The Reading Room (2011)

The Reading Room

Works by Michelle Lee & Lee Kai Chung

“I know of a Greek Labyrinth which is a single straight line. Along this line so many philosophers have lost themselves that a mere detective might well do so too...”

Jorge Luis Borges, Ficciones

“The Reading Room” creates metaphor to parallel realities.

In most of the time we read books in a linear manner, that means we first read chapter one and then two, until it finishes. The protagonist would only choose one action in a particular time according to the plot. What happens if he/she chooses the other options in the adventure? To imply points of departure to various

bifurcations, multiverse arises and continues in collateral time and space. Michelle Lee and Lee Kai Chung employ diverse approaches to build a symbolic labyrinth of time and space; through working on existing literature, they explore the concept of relativity.

Michelle’s work starts with the image that she generates from text and the book itself, and then further represents the meta-linguistic concept and sensation. Painting on book-shaped wood panels, Michelle explores the relationship between text and image in literature. Her work transcends the generic mode of reading and preset concept of text.

Lee Kai Chung converts his reading experience into a series of simple acts and further

documented by various media. Through juxtaposing different plains of reality, Chung addresses the historical and political concern in the specific urban and culture setting.

Michelle Lee Ho Wing, a Hong Kong born artist who graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the department of Fine Arts (BA). Since then she explores the relationship between text and image through a variety of media. By reinterpreting and extracting the text directly

from the classic literature and contemporary novels, she transforms the lines, and represents them in extraordinary manner. She investigates the triangular relationship between author, reader and text.

In Michelle’s most recent series, she works on one of the most influential fictions in the 20^th Century, “1984” by English writer George Orwell.

The Lost Roads (2008 - )

A road / passage is defined by the daily behavior and habit of human being, on the other hand, the human existence transcends the merely geographic location and transforms it from “place” into “space”. Michel de Certeau first creates the term “Narrative action”, which relates to the human behavior that can generate stories. He claims that is a practice of organizing and developing space effectively, in the sense that it rephrases the “place” in a particular time frame and makes it relational.

In the past thirty years, the Hong Kong government has been pruning over 300 roads in the record of Highways department, the official reason is large scale construction projects, including domestic housing and commercial buildings. The post-colonial city planning forces the “space” to push away history, as a result, stories are lost, and consequently human behavior is restrained by the stereotype of metropolitan city.

I document the lost roads sites, and present the relationship between the missing and existing stories. The non-durable quality of the photographs enhances the idea of this piece as a city monument.

道路的使用由人類的行為和習性而界定，人的存在為其純粹物理性上提供了「歷史」與「故事」。Michel de Certeau 將可產生故事的行為命名作 Narrative Action，其對於城市的重要性在於能將「地方」轉化成具時間性和關聯性的「空間」，並有效地進行管理和發展。

過去三十年香港政府刪除了超過三百條街道，原因不外乎是建設大型住宅或商廈。人們不再置身經年月發展及帶歷史感的「空間」，而只是一式一樣地被規劃出來，故事之佚失成為人們行為趨單一化的後果。

我用一個直接的方法去記下街道遺址，尋找已淡出和現存的故事之間的關係，並利用相片這媒介的不經久性去塑造城市的紀念碑。

吸收陽光

在沉鬱的工作空間裡，每天飯後走到窗邊，逗留一刻鐘，一邊吸收陽光，一邊欣賞街外風光。

Bypass #4

Bypass #4
50 x 150 cm
Digital print
2009

Water Recycling / 水分回收

Water recycling 水分回收
Watercolor on paper 水彩紙本
56 x 76 cm
2008

本年香港錄得七年來最多的熱帶風暴和較高的降雨量 (資料來源﹕香港天文台)。在八號暴風鸚鵡懸掛的一天，我用家中的抽濕機抽取空氣的水分，而後再畫了一幅水彩畫。

This year Hong Kong records for seven years most typhoons and tropical cyclones (sourced from Hong Kong Observatory). I had one day off on the day when the No.8 Storm signal was necessitated for Typhoon Nuri, I used my home dehumidifier to draw water from the air. After then I made a watercolor painting with the water.

6/100

6/100
Installation 裝置
Dimension variable 尺寸不定
2008

病態建築症候群(以下簡稱SBS) 發生於房屋緊密，戶外空氣無法滲入的建築物，因而室內累積大量化學性和生化性污染物。患者會有以下病徵﹕頭痛、暈眩、眼、鼻、喉刺激、噁心、無法集中精神、疲倦等等。我的畢業作品是針對畢業展覽場地，透過引進一定空間比率的植物 (每一百平方英尺的室內空間就提供六平方英吋的植物，以上的比率是根據美國國家航空航天局高級研究員Bill Wolverton博士的研究)，作品能夠控制室內空氣污染，而且提供一個舒適和愉快的參觀展覽經驗，令觀眾免於SBS的困擾。在這情況下，作品不單被置於藝術場域，而且成為一部「自然空氣淨化器」。就我的作品而言，我強調作品跟展覽內容和脈絡、空間以及觀眾的關係。藝術作品不單是獨立存在的物體，而且可以成為展覽內容的一部份。

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is caused by inadequate ventilation and indoor pollution due to chemical and biological contaminants. Sufferers may experience acute discomfort such as headache, eye, nose, or throat irritation, concentration difficulties, fatigue and so on. My graduation work aims to provide a comfortable indoor space, as well as an enjoyable museum experience for the visitors. By installing plants and keeping them to a optimal proportion to the exhibition space (6 square inches of greenery for every 100 square feet of indoor space, according to the research of senior research NASA scientist, Dr. Bill Wolverton), I ensure my work will control the indoor air pollution and visitors will be spared from the undesirable SBS. My work functions both as artwork and as a ‘natural air purifying machine’.
An artwork is not only an autonomous object, but it can also relate to the ‘content of container’. For my graduation project, I try to make it relational to the exhibition context, space and audience.

Travel Bible 2008 / 旅遊聖經 2008

Travel Bible 2008 旅遊聖經 2008
Mixed Media 混合媒介
Dimension variable 尺寸不定
2008

聖火走過的國家中，當地政府都會有一句精警的旅遊宣傳口號。我就以歷史文物的呈現方式去成全各國欲迎還拒的面貌。

Every country in the route of Olympic Torch Relay has one slogan for promoting their tourism. I present the work in form of historical artifact, so as to reflect how the countries resist in hesitation.