MAX CHENG
INSTALLATION
Stay in a Moment with Incense
停留一炷香
Incense, Wood
Size Variable
Five local stores in Tai Hang were visited to gather the stories and preferences from shop owners during the creative process. Together, they mixed and created their own handmade incense flavours, allowing them with an immersive experience in the art of incense making.
Carpenter Lam Chi was invited to co-craft unique incense trays for each shop and created incense based on the formulas chosen by the shop owners. During business hours, the shop owners will light the incense,
allowing customers and passersby to experience the artwork through their sense of smell, connecting them to the memory of the Fire Dragon dance.
The handmade incense of each shop is tailor-made with unique scent. It is hoped that the visitors can spend as long as an hour (the time that required to burn an incense) in Tai Hang, engaging in conversations with different shops, and discovering interesting stories and objects in Tai Hang.
The Wheel of Time
週而復始
Incense, Wood, Metal
Size Variable
"The Wheel of Time" captures the ever-changing and cyclical nature of time through the shape of incense sticks made from natural flowers and herbs. When an incense stick is lit, smoke rises into the air while the ashes transform into the soil of spring, nurturing the growth of flowers and herbs once again. Time may slip away, but the experiences gained can last a lifetime.
The installation also demonstrates different incense-making tools, narrating the traces of
incense culture through the years.
Behind the Scenes
頃刻背後
Nature Ingredients, Glass Bottle
Size Variable
“Behind the Scenes” utilizes herbs, serving as both food and scent-making materials, to showcase the potential of time. By refining spices in the glass bottles for varying durations, a range of aroma is created, allowing the audience to observe the diverse outcomes that time can yield.
Aroma Prophecy
求香解說
Nature Ingredients, Wood, Paper
Size Variable
Aroma Prophecy is an interactive installation that combines Hong Kong's unique scents with the spirit of Chinese fortune sticks. Featuring 18 types of fragrances, which include glutinous rice chicken (a local dim sum), Hong Kong foot (athlete's foot), and the scent of Victoria Harbour, each handmade incense cone carries collective memories and emotions. An oracle, written in a style that mimics the old practice in Hong Kong of using Tung Shing, a traditional Chinese divination guide and almanac, to learn English vocabulary, is present to introduce each fragrance. This installation reinterprets local culture through innovative
methods, enhancing its playfulness and storytelling perspective.
Mt. Incense
尋．香山
Backflow Incense, Wood
Size Variable
The work visualizes the backbone story of Thumbelina from the poem "Agarwood", written by CAO Shuying, through the use of backflow incense. When the incense is lit, the fragrance gradually rises while the smoke settles at the bottom, symbolizing the duality of all things. The ending of each fairy tale serves as an authentic reflection of one's life experiences in a nutshell—much like the scent of agarwood, subtle yet everlasting.
東方紗廠
Ashes, Brass
Size Variable
Over and Over
一更又一更
Incense, Aluminium, Wood
Size Variable
In an authentic reflection on the spirit of artistic creation, 23 traditional tools were crafted from handmade incense, with one variety ignited each day throughout the exhibition. As the aroma lingered in the space, the artists' experiences and knowledge dissolved into the ethereal, sublimating into a distinctive artistic style.
On the final day of the exhibition, the handmade incense was present in its most original form, embodying an unwavering pursuit of artistic purity.
Consciously Unconscious
Incense stick, Styrofoam, Tooth Powder
Size Variable
Hope sparkles in the ignited incences, yet it disappears along with the swirling smoke and powdery ashes. The structure of work references the residential landscape of Kowloon Tong in an attempt to draw attention to (and reflect upon) the housing problems in Hong Kong.
Youtube Link: https://goo.gl/OVnsiB