Art in Protest- Material and Concept Transformation

“Umbrella Patchwork”

The site-specific piece entitled “Umbrella Patchwork” (百家傘 in Chinese) was initiated and produced by a group of students from the Academy of Visual Arts(AVA), Hong Kong Baptist University. More than 250 broken umbrellas which were used by Hong Kong people to against the pepper spray and tear gas were collected. About 50 students spent 3 days and nights to sew up all the umbrellas to make a huge canopy (about 10m x 10m). The umbrella canopy in form of a patchwork was installed up on a footbridge in Admiralty to provide a shelter for the protesters there. The Umbrella Patchwork also symbolizes the unity and good wishes of Hong Kong people in this peaceful fight for democracy.”

-Artist statement by group of AVA students

Umbrella as a symbol

Hong Kong is surrounded by sea, Hong Kong therefore always rain and umbrella seems very usual object, which would be found in any ladies’ handbags. Instead, the soldiers and police also seldom use umbrella as it will affect the operation efficiency. This culture created a strong different between the citizen in this campaign and the police officer. Though umbrella is so weak and so inefficient, what we have is only this. We are all just ordinary people.

How this two works different though using same material?

When I first heard about this project, I immediately think of Jaffa Lam, a Hong Kong local artist. She has done several projects by using recycle umbrella. For example, she used the old umbrella fabric to build a pavilion in Suzhou style. Fabric actually is a very soft material. But Jaffa use it to build something that supposed to be very hard. Pavilion in Suzhou style and the umbrella actually are under mass production. So called “traditional” is just part of the consumerism.

Micro Economy Series Parachute in Melbourne, Australia July 2011 School of Art Gallery, RMIT Building

In terms of materiality, “Umbrella Patchwork” made by AVA students actually not sophisticated when compare to Jaffa’s work. Form is the biggest weakness of this work. Why the umbrella patches together and presented in this form? The Chinese name”百家傘 “actually is come from the idea of “缝百家被，穿百家衣” (making blanket and wearing clothes by using fabric from hundreds family), which symbolize the children would growth healthy under the blessing from hundreds of family. If they said that it is a blanket, I would concern how they let people aware of this. Instead, I think clothing of children is also another form would be used to present the idea of many wishes come together and want to make Hong Kong growth better. By doing so, we would see a more concrete transformation of concept and form.

But I still very appreciated the AVA students who do it within very short period and their contribution to this movement. For me, the symbolic meaning and identity of the umbrella bare greater meanings than the aesthetic element in this work.

References

香港藝術家關注示威作品召集群組

Hong Kong Artists concern protest art

https://www.facebook.com/pages/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E8%97%9D%E8%A1%93%E5%AE%B6%E9%97%9C%E6%B3%A8%E7%A4%BA%E5%A8%81%E4%BD%9C%E5%93%81%E5%8F%AC%E9%9B%86%E7%BE%A4%E7%B5%84-Hong-Kong-Artists-concern-protest-art/283372865206454.

Korean Artist- Jean Shin’s website

http://www.jeanshin.com/bio.htm

Jaffa Lam Website

http://www.jaffalam.net/current_project/micro_economy/parachute_in_shenzhen.php

Biogenetic Structuralism. "BiogeneticStructuralism.com - ART AND SPIRIT: THE ARTISTIC BRAIN, THE NAVAJO CONCEPT OF HOZHO AND KANDINSKY'S "INNER NECESSITY"." Accessed October 20, 2014. http://www.biogeneticstructuralism.com/art_and_spirit/art_and_spirit_anthropologica_version.htm#N_2_.

Website of UMAP(Umbrella Movement Art Preservation)

http://umbrellaartpreserv.wix.com/umap

https://www.facebook.com/umbrellamovementartpreservation