Abstract
“Esmeralda” is a large scale site-specific kinetic installation (40m wide and 20m high).
It is commissioned by the Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong, and selected by international curators Dr. Isolde Brielmaier, former deputy of the New Museum New York, and Bettina Prentice of Prentice Cultural Communications.
The work takes its title from Italo Calvino’s celebrated 1972 novel “Invisible Cities”, which meditates on culture, memory, truth, past and present. In the novel, Marco Polo describes the watery city of Esmeralda, a place of trade where routes are infinite. Undulating between the physics of gravity and the buoyancy of air, Ng’s monumental, jade-coloured fabric installation contemplates the ephemeral yet far-reaching tides that have sustained the routes of a place and carried the travellers who pass by.
This project represents a groundbreaking achievement in large-scale kinetic outdoor art installations, powered by computer-controlled mechanical systems. The installation, designed to withstand the city's unique and challenging monsoon winds and weather conditions, not only enhances the urban landscape but also sets a new standard for public art. It inspires the community (both public and policy bodies and private sectors) by demonstrating how innovative engineering and artistic expression can transform public spaces, opening up new horizons for outdoor public art.
It is commissioned by the Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong, and selected by international curators Dr. Isolde Brielmaier, former deputy of the New Museum New York, and Bettina Prentice of Prentice Cultural Communications.
The work takes its title from Italo Calvino’s celebrated 1972 novel “Invisible Cities”, which meditates on culture, memory, truth, past and present. In the novel, Marco Polo describes the watery city of Esmeralda, a place of trade where routes are infinite. Undulating between the physics of gravity and the buoyancy of air, Ng’s monumental, jade-coloured fabric installation contemplates the ephemeral yet far-reaching tides that have sustained the routes of a place and carried the travellers who pass by.
This project represents a groundbreaking achievement in large-scale kinetic outdoor art installations, powered by computer-controlled mechanical systems. The installation, designed to withstand the city's unique and challenging monsoon winds and weather conditions, not only enhances the urban landscape but also sets a new standard for public art. It inspires the community (both public and policy bodies and private sectors) by demonstrating how innovative engineering and artistic expression can transform public spaces, opening up new horizons for outdoor public art.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 25 Mar 2024 |