Candice Keung's Plastic Ocean

Next up in our Ocean Art Walk 2014 in Stanley series is Candice Keung. 

下一位海洋藝術展2014在赤柱藝術家我們有姜立如.

Candice, please tell us about yourself.
I graduated from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts with a major in Applied Arts (Scene Arts). Since then, I have been practicing stage and props production, illusion art and mural painting. My works have been showcased at Hong Kong Disneyland, Hullet House 1881, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and various musical productions including ZAIA and Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. I also specialise in painting, sculpture and photography. Exhibitions include Wing Lee Street Project presented by CACHE and YAF’s Paper Tales exhibition at Artistree. I currently work as a teaching artist for various organisations… YAF included of course!

請跟我們自我介紹一下吧
我畢業於香港演藝學院，主修應用美術（繪景系）。畢業後參與不同類型的藝術工作，包括舞台設計、場景佈置、立體錯視畫及壁畫製作等。近年的作品可見於迪士尼樂園、Hullet 
House 
1881、香港蠟像館及音樂劇製作包括太陽劇團作品及葛塔諾·多尼采蒂的《愛情靈藥》。 而藝術創作方面，我擅於繪畫、雕塑創作及攝影。最近，我參展由長春社文化古蹟資源中心舉辦的「利民生活展」及YAF於港島東ArtistTree舉行的「Paper Tales紙藝裝置展覽」。我現在主力擔任各個機構的藝術工作坊導師，當然包括YAF呢！

Tell us about Plastic Ocean
In the centre of the North Pacific Ocean is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a patch 1,000 times the size of Hong Kong’s land. Drawing inspiration from this patch, the artwork is created in collaboration with 25 students from G.T. (Ellen Yeung) School using 2,000 discarded plastic bottles, glass bottles, bottle lids and CDs. It asks us to recognise the consequences of irresponsible behavior and to encourage us to cherish our waters.

是次作品的創作理念是什麽？
在北太平洋的中心是大太平洋垃圾帶，面積約香港土地的1,000倍。25位來自優才（楊殷有娣）書院的學生在藝術家帶領下，以太平洋垃圾帶為靈感，運用2,000個即棄膠樽、玻璃樽、樽蓋和光碟，創作一朵朵的膠花圖案。作品希望觀眾明白人類不負責任的行為所帶來的後果，並鼓勵大眾愛惜海洋。

What were the challenges in creating this piece of art?
Using found materials to create art was the biggest challenge. As the goal of the exhibition is to raise environmental awareness, naturally our goal for the installation was for it to be recyclable. Many simple tasks such as gluing pieces together became a challenge - we could not use silicon adhesive. Also as we used found/recycled objects, we could not specify shapes and sizes. Many adjustments had to be made during the creation process in order to take into account the state and quantities of materials found.

在創作是次作品的過程中，有遇到甚麼困難嗎？
物料的應用是最為困難。由於物料在完成展覽後要回復原貌，導致很多簡易的組合方法都不能使用，例如運用玻璃膠拼貼。另外，材料上亦受已回收到的物料所限，很難指明要某種形狀或尺寸。創作時經常因為材料的狀態或數量而須作出調整。

Do you have any tips for young people who want to create environmental/recycled art?
Start from using materials you find in your daily lives, such as old clothes and plastic bottles. These materials are relatively easy to deal with and can be used to create all types of art. Perhaps try creating smaller items first. Before you start, study the special/unique features of your materials. Think about how you can bring in other materials into your creation too.

你能給予青少年一些以環保或循環再用物料創作的貼士嗎？
可從身邊回收到的物料出發，如舊衣物或膠樽，這些材料可塑性較大且容易處理。可以先製作小型的作品，測試物料的特性，了解及掌握後再併砌其他物料進行創作。

If you had a super power...
I would stop time…

如果你有一種超能力...
我希望時間可以停頓...

If you could meet an artist for a day, who would it be? 
J.M.W. Turner

如果你有機會與一位藝術家碰面，你希望遇上哪一位？
J.M.W. Turner

***

More about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Did you know that plastic waste dumped in Hong Kong waters can travel all the way to California? The Great Pacific Garbage Patch located in the North Pacific Gyre accumulates plastic pollution as the water slowly pushes the floating pieces inward. Contrary to some beliefs, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not a solid island of waste, but moreover a vast area of ocean that is littered with thousands of tiny pieces of plastic. The plastic has been found not only along the surface of the water, but in the guts of fish that live at depths over 300m below. These small pieces of plastic are often mistaken for plankton by sea life, and consumed at the bottom of the food chain. The toxins that collect on the surface of the plastic are then passed up the food chain.

關於大太平洋垃圾帶
​你知道在香港海上棄置的垃圾能越洋漂流到美國加州嗎？「大太平洋垃圾帶」位於北太平洋環流，其緩慢水流導致大量廢物堆積。有別於傳統概念，「大太平洋垃圾帶」並不是垃圾堆積而成的島嶼，而是一片滿佈塑膠碎片的漂浮廢物堆。碎片不僅在水面上漂浮，更發現於水深超過300米或以上的深海魚體內。當這些塑膠碎片被食物鏈的基層誤認為浮游生物並誤吞，塑膠所釋放的毒素將進入食物鏈，危害人類。