Silent Waves is an artist-led project curated by Solomon Yu, in which each of the 9 visual artists develops a creative work upon exploring The Library. These artists’ usual practices range from painting, video, ceramic, sculpture, installation, performance, participatory project to song writing. Although they do not have an artistic practice of sound, they are all drawn together by a shared interest in exploring sound as materials and the activity of listening.

Over a 6-month period, they have encountered unfamiliar and abstract elements in life in Hong Kong; they have experienced not only boredom, confusion, but also the excitement of discovery. They are moved, inspired or provoked to respond in their own ways. The resulting works include images, sounds, videos, creative writing, interactive device, performance, interviews and a series of ceramic class for primary students.

The individual work reflects how each artist interprets the materials they have come across, and how they bring the experience from this project back to their own art practices. Documentations of these creative works as well as the artists’ explorations will be presented under the title Silent Waves as a mini-website that could be accessed from The Library.

Curator’s Words

Silent Waves

exploring the quiet zone

9 visual artists travel with a library in quietness

together, browsing, gazing, floating, exchanging, and picturing

along this journey of artistic exploration

being quiet is not the same as being still

if one could experience roars of a rough sea in a Turner

or feel the crush from the soundlessness of a Rothko

perhaps singing of cicadas could spike as harsh as the midday sun during summer

while sounds from a rice steamer could teleport one into a misty rural village

listening to books, reading sounds and picturing images

the artists travel to different unfamiliar and abstract locations in our city life

experience boredom, confusion, also excitement of discovery and surprises

moved, inspired or provoked

they share, and bring what they have encountered and experimented

back to their own art practices

in the form of material, word, music, image, sound, interaction or workshop

returning more books than they have borrowed

the exploration continues