16/ Goodbye Hong Kong

2016-2017
By Lo Lai-lai Natalie
Duration: 8:35 min.
Recommended by Yang Yeung

How does this work investigate “hope?”
A poignant encounter of grand, macro histories – as the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, and micro- and historical memory of individuals. Multiple layers of meaning on ‘accessibility’ – history relating to the present, ourselves in relation to the ‘other’…The dignity of claiming the present as a song, that could only be sung over and over, so that it is open to embrace varying colors, textures, temperatures, and shapes as the nature of protest changes, too. The form of the video as ‘Silent Karaoke’ disarms the consumerist and pleasure-seeking mode of singing, and recontextualizes it as part of cultural history for all.

About the work:
“There is a leisure farm near our farm. It provides strawberries- picking, recreational gardening, barbecuing and karaoke-singing. The field is immersed with pop songs from different generations. When will they sing our songs? The protest song is a hit across generations. When will we encounter a new chapter of Hong Kong?

農田附近有一休閒農莊,給人假日享受田園風味,那是有機士多啤梨園、格仔田、燒烤跟卡拉OK的複合程式。不同年代的流行曲縈繞不散,哪個時候才會唱起我們那幾首歌,那幾首給我唱的歌。那抗爭的歌曲竟在不同年代通行, 我們可時能再會?” —Lo Lai-lai Natalie