, Katie Ho, Kay Mei Ling Beadman and Isabella Isabella. We work with artists and curators to develop and present experimental installation and performance artwork, providing opportunities for artists to extend their practice in a non-commercial and non-institutional environment. Key to our approach is engagement in critical dialogue to enable projects to evolve.
Opening Performance
‘The Quantum Says’
Physicists say, the material world is a projection, and time is an illusion. Through demonstrating the production process of the installation, the artist travels through collective sentiments by exploring physical and mechanical transformations of the poems and proses collected in the second stage of the exhibition.
—
< Geometry of the Sentiments Phase 3 Exhibition — Opening Performance >
Date｜1 June 2024
Time｜15:30 – 16:00
Venue｜1a space, Unit 14, Cattle Depot Artist Village
Artist｜Haynie Sze
Transformation
The artwork ‘The Ideal State, Unattainable” by participating artists Chang Hoi Wood, Donald Wu, Lincoln Yeh, Yik Wing Chun will present different transformation in the following dates.
1 June 16:00 – 16:30
From ‘Packed’ to ‘Chaotic’
9 June 16:45 – 17:00 (After curator tour)
From ‘Chaotic’ to ‘Parallel’
22 June 16:45 – 17:00 (After curator tour)
From ‘Parallel’ to ‘Gallery’
30 June 14:45 - 15:00 (After curator tour)
From ‘Gallery’ to ‘Packed’
Exhibition Recap
Virtual Exhibition
Solo Exhibition by Kingson Kin-sing Chan
Exhibition Period｜25 July – 24 August 2024
Time｜Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 – 19:00
Venue｜1a space, Unit 14, Cattle Depot Artist Village
Opening Reception｜27 July 2024 (Sat) 15:00 – 19:00
How can we, living in a highly urbanized environment, understand the memory of rural landscapes? In recent years, the popular internet meme "touch grass" has emerged, which suggests that when someone has spent too much time online, they need to go outside and "touch some grass" to reconnect with the real world.
In the summer of 2022, during the later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the artist was fully sponsored by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council's cultural exchange program to participate in a three-month artist-in-residence program in Blanca, Spain. This small town, with a population of 6,000 to 6,500 people, has its own unique charm. As social ecology professor Marchar, I. (2014) stressed that the local place names served as an important part of landscape memory and also form an essential part of the intangible traditional folk culture on the local scale. The Blanca Castle and the nearby mountains are so significant that the town's name was derived from its color in the 13th century, initially named Negra (Black), and then interestingly renamed Blanca (White) in 1383.
The name originates from the extraordinary scenery; and during the artist's residency, the artist created a series of works themed around the local landscape. The works reflect the artist's physical presence in Blanca, exploring the relationship with the experience of virtual artistic creation/presentation that had become common in the post-COVID era. The works also align with the residency program's themes of Body, Spatiality, and Territory, as set by the local art residency organization Aktuelle Architektur Der Kultur (AADK). The exhibited works cover three aspects: the artist's relationship with the landscape/nature, the artist's engagement with the community/culture/people, and the artist's self-discovery/reflection.
As a traditional Spanish small town, the local residents' lifestyle is relatively simple: there are no chain stores, shopping malls, or cinemas, and the traditional Encierros de Blanca (running of the bulls festival) is still held every August. These artworks themed on Blanca open up an interesting exploration for our current environment: through comparison, observation, and exchange, how can Hong Kong audiences find their own positioning when discussing the concept of landscape memory? What is our understanding of "body, space, and territory" in our society and culture? After three years of the COVID era, how do we reconstruct the meaning of "reconnecting with the real world," and what is the "real world" that we truly care about?
"Touch Grass" is an alternative "travel book" that aims to inspire the audience to think, imagine, feel, and be concerned about the society we live in (and hope for), and to explore related ideas.
Artist Biography
Lives and works in Hong Kong. Kingson Chan uses a number of approaches and uses a wide range of different media such as drawing, photography, video installation, performance, objects, also initiating projects that involve the public. His work is very idiosyncratic and is involved with a mixture of autobiography, documentary and anthropology; he addresses relationships between cultural significances, differences, and belief systems. Awarded British Council 60th Anniversary scholarship to pursue study Master of Art, Fine Art, in Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, University of the Arts London, United Kingdom. Chinese University of Hong Kong BA-Fine Arts (Hons) and Hong Kong Baptist University BBA-Marketing (Hons).
Worked as a member of the production team for a cultural event "Detour" and in Ai Weiwei studio for art project management. Chan has awarded “Honorary Mention” for Social Art Award, the Institute for Art and Innovation, Germany in 2019; “Excellence Award” for <Joy of Art: Irene Chou Response Show>, Asia Society Hong Kong Centre in 2020; and as a finalist for the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize organized by the Justice Centre Hong Kong in 2020.
Chan received a full grant from the Hong Kong Art Development Council Cultural Exchange programme and attended an Artist-in-Residency in Spain in 2022.
He has exhibited in Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Australia, Greece, Spain and Romania and his works are collected by private collectors. He set up his own studio for art creations in 2017 and was a part time art instructor at CUSUS the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Website:
www.chankinsing.com
Virtual Exhibition
On My Way Home
Sham Chung Tat
Multichannel audio-visual installation
Inspired by urban planner Kevin Lynch's concept of "Imageability", this work blends documentary interviews, field recordings, urban imagery, and dance videos to explore three of the primary forms of imageability defined by Lynch: Node, Path, and Edge / Boundary. It invites the audience to observe and imagine the bodily trajectories of interviewees living in tight spaces, combining movements of dancer and cityscapes to offer an alternative way to navigate our city.
The work evolved from Sham's master’s thesis in Sonic Arts at the Universität der Künste Berlin.
Date｜10-22 Oct 2024
Time｜Tue-Sun 11:00-19:00
Venue｜1a space (Unit 14, Cattle Depot Artists Village)
Opening Reception｜10 Oct 2024 (Thur) 18:30
Modern Eye──The Centennial Exhibition of Architect Chang Chao Kang
‘Modern Eye──The Centennial Exhibition of Architect Chang Chao Kang’ will be held from 29 October to 13 December 2024 at 1a space, Cattle Depot Artist Village. The exhibition, originally launched in Taiwan in 2022-2023 and subsequently toured thrice, holds considerable historical significance as it returns to the birthplace of Mr. Chang Chao Kang. Mr. Chang Chao Kang, who was raised in Hong Kong, collaborated with prominent architects such as Eric Cumine and I.M. Pei. His noteworthy works in Hong Kong include the Pacific House, the former location of Chan Shu Kui Memorial School, and the Dor Fook Mansion in Pokfulam. These sites functioned as experimental platforms where he reimagined modern Chinese architecture from a novel perspective.
Mr. Chang Chao Kang is probably the most legendary architect in the history of Chinese modern architecture, not to mention the first generation to receive the most advanced Bauhaus education at the time. Born in Zhongshan, Guangdong in 1922 and lived in Hong Kong, his great grandfather was a Qing-dynasty government official and his grandfather a property developer in Hong Kong with assets in On Lan Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Kai Tak Airport and several ports.
During Japanese occupation of Hong Kong from Dec 25, 1945 to Aug. 15, 1945, the Chang family fortune began to decline. His grandfather was a conservative man who enjoyed collecting antiques, so he also studied classics like the Four Books and Five Classics and Tang and Song poetry at a Chinese private academy, thus cultivating his affinity to Chinese culture. As the oldest grandson, he was indulged by the entire family and never learned how to do business despite the immense commercial success on both his maternal and paternal sides; instead, he revelled in the world of literature and arts.
In 1946, Chang graduated from the architecture school at Saint John's University, Shanghai, which was the first to adopt Bauhaus education in China. Chang, graduating among the school’s first batch of alumni, then worked under architect Yang Ting Pao at Kwan, Chu and Yang Architects for two years. Prior to the shifting of political powers in China, he left to study at Illinois Institute of Technology in the U.S. and studied under Buckminster Fuller. He then studied under Walter Gropius at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). After completing his master's degree, Chang worked at Gropius’ Collaborative Architects (TAC) for two years, and then was employed at Thomas & Worster in Boston. In 1954, at the invitation of I.M. Pei, Chang participated in the campus planning and architectural design of Tunghai University with Chen Chi Kwan. This was Chang’s first major contribution towards Chinese Modernism.
During the mid-1970’s, Chang moved his family back from the U.S. to Hong Kong where he started a private practice. He broadened his scope of work in 1983 by teaching at the Department of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong. The topics of his lectures were on traditional Chinese architecture and he led numerous student field trips to study the architecture in rural landscapes. Chang travelled a total of 12,000 kilometers with fellow Hong Kong University lecturer Lung Ping Yee and these travels provided materials for a collaboration with Swiss architect, Werner Blaser (1924-2019). Chang and Blaser co-published China: Tao in Architecture in 1987.
Despite his waning health in the 1980s, he undertook numerous trips into the most ancient and remote parts of China and completed detailed studies and measured drawings of the vernacular dwellings he saw at the time through his modern eye. To him, it was imperative to document with a humble attitude these already or soon-to-be damaged dwellings, which he believed embodied the essence of Chinese architecture, with a view to preserve the traditions for posterity as invaluable reference and inspiration.
‘Modern Eye──The Centennial Exhibition of Architect Chang Chao Kang’
Exhibition period｜29 October – 13 December 2024
Time｜11:00 – 19:00, Tue – Sun
Venue｜Unit 14, Cattle Depot Artist Village, 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, To Kwa Wan, Kowloon
Organizer: Centre for Chinese Architecture and Urbanism | HKU Faculty of
Architecture
Co-organizer: 1a space, Wang Dahong Architectural Research and Conservation
Society, Taiwan Museum Foundation, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Tunghai
University, Department of Architecture | Ming Chuan University
Steering Committee: Wong Kam Sing, Chang Ping Hung, Yuet Tsang Chi
Curatorial team: Shyu Ming Song, Chang Ping Hung, Huang Wei Ting, Wang
Wei Jen, Wong Kam Sing, Philip Fung
Installation team: Hoiwood Chang, Haynie Sze
Supporting Organization: （In no particular order）
Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China) Charitable Foundation
Department of Architecture | Hong Kong Chu Hai College
Hong Kong Architecture Centre
Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering |City University of Hong Kong
AIA Hong Kong (A Chapter of The American Institute of Architects)
Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationists,
School of Architecture | The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong Design Institute
Hong Kong Institute of Architects
Department of Art and Design | The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
（In no particular order）
Acknowledgement: Che Fu Chang Architects | SCFC
