Cultivating Refined Temperament: A Live Chinese Calligraphy Performance and Solo Exhibition at Sham Shui Po Public Library, Hong Kong

This creative research output significantly differs from Lau’s previous live calligraphy performances; its integration of interactive computer graphics and motion-tracking technology creates an immersive environment that allows the audience to experience the dynamic rhythm of a giant brush manipulated by the performer’s graceful body movements.

By utilizing a mobile phone attached to the artist’s oversized brush as a motion-tracking device, Lau’s calligraphy performance at Sham Shui Po Public Library created an immersive experience for a large audience to appreciate the work. The motion-tracking feature in this live calligraphy performance primarily operated by collecting data from the gravity sensor of the mobile phone attached to the calligraphy brush. This data was then transmitted to a computer via the OSC (Open Sound Control) protocol, where it was integrated into TouchDesigner to drive real-time ink-wash visual effects in synchronization with the brush movements.

The intriguing motion-tracking design empowered the performer to spontaneously create real-time computer graphics effects of fast-flowing ink-wash diffusion on the big screen on the far wall in synchronization with the brush movements created by the artist’s forceful, bodily rhythm during the live performance. This novel incorporation of new technology into the work prompted an extraordinary viewing experience—the artist’s body movements and the resulting gestural strokes of the calligraphic work generated altered sensations and affect that captivated spectators in front of the huge screen.

Rather than being merely an artistic expression, site-specific performances of calligraphy are thoughtfully designed works that convey a variety of personal and cultural values as well as community identity. In sharp contrast to previous studies of Chinese calligraphy as a high art within the literati communities in China throughout the ages and Chinese calligraphy’s functional contexts of use, this artistic research studies a new paradigm by examining calligraphy’s capability of generating sensory and affective connections that enhance our experience and perceptions of our relationship with the environment and sense of place.

The work is part of my broader research project, “Calligraphic Interactionscape: Synergy between the Formal, Affective and Experiential Dimensions of Site-specific Calligraphy in Hong Kong.” This project is funded by a General Research Fund (GRF) grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The performance embodies the project's methodology and theoretical framework by exploring the interactions of the following factors:
1. The semantic meanings in calligraphic works;
2. The conditions of site-specificity, including geographical location, topographical uniqueness, and architectural settings;
3. Site-specific calligraphy's capacity to generate and transmit sensory and affective experiences that enhance our perception of our relationship with the environment; and
4. The synergistic effects of these factors.
This unprecedented methodology offers a more effective, multifaceted appreciation and interpretation of calligraphy as a comprehensive form of site-specific art.

This performance and its subsequent exhibition were conducted as part of the larger series, “Cultivating Refined Temperament Amidst the Legacy of the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 BCE – 220 CE): Daniel Chak Kwong Lau Large-scale Chinese Calligraphy Live Performance, Workshop and Solo Exhibition of Calligraphy.” The event was held at the Sham Shui Po Public Library, organized by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Public Libraries, and supported by the Home Affairs Department of Hong Kong in 2025.

To reinforce this public library’s summer programme promoting the idea of cultivating refined temperament through learning calligraphy and reading books about Qin and Han calligraphy, arts, and culture, the literary content of this large-scale work (3 m x 5.6 m) comprises four gigantic characters: “Tao ye xing ling” (陶冶性靈, cultivating refined temperament) rendered in clerical script (lishu 隸書). Executing these four characters with lively movements and powerful, whimsical gestural forces emanating from his entire body, the artist vividly reinterpreted the legacy of Qin and Han traditions. He utilized a massive brush to showcase his personal style in clerical script—an ancient script widely used during the Qin and Han dynasties. During the performance, the artist engaged with a responsive audience, introducing methods for appreciating site-specific calligraphy while explaining the background and aesthetics of historical Chinese calligraphic traditions. In an improvisational and humorous manner, the artist guided the audience to appreciate the brush techniques of Clerical Script, which evolved as a simplified form of Seal Script, and is characterized by the distinctive “silkworm head and wild goose tail” brush movement. This script style deliberately emphasizes rhythmic brushwork, showcasing the expressive potential of the Chinese brush.

In conjunction with the library's promotion of books on Qin and Han calligraphy, art, history, and culture, the performance was purposefully held in the Multi-purpose Display and Reading Area, where a vast collection of these books was prominently featured. Furthermore, the performance was followed by a calligraphy workshop on the same day and a solo exhibition of this gigantic work, which was mounted in the Multi-purpose Display and Reading Area (July 19 – October 31, 2026).

In conclusion, this live Chinese calligraphy performance and the subsequent exhibition position site-specific calligraphy as a vibrant, decisive catalyst that generates cultural, sensory, and affective connections, thereby enriching our experience of a place, its environment, and our sense of community.

Research findings demonstrate that this site-specific work created new concepts, ideas, and viewing experiences that extend beyond the intrinsic, verbal meaning of Chinese characters. It achieved this through a thoughtful exploration of how a calligraphic work, its presentation, and its reception on a specific site can complement one another.

This creative research concludes that the use of interactive computer graphics and other technologies in new media art has the transcendent power to create an immersive environment for the audience to interact with the artwork. This creative-research output will generate new interest among practitioners in the field and contribute to a deeper understanding of how calligraphy as a traditional art and culture transforms into contemporary art in Hong Kong, China, fostering broader cultural and scholarly discourse within China studies. Moreover, this research sheds light on how Chinese calligraphy has been transformed from an elitist, literati-oriented art form with a restricted audience into a highly accessible form of public visual culture. Ultimately, this site-specific Chinese calligraphy enhances our understanding of local culture, the environment, and the library as a vital cultural venue within our city.