In 2008, ten years after the ‘Handover’, Hong Kong society is experiencing a new consciousness of its own values and assets and is conscientiously searching for the many positive aspects of Hong Kong’s collective character. It is my personal perception of these shifts in philosophy, social attitude and nationalistic sentiment in Hong Kong that inspired me to do a series of work titled Reconstruction. Reconstruction could mean the rebuilding of many facets of the society – its collective ego, identity, spirit, social consciousness, civic attitude, culture or national pride.
Bamboo commands a profound significance in Chinese life and culture. Its tenacity and other human-like traits are analogous to the city’s strength and resilience. The use of bamboo as a signifier in this work indicates the city’s progressive endorsement of its Chinese culture and affiliation with China. Hong Kong’s journey to prosperity has not been always straight and smooth. It has gone through many economic downturns and suffered an intense period of anxiety before the ‘Handover’. Today, it has emerged from the colonial background stronger and more confident of itself. Its people are enjoying the emergence of a new awareness of civic attitude and a new sense of identity and national pride. (written in 2008)
 |
| Reconstruction VII, Mixed media: bamboo, wood, paper, canvas, lighting, Size: installation, variable, 2009 |
 |
| Details |
 |
| Details |
Analogous to a bruised national ego, stalks of bamboo were cut into pieces, beaten and burnt, being imbued with a bruised look. But the burnt and beaten bamboo sticks, when rebuilt and re-polished, achieved a distinctive look. By now, their sawn and beaten marks are no longer scars, but acquired marks of endurance and experience. The polished sticks have a sheen, which proclaims with pride its transformation into a sophisticated configuration. 'Reconstruction' strives to give sense to Hong Kong's efforts to remake itself after the colonial era.
