Connective Memories is the result of lyricist, scholar, and educator Chow Yiu Fai’s residency at Asia Art Archive in 2018–19. Chow, in collaboration with singer-songwriter Sophy Wong and a group of young art lovers from Hong Kong, presents a concert and sharing session, as well as a special display at Tai Kwun. This project, consisting of artworks, songs, and music videos, is inspired by possible “connections” within the interpersonal relationships of the Ha Bik Chuen Archive. These works explore multiple themes—secrecy, curiosity, understanding, faith, destiny, biography—ultimately inviting viewers and listeners to make their own connections, and to invoke their own memories.
“Collect. Connect. I was intrigued by the correspondence between these two words when I started my Asia Art Archive residency. A linguistic response, triggered by my experience as a creative writer. It led me to ask who I could connect to collections. As a university educator, I thought of young people; as a music industry professional, I thought of songwriters, producers, MV creators—so we connected and co-created six works, songs, and visualisations. I call these layers of connection and co-creation Connective Memories. They explore how materials can follow different logics, lead different lives, tell different stories; how materials can be ours to connect with.”
—Chow Yiu Fai
Concert & Sharing Session
Friday, 30 April 2021, 7:30–9pm HKT
VENUE
JC Cube, Tai Kwun
This concert and sharing session is a live premiere of six original songs co-created by Sophy Wong and Chow Yiu Fai, inspired by six works surrounding the Ha Bik Chuen Archive from PageNEXT members. Against a backdrop of music and musical visualisations, they will talk about their experience at the residency project, the stories and themes they developed with the archive materials, and what “connection” means to them.
“To me, music has always been an art; an art of expression and connection. It is true when people say ‘when words fail, music speaks.’ Creating music has been my way to connect to everything in life; it is the only and most freeing way to translate pieces of my feelings through the space between each music note. To connect one note to another; to connect words to rhythm and melodies; to connect my soul and emotions to yours; to connect all of us, just as this project and these six songs do.”
—Sophy Wong
Special Display
11 May to 20 June 2021
VENUE
Artists’ Book Library and Hi! & Seek, Tai Kwun Contemporary
How can we connect and develop a personal relationship with the materials from an archive? Viewers are offered glimpses at how lyricist Chow Yiu Fai and songwriter Sophy Wong work together to transform visual materials produced by six PageNEXT members (Apple & Pine, Brian Cheng, Cherry Tung Cheuk Yan, Desmond Chan, Jane Choi and Nicole Pang Hiu Ying) into songs. While Chow shares his lyric manuscripts and writing notes, Wong’s demos demonstrate how a song comes into being. The display also presents archival materials of six PageNEXT member’s creative processes. They created various works—including modified and handmade books, paintings, video, animation, and digital images—based on their intimate encounters with materials from the Ha Bik Chuen Archive. Six music videos that stem from their collaboration will also be displayed.
Connective Memories is produced by Susanna Chung with support from Carol Choi, Samantha Kwok, the Tai Kwun Contemporary Team, and the Asia Art Archive Team.
Connective Memories is the result of Chow Yiu Fai’s residency at Asia Art Archive in 2018–19, sponsored by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. The music production project is sponsored by the S. H. Ho Foundation Limited and C. K. and Kay Ho Foundation.
The Concert & Sharing Session is a special project co-presented by AAA Learning & Participation programme and Art After Hours by Tai Kwun Contemporary. The Special Display is co-presented by AAA Learning & Participation programme and Hi! & Seek, a Tai Kwun Learning & Experience programme.
AAA Learning & Participation programme is supported by the S. H. Ho Foundation Limited and C. K. and Kay Ho Foundation.
Special Thanks
Mrs Ha, Alexander Ha Cheuk Hung, Alan Chan, Alexandra Seno, Calvin Woo, Chan Sze Long, Chia Sue Ann, Chuong-Ðài Võ, Clara Tung, and Kate Ip
Biographies
Chow Yiu Fai was born in Hong Kong, and received his PhD from the Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam. Currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Humanities and Creative Writing of Hong Kong Baptist University, Chow is also an award-winning writer. He released his first lyrics in 1989. He has since penned more than a thousand lyrical works for a diversity of pop artists in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China. Lately, Chow has been involved in prose writing, and multimedia and visual art projects. His current research projects cover gender politics and creative practices.
Sophy Wong was born and raised in Hong Kong, and is an independent singer-songwriter and producer. She has released three albums, including Sophrology (2016), QUARTER (2017), and HARSH (2019), receiving critical acclaim. Wong was nominated for the Renaissance Award, as well as Best Singer-Songwriter and Best Alternative Pop Album in the Taiwan Golden Indie Award. She has opened for Moonchild (US), Rhodes (UK), and others. With roots ranging from local Cantopop to alt-R&B and electronica, Sophy is a singular sound amongst a new generation of cross-genre artists in Asian music contemporaries.
PageNEXT is AAA’s youth initiative established in 2011, running on the principles of by, for, and with young people.
Apple & Pine sees life as a slow farewell. In response to all forms of farewell in life, Apple & Pine creates. She loves black cats, new moons, and the rings of Saturn.
Brian Cheng is now an overage member of PageNEXT, owing much to the learning opportunities over the years.
Cherry Tung Cheuk Yan is an artist. Her paintings are inspired by Zhuangzi and nature. She graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She also writes graphic novels and designs craft products.
Desmond Chan graduated from Hong Kong Baptist University and the University of Hong Kong. He was Yiu Fai’s student in a Chinese lyrics writing and gender course, and wouldn’t have minded not graduating. He has participated in AAA’s activities since 2014, and subsequently became a PageNEXT member.
Jane Choi is a question mark, not yet answered. She loves art.
Nicole Pang Hiu Ying graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Communication Design programme. She is a graphic designer, hula dancer, and also films and edits videos.
Everywhere, 2021, music video cover image. Director: Lin Chan.
Faith, 2021, music video cover image. Director: Mo Shun Yu.
Searching, 2021, music video cover image. Director: fmlik.
Window, 2021, music video cover image. Animation by Skene Milne.
Hence, me, 2021, music video cover image. Director: Lamdee.
Yours Secretly, 2021, music video cover image. Director: Kitty Yeung.
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