October 6, 2023
- Pierre Bonnard
Can you imagine a world without nature and art? It's undoubtedly dull and lifeless. As Bonnard said in his adage, without nature, art won't exist. I couldn't agree more, because I see art in everything in nature. The formation of the clouds, and silhouettes in the sky, especially at sunrise and sunset. The vibrant colors and different forms of flowers and plants. Even the protruding roots of trees from the ground, I call it art. The colors of nature in every season, aren't they art as well? Autumn and Spring are my favorites.
The skylines and mountain lines are beautiful backdrops. The chirping of birds, splashes of water, surging waves, pouring sounds of raindrops, crackling sounds of illuminating fire, the free wind sound, and other nature sounds are arty music to my ears. We can even create art on our plates from natural food resources. The art of cooking with ingredients that come from nature.
We connect with nature, not just through walking in the woods or sailing in the sea. We can connect with nature by conserving and using natural resources responsibly. And out of natural resources, we connect with nature through art. We produce usable things by creatively using natural resources that can be found just around us. It's just a matter of creativity and resourcefulness.
After visiting a historical place one afternoon, I visited the Jockey Club Creative Art Center in Shek Kip Mei to look for the cafe I found online. I came across the courtyard with some dried twigs, branches, and other native materials arranged in a way that I thought was for cosplay or some sort. I later found out that it was an ecological community art exhibition called EccoVe, which was the first I ever visited.
Those decorations and native materials were made by a local community in the small village of Nam Chung which is deeply connected with the history of Hong Kong. The EccoVe shows how we can connect with nature through art. And at the same time, it raises awareness about the significance of conserving nature with the help of the community.
The main gallery is located in a spacious room on the left, where more art pieces made from organic materials are displayed. They somehow show a minimalistic approach to living through nature.
The first display that attracted me was this set of art pieces hung on the white facade. They may look ordinary, but the materials and how they were made are what make them unique and special.
Most of the artworks here are from Nam Chung Agriculture and Community that represents the humble livelihood of Nam Chung farmers. The lifelike peacock mosaic painting using organic materials shows that we can also live beautifully like a peacock.
This masterpiece is made from organic materials, such as dried leaves and grasses, tree branches and bark, and textile rope to creatively create a landscape.
There are displays of scarves, shawls, and curtains manually woven by the villagers with different textures, styles, and colors. These reminded me of traditional costumes worn by ethnic people.
The loom and weaving equipment are also exhibited, wherein you can imagine the community's laborious process of weaving textiles.
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There are some art pieces and things created by students of the Salvation Army weaving group. This creative calendar is one of their artworks. The printed calendar with the attached photos is sealed in a woven fabric that cascades on the table like a flowing stream, and decorated with dried leaves. I didn't notice it at first until I saw numbers and months' names like in a calendar.
These tote bags were made by the same weaving group of students. They aren't just creative but talented.
Can you see those tubes on the table? The tubes are made from recyclable package tape that is wrapped with ropes made by rehabilitation trainees. These serve as storage tubes for dried leaves or bamboo charcoal. With the breathable cap, the dried leaves could emit a fragrance, and the bamboo charcoal absorbs moisture in the air. Anyone can make this as an air freshener with the use of recyclable and organic materials.
My favorite part is this net of fabric strands with a collection of photographs taken from the Nam Chung community, their livelihood, scenic spots, simple living, and the cooperation of the community in conserving nature as well as creating art through it.
Nam Chung village, where all these art pieces were made, is just a small residential village, but people are passionate about nature conservation. They build huts and restore farming. In their simple way, they help conserve nature and make things out of natural elements creatively.
This artwork, Symbiotic Breathing-Earth Harmony, is from a community art festival. You would notice photo frames as a window concept. And you might initially think it's a mountain of trash. But this artwork portrays the beginning and end of life with the arrangement of leaves. They used weaving thread and ribbons to connect the frames, dried leaves, dread branches, and fruits.
Every art piece tells a story, and you can describe it with your own interpretation and thoughts.
The exhibition doesn't only include art pieces by the Nam Chung community, but also some of the merchandise they creatively designed that is for sale. There are lanterns, bags, and shirts decorated with weaving thread.
Some have prints of Chinese characters and images. Some of them are used things that are DIY-ed using organic materials and threads. The woven fabric bags are my favorites.
It's amazing to see how a simple thread, dried leaves, twigs, branches, and grasses could create a masterpiece. But most importantly, I admire the Nam Chung community for cultivating values that cherish nature.
As residents of this earth, we have to be responsible for protecting and conserving nature because this is our home. Now, can you imagine a world without technology, all our things are made from nature, and we're living a minimal life?
It is as if going back and living in the past when society wasn't dominated yet by technology. Life might be different, but it will truly save the earth. This simple community is a great example that shows that a collective effort can create a positive change in human society and nature.
(All photos are mine)
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