Spotlight On YAFies: Wong Yan-yan

Wong Yan-yan
Professional Artist and Standard Chartered Arts in the Park Art Booth Coordinator

When did you first take part in Standard Chartered Arts in the Park and what was your role?
I first joined Standard Chartered Arts in the Park in 2008. I assisted at a three-by-three-metre art booth where artists and participants made puppets together. I remember that four tables were set up on each side of the booth. The space was just enough for the staff and art materials. People had to complete their handicrafts standing at the tables outside the booth. Now, our booths are six metres wide and participants can sit down to do their crafting – which is awesome for a free public event!

From 2009 to 2012, I worked as a booth artist, designing arts and crafts workshops that could be completed by individuals with no experience but that also allowed crafting enthusiasts to add their own personal touches. It was a fun, creative process.

In 2013, while studying in Shanghai, I received an email from an HKYAF colleague asking if I’d like to be the art booth coordinator at Arts in the Park. I immediately accepted as I’d grown to love the carnival. During my study years, I returned to Hong Kong every October and November to take part in the carnival.

It’s 2024 now which means it’s already been 16 years!

Can you think of three phrases that sum up the Standard Chartered Arts in the Park experience?
As a staff member, I would say:
Putting in hard work to gain experiences;
Realising creative ideas;
Waiting in line and managing queues!
 
What’s the most challenging part of organising a large community arts event?
You can’t do it alone! HKYAF colleagues have to communicate extensively with various parties right from the event planning stage, and the volunteers also help a lot with on-site execution. 

There’s a balancing act involved that can be quite challenging! The art booths are open to people of different ages. I’ve seen parents with babies, grandparents and senior citizens. We need to plan the materials and the workshop programme in such a way that everyone can enjoy the crafting experience. Apart from having three to four trucks of art materials delivered to the booths, we also have to prepare three types of scissors – so that participants of all ages and abilities can craft safely and effectively. Detailed preparation like this is a result of over a decade of experience and a dedicated team of colleagues.

The event site is where the real balancing act takes place though! The carnival features live performances, puppet parades, art exhibitions and craft workshops – all of which attract tens of thousands of participants. The arts and crafts booths always play an important role in engaging people, and managing the queues is a major challenge every year. Making sure everyone stays calm and happy – those waiting as well as our staff – is a big part of our job.
 
What’s your favourite memory of working with Standard Chartered Arts in the Park youth volunteers?
Every year, Standard Chartered Arts in the Park invites youth volunteers to help with booth operations. They assist with booths that run 20-minute workshops for seven hours non-stop. If the artist is the large cog in the machine, the volunteers are the tightly interlocking small cogs, helping with all kinds of important tasks such as preparing and distributing materials, and managing queues.

It’s hard to pinpoint a specific favourite memory, we have such great encounters with the youth volunteers every year. I’ve seen them actively offering seats to people with mobility difficulties and comforting disappointed children when they’re told a session is full. Many of them were long-time friends or quickly became friends during the carnival. Their connections created a great work atmosphere. They even designed assembly lines to streamline the preparation of art materials, which the artists really appreciated.

What do you find most rewarding about working with youth volunteers?
They reduce my workload, ha ha! No, but seriously, because they’re minors, I’ve found learning how to take care of them very rewarding. They’re at the front line during the carnival dealing with large numbers of visitors. Inevitably, there are bound to be situations that they don’t know how to handle. That’s when my team and I need to step in to support them.
 
What insights do you have when working with youngsters?
Volunteering is like work experience for them. They’re taking part because they’re passionate, and we need to cherish this passion. A full day of intensive work can be challenging for teenagers. Our team makes sure we look after them and give them lots of encouragement. Sometimes there are situations like last-minute absences or a volunteer who feels that they can’t handle a particular role. We do our best to help so that these important small cogs can enjoy their experience during the carnival.
 
Do you think art can bring people closer together? 
I think art is a form of emotional expression that can convey feelings through a variety of means – text, spoken word, images, actions, objects. As a craft artist, I convert art materials into artworks or workshops that people can experience hands-on. It helps me establish an interactive relationship with participants. Everyone experiences things differently. A single artwork can interpreted in numerous ways. As we exchange ideas and begin to understand one another, the distance between us breaks down.

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How has art changed your life? 
This is a big topic! I wouldn’t say “changed,” as there’s no “without-art” version of myself for comparison, ha ha! I’m very grateful for all the opportunities art has given me to try new things. Each experience offers new insights and makes my life richer.
 
What advice do you have for youngsters who are passionate about the arts?
Today's technologies create even more potential for the visual arts to be a medium for expressing feelings. Just follow your passion. It’s okay to have doubts or feel tired along the way. Take a break when you need to and live in the present. Then your path will become clearer to you.