Can you explain to me where does this piece come from, how did you create it?
I will try to explain it step by step. I tried to include all that I learnt from my studies: I learnt how to record movies; I learnt interactive things, new media, programming things, hardware: these are all the things that I wanted to include in my work. Then, I thought about choices related to money… First of all, I like the experience of inserting money to buy things. Nowadays, we use the Octopus card[1] but I love the experience of inserting coins. I find interesting to understand buying-machines. I travelled through Europe and, I don’t remember where, but there were a lot of buying-machines. Not only the ones in train station from which you can buy drinks or snacks but ones from which you can buy a bag maybe! Nowadays there are mobile phone in vending-machines and many other things; it is interesting. And I was wondering if it was interesting to buy something from a movie. Finally I chose the pixel as a kind of product.
From the beginning I loved interactive arts, hardware and programming, and it had to be an installation. These were my three own requirements for this work. For the interactive parts, it had to deal with audiovisual event and the movement of the body. And that makes me think that inserting coins is actually an interaction.
The basic one…
But no one thinks about it as interactive. Also, I wanted to bring a vending-machine in a space of art. Art as a frame to place a vending machine is somehow commercial. The comparison there is quite unique and interesting for me.
So you choose to sell pixels of movies; there are twenty movies. Can you tell me which movies you have chosen and why, and also how did you choose those particular excerpts?
Actually, the original idea is that I love the sky[2]. From the very beginning I wanted to have a general subject matter and that could be anything… a thing totally objective and somehow subjective. After I thought about feelings, emotions, memory and I thought of the sky because it is totally objective. But if you have seen this movie, you will have your own feelings. I provide my feelings to you but I like to know which one you choose. I provide myself, the things I care for and I want to know your response.
Originally I would like to have movies mainly about the sky, like Tokyo.Sora. But it is hard to find. The other criterion was that these movies had to be famous, if no one has seen it, it is pointless. The problem is that Titanic is too famous!
You told me that you’re an artist because you want to express yourself. But do you think that art should hold a message? Do artists have a role of teaching people about issues?
Oh! No! Of course not! Some works can express me, express feelings, emotions; but some works can have more ideas. I love the movie if I just have
a correct reading of this kind of work, if you look much deeper, it is another work. I like the different stage of thinking.
It depends on what the artist feels and not on the role of art?
It depends on the moment of their life… I think that diary is a kind of artwork: the audience is yourself, but each time you read it, you have different feelings. Every feeling can be art if you put a frame of art. But, there are many effects after doing that. Do I think that you need to place your diary in a gallery or in an exhibition? I don’t think so. But you can. But once you do that, there is a different perspective for many people for thinking about these things.
A famous French writer, André Gide said: “Art rises in restraints, lives of battles and dies of freedom”. In situation, of lack of freedom, people use art to speak. Is it contradictory with what we said before?
Art should stand for itself. Art is a language to express oneself. There are many people who use art as a means to aim some political purposes. But I think if they have a strong feeling of that in their deep heart, they can do it. If they use this as a way to impose, when art is use to teach something behind, I don’t like it.
What do you hope for the future?
You are asking me about my plans?
Plans or Hopes! If you have plans and you can tell me about it, I will be glad to hear about it.
This is a big question. At that stage, I am still thinking about it. Since I have just graduated, I am still wondering about who can I… what can I do for a living…
You were about to say “Who can I be”, weren’t you?
Yeah! There are many roads for one person: you can be the daughter of your mom, you can be part of the society… many roads and many things that you need to be. But for my future, I just try to keep thinking, try to do something and then keep thinking again. I need to fulfil the basic daily life for me and for my parents, the people that I feel concerned for. I need to follow the rules of society first. Beside I can do something I want, something to express myself.
What do you mean by “follow the rules of society”?
Money!!! I have to maintain my daily life, and to achieve the things I want. For example: If I need to do this kind of work, I will need more money; I will need new technologies, I will need to evaluate the costs. I need to afford it.
You told me about your parents: Have they been supportive?
I choose art as my study, so they couldn’t blame me. My sister loves painting but she has just finished her studies and she needs to work. If she spends a lot of money on painting, they will think that she’s wasting it. Or if she paints overnight and wakes up late for work, they will be worried: worry makes them unhappy, and unhappiness makes them blame. It is always about cause and effect. So it was one of my survival skills to make art as my studies: at least, they won’t blame me.
What do your parents do for a living?
My mom is a worker in a clinic, my father is retired; I still support them to do whatever they want. They can do it if I have power to get money. It depends on my ability; I think I need to bear the responsibility for my parents… at least, because they are the most important people in my life. Parents are the most important things! You always have worries about the persons you really care for.
[1] Octopus card is a kind of paying card used in Hong Kong to take the subway and to pay cheap items in small shops.
[2]The sky occupies a prominent place in the excerpts chosen by Naomi Chan.
