FOREWORD

“On Earth” Lai Chi Wo Art Project is a rural sustainability project organized by local artists across different disciplines (hereinafter referred to as “we”, “our”, “us”). The project’s focal point is the village of Lai Chi Wo, located in a secular area in north eastern part of Hong Kong. Through observing the “people, land and matters” of the village, discover the historical and cultural changes of Lai Chi Wo, the Hakka’s perseverance; explore the ecological environment of Lai Chi Wo Village with its natural environment and consider the long term significance of re-cultivation to villagers; connect Lai Chi Wo’s living experience with ceramic art, through the perspective of contemporary art to reveal multifaceted new visions. Creative inspirations stemmed from the local ‘natural state’ to identify village’s embedded elements. Each element forms the ecological foundation of the village, emphasizing Lai Chi Wo’s unique “natural ecological space”, and broadening the diverse artistic spectrums to material space and fields.

Lai Chi Wo is in a tranquil environment with a mountainous backdrop surrounded by a natural bay. As tourists step off the ferry at the pier, their breathing rhythm and sense back to the body is unified at the “Concentric Pavilion”. The line of trees battered by the waves and wind from typhoon Mangkhut returned to its natural state on the walk path. Warmth is felt as stepping into the archway leading to Lai Chi Wo Village, funneling the atmosphere energy from the east to the scared light in the west. At Chinese New Year, Alan sources handwritten couplets bless Lai Chi Wo and each household with peace, prosperous and togetherness. The Fengshui Forest brings back nostalgic memories of playing in the hollowed out trees amongst the overseas villagers. Along the way, the camphor tree continues to emit the five aura. Farmland is adopting ecological re-cultivation, crops transforming the air into sparkles, reverberating energy and transmitting messages from Mother Nature and Universe. Invisibly echoing new villagers and their fields, those chosen by fate discover energy embedded in ice pops. Monti Lai spreading the love in seeds to the village. Yingchai recalls as a girl she shared her rice with chicken. One of the villagers Susan uses locally grown wild plants to make Hakka-style steamed glutinous rice as a metaphor to the kaleidoscopic world. Farmer Ying Che pickling eco-friendly grown mustard greens into translucent natural pickles. Aunt looking at the vegetables and said farm life is hard work but a rewarding experience to be able to grow your own food. Villager Anna Mak’s garden has a nest of red fire ant which embodies the symbiotic relationship with the land. Beside the park stand a herd of cattle, a young Zachariah who grew up in the village, is learning the diversity of livestock’s and plants.

The 81 years old village elder representative Uncle Seven explains the wild plants grown around the village. In the heat of summer, dogs will cool themselves in the water aqueduct, at night villagers gain comfort knowing their presence to guard their homes. In the past it was the indigenous villagers who raised funds to build the water aqueduct, now it is both the indigenous and new residents working to reduce plastic use, researching to build water filtration systems, enhancing the quality of life and protecting the environment. Returning to their homes, on the right is the Hakka stove constructed by eleven layers of green bricks. Woody reflects the traditional Hakka’s hard-working culture, endurance and perseverance. The mirror hanging over the main door beam reflects not only one self but the granite in the door entrance, reminding the generations to persevere in times of hardship. Passed down from ancestral wisdom, the three transparent tiles on each roof illustrating that as matters move and change in the world, universe’s light, energy and consciousness will naturally appear.

Energy is concealed in different elements, guarding the village of Lai Chi Wo. The invisible state calmly rotates into the multi-dimensional space in the village. We slowly adjusted ourselves to integrate into the nature, perceiving the multi-frequency of the ecology, learning to harmonize into the “spatial matter”, the vortex exposes inner connection and internal state, transforming thoughts and life. The congenial living environment in the village pathway for us to learn how to coexist with life and nature, shaping the story for the future of Lai Chi Wo. Our body and mind composure, preluding to the mutual “Spectral”, conveying the dynamic value of rural creation and sustainable practice to local and global communities.

AU Ho Lam Suzanne

Coordinator of On Earth Ceramics Festival

Remark

“On Earth” Lai Chi Wo Art Project is supported by the University of Hong Kong’s The Policy for Sustainability Lab, the HSBC Rural Sustainability Programme’s “Co-creation of the Community: Reinventing Rural Capital Scheme”. Project Proponents and members of the project are four artists, Dexter Lee, Rachel Cheung, Suzanne Au and Yiu Chun Wa. We are grateful for the supports from The University of Hong Kong and their staff, the local Lai Chi Wo villagers and those villagers who live abroad, and also the Lai Chi Wo farmers. Last but not least, grateful thanks to each and every artist and member of the “On Earth” project team for contributing to the success of the project.