Hong Kong Street Poetry: Exhibition Setup and Opening

Here’re some photos of the exhibition opening and setup.

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It’s nice of them to make available the exhibition posters and invitation cards as takeaways for guests.

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My initial concern was the number of photographs (and hence the display boards) relative to the size of the venue but it turned out to be alright. It’s not too sparse and not too cramped.

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I’m grateful to Prof. Victor Chan, Head of Chung Chi College, for opening the exhibition. He’s a composer and conductor and so understands what it means to be immersed in one’s art.

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I got to read a few poems. Some of those photographs will be published alongside their accompanying poems in a related book project next year.

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It’s a different feeling – having physical prints exhibited, as opposed to looking at images on a screen.

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I did get into a few conversations about my choice of subjects.

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I organized the photographs in terms of colour vs monochrome, as well as themes (rural, urban, indoors, outdoor, traffic, streets, etc).

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I’d admit to feeling nervous when I saw a few people scrutinizing those prints closely…

The exhibition runs for a month and will close on 4th Dec 2015.

Do come by if you’re in the area!

Many thanks to R and K for taking the photos!

My gratitude to R and her colleagues for mounting those photos onto the boards!

Exhibition Poster

Here’s the exhibition poster!

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I’ll be reading a few poems at the opening ceremony (5th Nov 2015, 5pm) and some of the photographs with accompanying poems will appear in my forthcoming 2016 book. It’s open to public. Come by if you’re in the area!

Notes to Self

The past few posts have been about Occupy Central.

After all, we could only occupy what’s central to our hearts.

This post is a change of pace.

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I’ve talked about a few sights on the campus where I work in this post.

It’s a 20-minute walk down the hill from my office and it gives me time to think about what I’m doing and where I’m going in terms of my poetry, photography, research and teaching.

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We all need space to dwell and grow.

I’m grateful to be where I am, in an unpretentious and authentic space, in service of a community I feel committed to.

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Once in a while, you need to be empty in order to be filled.

So yes, I’ll need to fill up that container eventually (figuratively speaking).

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And find a sense of balance.

Sometimes, I take a 5-minute detour and I’ll see this on my way home.

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That red flower is beautiful, but it is beautiful not in itself, but in where it is.

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And 5 minutes later, I’ll see this.

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We swim in the pond in which we find ourselves.

And in every moment there is a painterly harmony to be sought.

This is what I’m looking for in my photographs and in my work in general, and what I’m looking for in myself.

 

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander 35mm F 1.4 Nokton Classic SC

Film: Fuji Natura 1600

 

 

 

 

 

A 20-minute Walk

My university is sprawled on the side of a hill, and my office is at its second-highest point.

A few brave souls walk up the hill to work every morning.

Me, I take the shuttle bus up in the morning and walk down the hill in the evening.

It takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on the state of my tummy.

That’s my workout …

That’s the Pavilion of Harmony at New Asia College, at one side of the topmost plateau.

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It all looks very Chinese …

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The above views are taken with my Canonet QL17 GIII, loaded with Kodak  Color Plus 200.

The ones below are with my Minolta AF-C, with Kodak Portra 400.

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I’ve been doing this commute every work day for the past 7 years, walking down the hill.

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For the first time, I looked at the hillside.

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These are shadows of bamboo on the hillside.

Followed by some fish (koi?) pond thing with a picturesque arrangement of a pale-green rubber hose…

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And the Chinese-looking bridge…

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A Chinese-looking bench I’ve never seen anyone sit on …

A mini-waterfall…

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There’s that picturesque almost-identical rubber hose again…

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A suitcase advertising a few film screenings at the foot of the hill…

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And then the road…

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