Hong Kong’s Microwave Festival has come a long way since its foundation in 1996, and made perhaps its biggest splash yet with 2007’s edition, “Luminous Echo”. As the festival was completely rebranded in 2006, and in 2...

TAKE OFF THE HEADPHONE & TURN TO 10

2007.2.1　 Text: Becky Ip

Since 2003, Lona Records has become a mainstay in the small yet burgeoning experimental music scene in Hong Kong. While releasing full-length albums ranging from ambient to post-punk, one could argue that Lona's gems ...

THE 4TH HONG KONG SOCIAL MOVEMENT FILM FESTIVAL

2006.11.5　 Text: Becky Ip

Tucked away on the 8th floor of a nondescript building in Mongkok is a room jam packed with video editing equipment, stacks of 2-inch binders, and countless DVDs. Home to Video Power, Hong Kong's video activist organ...

OCTOMANIA (ON DRAWING THE NUMBER EIGHT)

2006.10.5　 Text: Becky Ip

When I was 7 years old, the world of gambling was introduced to me through the 1989 Hong Kong film, "God of Gamblers". Inspired by the near-supernatural powers and sleight of hand techniques wielded by Chow Yun-Fat's...

HELLO KITTY SECRET HOUSE

2006.8.5　 Text: Samantha Culp

"What if you could follow her daily routine, see what she sees, hear what she hears, share a part of her life inside yours?" This quote comes from the website of Hong Kong's hottest design event of the season, and the...

SAND FESTIVAL 2006

2006.6.5　 Text: Kat Lo

On a summery Saturday in June, the stark gallery space of Para/Site will be filled for eight hours with music that breaks boundaries, eleven acts from all over Asia, and plenty of music-lovers. As Hong Kong's fi...

SLEEPOVER PSYCHEDELIA

2006.5.5　 Text: Kat Lo

As I was talking with Arnault Castel, the man behind Kapok, a shop-cum-gallery nestled in a quiet history-laden district of Hong Kong, an adrenaline-fuelled twentysomething lugging a large backpack, portfolio, and sle...

CAO FEI “COSPLAYERS”

2006.4.5　 Text: Samantha Culp

It's been a while since a genuine "art star" has had a show in Hong Kong, so the opening of Cao Fei's COSplayers at Para/site Gallery in Sheung Wan was quite an occasion. The young Guangzhou-based artist has been busy...

*ALLRIGHTSRESERVED

2005.10.4　 Text: Yoshihiro Kanematsu

On September 16th, on the day getting closer to the harvest moon, there was an announcement party of *Allrightsreserved at Ebisu Garden Hall. *Allrightsreserved - International Design Business Meeting is the intern...

MOVANA CHEN “EXPLORES THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE BODY AND ITS CLOTHES; FINE ART AND FASHION”

2005.10.4　 Text: Samantha Culp

None of us really knew what to expect when we entered Para/site gallery on the evening of August 31st. The night air outside was still sweltering with summer, the newly-renovated main floor of the gallery was slightly...

JAMSEN LAW RETROSPECTIVE

2005.9.4　 Text: Samantha Culp

It is only natural that video has emerged as a dominant medium for artists in Hong Kong. In a city where most young artists still live with their parents in tiny flats, and can't afford studio space or physical materi...

MY MOLESKINE PROJECT

2005.6.4　 Text: Samantha Culp

It's just a little black notebook. But because of its pocket-size, iconic elastic strap and illustrious history, the Moleskine has become the Platonic Ideal of little black notebooks. Used by Vincent Van Gogh for sket...