5 Events You Can’t Miss At Spark 2019

Take note, culture vultures—a whole new festival is taking place at Tai Kwun from January 18 to 20. Called Spark: The Science and Art of Creativity, the festival is being hosted by the British Council and will bring together artists, scientists, academics and more for a series of talks, workshops, interactive experiences and performances. Before the festival opens its doors, we introduce five performances, events and installations you shouldn’t miss

1. Phillips Presents: Neon Spark with Faye Wei Wei

Above Faye Wei Wei. (Photo: Vivek Vadoliya)

British-Chinese artist Faye Wei Wei is unveiling a new neon installation at Spark. One of Hong Kong’s last neon sign makers crafted this work to Wei Wei’s specifications, a cross-cultural collaboration that the festival’s organisers hope will provoke discussions about Hong Kong heritage and the city’s dying neon industry.

After the festival, Neon Spark will be displayed at the British Council in Hong Kong and then auctioned for charity later this year by Phillips, who sponsored the creation of the work.

2. Migrant Workers: Seen and Heard—Mona Chalabi and Emmy The Great

Above Mona Chalabi and Emmy The Great. (Photo: Ashley Batz)

Data journalist Mona Chalabi has teamed up with Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter Emmy The Great to make some of her data visualisations accessible to the visually impaired. For this installation, Chalabi and Emmy The Great gathered data about the city’s migrant domestic workers and have devised ways to express their findings both visibly and audibly.

Partly a tribute to one of Hong Kong’s most mistreated communities, part exploration of how to make art available to all, the installation is a must-see for anyone visiting the festival.

3. Prison Break

Above Superhero by Lasse (Photo: Courtesy of Spark)

Always wanted to be a superhero? Then sign up for Prison Break. An interactive augmented-reality experience jointly created by Coventry University and the Hong Kong Design Institute, Prison Break invites visitors to join a team of virtual superheroes and capture some dangerous convicts before they unleash chaos at Tai Kwun.

4. Ignite the Spark!

Above Ignite the Spark! By Walk The Plank and The Warehouse Teenage Club (Photo: Courtesy of Walk The Plank)

Award-winning outdoor theatre company Walk The Plank have joined forces with The Warehouse Teenage Club to host this outdoor performance, which sees members of the public work with the troupe to create “fire drawings” that will then be set alight at 7 pm on January 19.

5. Eye of the Storm

Above Eye of the Storm. (Photo: Courtesy of Theatr na nÓg)

Spark hosts the Asian premiere of Eye of the Storm, a new musical set in the Welsh Valleys to an original score written by singer-songwriter Amy Wadge, who’s best-known for co-writing Thinking Out Loud with Ed Sheeran.

Performed by Welsh troupe Theatr na nÓg, Eye of the Storm tells the story of Emmie, a young girl living in the Welsh Valleys who dreams of becoming a storm chaser and travelling to seek out tornadoes in Midwest America.

To register for these events or find out more about Spark: The Science and Art of Creativity, visit britishcouncil.hk

Topics

Spark 2019 Tai Kwun Art Exhibitions Artists Culture