In recent years, new media arts are gaining momentum in the arts scene. With the growth of new media arts and its education in Hong Kong, more and more of our home-grown artists have earned critical acclaims and international recognition in various awards. “Invention & Intervention – Power Showcase of Hong Kong New Media Artists”, presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and organised by Microwave, features a series of thought-provoking and interactive arts installations by five rising local new media artists. The programme, taking place in this summer, is a brand new platform for local new media artists to demonstrate how cutting-edge technology can be fused seamlessly with boundless creativity, and the endless possibilities of today's new media arts.

Technological invention and innovation improves and intervenes in our lives. Through a wide range of new media technologies, new media arts inspires people to reflect on the impact and influences of technology on our lives, culture and society. Unlike traditional visual arts, new media arts are interactive, non-linear and ever- changing. With the interactive and mind-blowing new media artworks, “Invention & Intervention – Power Showcase of Hong Kong New Media Artists” will prove itself to be one of the most thrilling arts events in town this summer.

The exhibition “Invention & Intervention – Power Showcase of Hong Kong New Media Artists” will be held at LG2, Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong, from 22nd July to 7th August. Free admission from 12nn to 10pm daily. The exhibition showcases the thought-provoking art installations created by five internationally-recognized Hong Kong new media artists. It includes:

A futuristic LED art - Shades Dynamicism by Teddy Lo
Teddy Lo embarked on his journey exploring and experimenting on using LEDs as a form of artistic expression when he was studying advertising design. Shades Dynamicism, is an art installation transforming the real-time weather conditions of Hong Kong and three other cities into interactive visual interpretations with color- changing LEDs.

Inspired by the parametric designs of world renowned architect Zaha Hadid, Lo creates an installation as if he is collaborating with the award-winning architect, adding another dimension to the art piece. The installation features an interactive luminous design following the Golden Ratio, showing the real-time weather condition of the cities and illustrating the relationships between human and the nature.

Zaha Hadid is one of the leading experts in using 3D software to design organic form architectural creations. Her works are imaginative, dynamic and elegant, presenting an aestheticism which is ahead of time, influencing the world of contemporary design and architecture.


Interactions between city and signals - Signal Morphor by Keith Lam
Modern cities are filled with abundances of data, messages and information. Technologies and gadgets such as smart phones, tablet computers, mobile devices and wireless network are influencing how urbanity is interpreted. To explore and reveal how all these signals bringing an impact on the lifestyle of city people, Keith Lam created Signal Morphor, an exquisite kinetic sculpture which reacts to the signals from the audience immediately. When audiences get close to the sculpture, the signals emitted from their mobile phones or electronic devices will influence the way the sculpture moves. It visualizes the boundless signals which are shaping today's architectures and environment, symbolizing how people and cities are evolving under the influences of all kinds of invisible signals in the air.

Lam has participated in a number of international art festivals. His work Moving Mario received an Honorary Mention in the Interactive Arts category in Ars Electronica 2008, a prestigious award in new media art.


A call to the nature - Streaming Nature by Miu Ling Lam
Miu Ling Lam is a Hong Kong-and Los Angeles-based bioinformatics and physical intelligence researcher and multi-media artist. Being one of the up-and-coming young female new media artists in Hong Kong, she blends science and cultural elements into her innovative works. She works on a variety of art forms, including interactive installation, physical computing, installation art and smartphone apps.

Streaming Nature invites audience making phone calls and getting connected to the interactive installation with their mobile phones. It connects audience to the natural soundscapes of Pacific Ocean underwater near Maui, South Africa, Antarctica and Shengsi Isles near Shanghai in real-time. It also features a world map showing the local disturbance triggered by the phone call being made to the sites through clusters of particles.

The installation relocates the sounds from nature to where nature almost does not exist. With technology, the nature becomes accessible to anyone, at anytime and in anywhere; on the other hand, natural and unnatural are opposite yet interwoven. It provokes audience to think about whether technology is bringing us closer or further away from Mother Nature, and if embedding technology in nature an intervention.


Remember how it feels to write on a paper? - No Longer Right by Chris Cheung
We simply type or just move our fingertips on the computer screen to turn our thoughts into words today. Do you still remember how it feels to literally write on papers? No Longer Right, by home-grown new media artist Chris Cheung Hon-him, reminds us the importance of handwriting through interacting with audience's own handwritten text.

Unlike electronic word processing, everyone's handwriting is unique. Audience are invited to write with pens and papers, in return, a piece of writing will be given to the audience based on their handwriting styles. This piece of writing reminds audience the significance and values of handwriting and how this tradition is fading away under the influence of technology.

Cheung is a new media artist focusing on audiovisual and interactive designs. His works were awarded in the HKDA 07, and the 13th to 15th Hong Kong IFVA interactive media category and he is the recipient of HKADC’s Award for Young Artist in Media Arts in 2010. His installation The Happiness of Fish was exhibited in the 404 International Electronic Art Festival.


Mundane human machines interactions - Machines for Making Nothing by Samson Young
Hong Kong composer and new media artist Samson Young is known for combining classical music and technology to create unique multimedia experiences. Machines for Making Nothing is a series of battery-powered tiny electronic devices, each about the size of a pack of playing cards. These devices respond automatically to the physical inputs from audience.

Machines for Making Nothing manifests the unimaginative interactions between human and machines. The machines amplify the repetitive and meaningless inputs from humans with almost hypnotic visual or sonic feedbacks but have no practical values. It also underlines the human's reliance on technologies and machines, and that people have even more interactions with machines than with human beings nowadays.


Inspiring Artist Symposium and Sense Live! Muti-media performance
In the past five years, new media arts have extended its influence to different areas, from education, technology, moving images, to theatre and the creative industries. In the Artist Symposium, to be held on July 30, the five participating artists will share with the audiences their creative concepts and processes. They will also tell their interesting stories and experiences of being new media artists in Hong Kong, aiming to inspire the younger generations who are more used to technological innovations than any generations before.

On August 7, the five participating new media artists will join forces to produce Sense Live!, an inspirational and electrifying multimedia performance in a traditional theatre space. They will collaborate with professional dancers, utilizing signals and images generated by body movements, brain waves, lighting, sensors and mobile phones, integrating them with various elements in daily life, and taking the audience on a sensational journey. Sense Live! tickets are now available at all HK Ticketing outlets.


Invention & Intervention – Power Showcase of Hong Kong New Media Artists
Date: 22/7/2011 – 7/8/2011
Time: 12nn -10pm
Location: LG2, Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong
Admission: Free

Artist Symposium
Date: 30/7/2011
Time: 3pm-5:30pm
Location: Lecture Hall 3, City University of Hong Kong
Language: Conducted in English
Admission: Free

Sense Live!
Date: 7/8/2011 (Sunday)
Time: 7:30pm
Location: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Amphitheatre, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Tickets: $120 / $80
Ticketing: HK Ticketing (http://hkticketing.com)
(Ticket sales open on June 27)