Archives for posts with tag: art

1888 Mural in Horse and Dolphin Yard, London Chinatown
1888 is an outdoor mural (8 metre by 5 metre) which I created for London, to celebrate the heritage and vibrance of its Chinatown. It was unveiled on 18.08.08 (18th August 2008). Today, it is 3 years old!

Vistors reading the plaque
It is composed of 1888 photos which are related to Chinatown, donated by the public. ‘8’ is a good figure in Chinese numerology – it symbolises fortune, so a triple eight is especially good. The number one, in Cantonese, sounds like the word for ‘every day’. When I created the mural, I wished that it would bring good fortune to Chinatown every day.

It started as an art competition, which I only discovered 6 days before the submission deadline. Even though I am an architect, I have never really entered anything like this – but I felt strongly about it and the ideas just kept coming. 1888 combined my passions (food, photography and event organising) with my attachment to Chinatown. The final idea came to me very quickly. And I won! Continue reading to see how the mural was made (video) and more >>

Surround Me is a series of sound installations, which only takes place on Saturdays and Sundays in a few locations in the City of London. It was created by Susan Philipsz (edited: winner of  Turner Prize 2010) and commissioned by Art Angel.

Winky says:
It was strange to walk around the city of London during the weekend. It was deserted. We were left with the streets, architecture and the space created in between. Arriving at Change Alley, I had no idea what to expect. Standing right in the middle of the junctions between four alleys, I was a little confused. Just when I wanted to ‘phone a friend’, a lady started singing ‘New Oyster, new oyster……’ The singing started at the other end as well and the sound was echoed by the surrounding buildings. The ghostly voice subtly unfolded history of the place. It was magical.    Continue reading >>

photo

By Gerald Chong

What a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Hyde Park- a bit of a walk, a bit of art and a bit of a treasure hunt!

Equipped with our free guide from the Serpertine Gallery, it did not take long before we spotted our first treasure from a distance.

It was the Sky Mirror 2006! It looked beautifully surreal but it also seemed ‘natural’. I could not stop imagining a bird accidentally flying into it!

Continue reading more about Anish Kapoor >>


joining the lucky few who had the pleasure to wonder over 100 million sunflower seeds.

(by Winky @ Tate modern)

DSC06223

I went to this exhibition at Selfridges’s Ultralounge to see the gilded erotic door knobs, which Kay Saatchi (one of the curators) said she loves. To be honest, I was quite disappointed. I could not tell how it could ever be used as a door knob- it was just a door decoration. (I sometimes find it hard to ‘switch off’ my practical head when I look at art) I am delighted, however,  to see that the quality of this gilding work is similar to that of mine, which left me dreaming that my gilded peach is actually of exhibition quality.

One lovely find in the exhibition was ‘Aletheia’ by Darren Harvey-Regan. (see photo above) I felt like I was invisible (as I had no reflection), spying on a bird looking into a mirror in a lightly lit room. Despite this, the bird’s eyes reminded me of Mona Lisa’s. They seemed to be able to tracking me down, wherever I moved around! Very clever!


Another interesting piece was the installation by Gavin Webber (photo above). When I walked through the space generated by the super thin mesh, the space changed according to my body movement- defining the space. Basic mechanics + careful choice of material. No fancy electronic sensors. It is simple and subtle. Fantastic! 

 

I wonder if there is something wrong with me. When everyone in town is talking about the new shoe lounge at Selfridges, I am actually more excited about the window display, created in association with the launch. But who could blame me? The shoe lounge is always packed with women (and poor guys who have to accompany their girlfriends to shop). True, there are lots of shoes. But there are also lots of people, including some desperate women who always grab whatever beautifully designed shoe I am admiring on all the beautifully designed stand). It is just not a joy to shop there!


There is a GIGANTIC sparkling high heel guarding the main entrance of the shoe lounge. It is big enough for me to climb in and sit inside- so I did! Though when I visited Selfridges again, I realised they have put a barrier in front to stop people from going inside- what a killjoy!

Anyway, each piece in the shop window is specially designed to show the style of the shop. It is very interesting.