Growing Up in Hong Kong

I could kiss this baby, but I don't. I'm so happy to be finally done my DETOUR 2012 piece. After a mini breakdown and a forest of paper I'm ready to pack and deliver it to the HK Ambassadors of Design tomorrow. There are a few pieces in the installation and I hope people will take the time to explore the different objects when they see it in person. Most importantly, I hope the piece inspires a sense of delight and nostalgia when people recognize objects from their own childhoods. I wanted to share with you some of the different elements:

• the child: the paper mache figure is in 'Nian Hua' style, images of these chubby kids would have been ubiquitous during Chinese New Years. The school uniform was inspired by a photo from a childhood birthday party.
• airplane badge: replacing the school logo on the uniform, the airplane symbolizes the 1997 mass immigration rush that affected a lot of Hong Kong families, I distinctly remember  tearfully seeing my cousins off at the airport and in a few short months also moving away with my mom to Abbotsford, BC.  
• test papers: clenched in the child's hands. Excessive school work is a part of the reality of growing up in Hong Kong and one of the major reasons why my family and I emigrated.

So, that concludes my first foray into the art world. I really enjoyed working with all the different materials and had a lot of fun fooling around with the finished pieces. How real does the 'gai daan jai' look? It's almost good enough to eat. 

If you are interested in my earlier process with this piece, check out these posts. And if you're in town make sure you check out the DETOUR show in November which will be held at the Former Wanchai Police Station. x