'In 1983 my father swam from China to Hong Kong. From midnight till sunrise, he swam until he made it to the distant shore. He carried everything he owned wrapped inside two plastic bags. After reaching land, he knew he was far from being safe and he continued his journey on foot, walking over a mountain and down to the city where he met his younger brother. He knew that if he stayed there, he would never truly be free, and so the brothers came up with a plan. My father would climb aboard a container ship that was leaving Hong Kong for good. I recount the legend now told through music and sound.'
皇潮 King Tide
King Tide is a collaboration between myself and fellow artist Garling Wu. Growing up, Garling heard stories of her fathers escape from his home country of China, to Hong Kong. These events have rippled out across generations to form a family legend told to children and grandchildren. Guided by Garling’s artistic vision, this collaborative work tells that tale through sound, light, perfume, and interactive experience.
At the center of the room is a black pool of water. Surrounding the pool is a small table and floor mats scented with a perfume specially commissioned for the exhibition. The audience is invited to sit around the pool and contemplate one person’s search for freedom, the nature of migration, and the promise and peril of water.
King Tide uses high-fidelity hand tracking linked with a network of custom water pumps to create bespoke ripple patterns across the water's surface. A series of small embedded lights, directed toward the water, translate these ripples into immersive waves of light. In parallel, the motions of the hand are tied to dynamic changes in both sound and music, spatialised across an 8-channel surround sound audio system.
King Tide workshop for high-school students
