Kingsley Ng’s ‘Twenty-Five Minutes Older’ will turn two of Hong Kong’s iconic public trams into moving camera obscuras, creating an altered reality and allowing passengers to experience Hong Kong in a new way – in reverse. Moving images of Hong Kong’s city life will be accompanied by spoken extracts from Liu Yichang’s popular novella ‘Tête-bêche’.
The project is free to the public and will be presented during the show. Art Basel’s Hong Kong show, whose Lead Partner is UBS, takes place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 23 to March 25, 2017.
Capturing images of Hong Kong’s passing street life, the scenes displayed inside the tram will flow alongside texts from Liu Yichang’s famous stream-of-consciousness story. The poetic incantations will blend with street signs and scenery familiar to Hong Kong residents, inviting the audience to re-experience the city in a completely new way.
A popular mode of transport since their inauguration in 1904, trams hold a special place in the heart of Hong Kong citizens and are affectionately known as the city’s ‘ding dings’. They are considered a ubiquitous landmark, classified as one of the legendary tramways by National Geographic. More than a century after their maiden voyage, the tram remains a pivotal part of the city’s infrastructure, continually transporting visitors and residents alike through the heart of the city.
‘Twenty-Five Minutes Older’ is commissioned by Art Basel and supported by MGM Resorts Art & Culture. Art Basel is grateful for the support of Osage Art Foundation and Hong Kong Tramways.
When: March 20 – March 28, 2017
Where: Trams will run daily between Causeway Bay and Western Market, Sheung Wan.
How much: Free admission
More information will be available soon at www.artbasel.com
