CIC-Zero Carbon Park promotes sustainable green living with ‘Art in Construction’ exhibition

Construction Industry Council – Zero Carbon Park (CIC-ZCP) proudly presents ‘Art in Construction’ an exhibition that gathers local artists to explore and showcase the connection and creativity between construction and art through various forms including sculptures, installations, paintings, photography, and workshops.

The exhibition is held at the CIC-ZCP in Kowloon Bay and supported by a free online virtual exhibition and a guided tour video. By incorporating 360-degree camera technology, the exhibition allows everyone to experience the creativity of construction, engage with art, and sample what it’s like to live a greener lifestyle.

The evolution of construction throughout history demonstrates mankind’s creativity and commitment to sustainability. From building houses and cities with wood and stone to today’s use of innovative technology and sustainable methods to establish communities living in harmony with nature. Exploring a series of activities that showcases the synergy between construction and green living, the imagination and creativity of construction are both impressive and breath-taking.

“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges confronting mankind. CIC-ZCP is a pioneering and inspiring project serving as a knowledge-sharing platform for industry practitioners in low carbon building design and technologies. By organising various types of promotional activities, it is our mission to increase public awareness of low carbon living. Recently, CIC-ZCP has been completely renovated with several innovative green initiatives. Allied with the art pieces, we hope to bring an exciting facelift,” remarked Mr Paul Chong Kin-lit, Chairman of CIC-ZCP.

“Construction is more than an industry. The word itself evokes a sense of mankind’s inventive spirit in order to keep up with modern times. This exhibition highlights the creativity of construction and the part technology plays in turning high-quality green homes into a reality to give the public a better insight into the philosophies that go into sustainable design, and better appreciation for the creativity and vision behind them,” he continued.

There four themes of the exhibition:

ART AND CONSTRUCTION: A CROSSOVER EXPERIENCE
While high-rises and parks are designed meticulously by architects, building desirable homes requires concerted effort from the community. With painting, toys and building blocks, Artist Lam Tung-pang constructs Things Happened on the Island, his ideal city in the installation, complete with hills, people and high-rises.

He invites visitors to rearrange components to build the city together with him, a process evocative of the collaboration and rapport behind green communities and innovative technology in urban development.

FUSING ORIENTAL AND NATURAL CHARM
Referencing natural elements like water and wind, veteran Hong Kong Sculptor Lee Chin-fai, Danny has created Urban Waterscape, a group of outdoor sculptures that double as benches for public use. Artist Lau Hok-shing, Hanison has combined Penjing, or miniature landscapes in Sitting Table to create a space for outdoor recreation where people can meet and relax.

With artistic craftsmanship, Lee and Lau demonstrate mankind’s philosophy of co-existing with all things in nature, whilst also preserving tradition and illustrating the possibilities of green living.

CONCERNS ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
While carbon emissions in various regions are still on the rise and the temperatures in the Arctic Circle reached a new peak of 20 degrees Celsius, photographer Lau Chi-chung, in Landscaped Artifacts, has created a beautiful composition of woods and village houses that convey the tension between human expansion and the forces of nature. Painter Yuen Chun-tai, Ivy creates a series of drawings named Forestry illustrates the rise and fall of Hong Kong’s horsetail pine population and how it parallels the city’s urbanisation, as well as increase in plantation projects and the threat of pests.

Sculptor Mok Yat-san, in his art pieces Beware of the P Bear presents a humorous but thought-provoking reminder to bear in mind the severity of climate change; and Lovingkindnes, resembles traditional Penjing, the ancient Chinese art of depicting trees and landscape in miniature, by condensing architecture and juxtaposing the mini-scenery with a polar bear.

PRACTISE GREEN LIVING
In Modern Landscape, Artist Wong Chun-yam, Leo upcycles rocks and cement fragments collected from construction sites to form sculptures, recreating the stories once told by the structures themselves. Meanwhile, Artist Duo MUDWORK invites visitors to practise green living through their artistic creation, Tree Call which makes use of wood fragments to create small DIY bird whistles.

Farmside Art Research Lab is also inviting the public to participate in the Roving with Bamboo Ink – Nature Is Art workshop to take place in the familiarity of home and to initiate one’s connection with nature through breathing exercises, creative poetry, and drawings created by ink pressed from vegetable leaves.

‘Art in Construction’ exhibition is available for free as a virtual tour at CIC-ZCP website. By browsing the virtual exhibition, visitors can get a 360-degree view of the exhibits. In addition, a guided tour video will launch on 25 September, during which the curator and artists will take the public into the world of art and construction to understand the stories behind CIC-ZCP and the exhibits. — Construction+ Online