Joy Again, Isle

From prelude to stories retold, the sub-theme for the third year is “Joy Again, Gather”.

Each encounter between individuals will be the threads of messages to bring on to tomorrow. Artists are invited to bring to life the spirit of reunion for participants in Yim Tin Tsai, Sharp Island, Kau Sai Chau (Kau Sai Village) and High Island through their artistic endeavours, manipulating around interactions & encounters. In concert with public participation in art creation, we endeavour to craft a sustainable future for our islands, allowing art to become a balm for the visitors.

Dots, lines, and planes will come together in the third year’s artworks, as the islands of Sai Kung Hoi’s waters transform from mere points and individual narratives, into carriers of assembly. We eagerly anticipate that the stories that have coalesced in the first and second years will spark inspiration in our artists, leading to the creation of a multi-faceted art-driven reunion that is unique for Sai Kung Hoi. This year’s Arts Festival will explore different forms of “gathering”. Through the art installations, the static form of “gathering” emerges on the islands. Immersive experiences bring some active form of “gathering”. The cross-disciplinary collaboration between the villagers and different parties materialises the joy of encounter.

Retelling the stories of our islands, humanity, ecology and natural beauty, the second year of the SKHAF will be having islands as the container of dialogues to bridge the present and future of the city’s valuable resources.

Looking like dots on the map, our islands co-created the unique identity of Sai Kung Hoi. From dots, we start to see the daily lines of kaitos, the connections between each visitor and traveller. Each line represents a different story, a different experience. We hope to bring out these intangible yet significant lines intertwining in Sai Kung Hoi through the artworks in the second year.

Stories are about moments, yet not static. Stories evolve, grow and transform through time, space and interactions. From lives, objects, habits, rituals and recurrences, we record and frame different angles for residents, visitors and tourists to observe and discover these stories. From islands to people, all joy again, stories.

In the opening year, the isles become canons of initiation. Behind the tranquility of these isles are tangible chronicles of an intertwining series of historical events that gradually shape the unique cultural landscape we witness today. Artists are invited to curate artworks with themes like village stories, balance of rural and urban, ecological conservation and cultural inheritance in response to the creation of lives. With low-carbon tours and public programmes, participants may enjoy the journey of the beginning of lives again.