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Project Overview

“In-Between” Exhibition Design at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

“In-Between” Exhibition is a celebratory thematic exhibition for the museums’ 60 anniversary. Commissioned by the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the lead artist, Choi Kim-hung, our practice has led to the exhibition design of the 2-floor gallery at the museum. To highlight the importance of the museum in their unique art collection and the 7 young local artists to be featured, our design does not only focus on individual objects, but also retells the journey of the art creation. Responding the curatorial statement of “In-Between” (行行重行行), celebrating the tides and lows of the endless attempts and breakthroughs for each artist, a continuous “road” is designed to connect selected works and bring audience closer to each artist. Taking down the gallery walls, the audience is immersed in the multi-dimensional art journey with the team’s thorough study of each retrospective work and the personal experience of each artist.

The exhibition is not designed as a display. It is an experience that brings emotion, enlivens human touch to art and thrives the appreciation of art exploration. The spaces are sculpted to create surprises, innerworld reflections and dialogues.

Project Commissioner

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Project Creator

One Bite Design Studio Limited

Team

One Bite Design Studio Limited
Alan Cheung, Sarah Mui, Sherman Sun, Kimberley Wong, Edward Chan

Project Brief

The Chinese name of this exhibition "行行重行行 " comes from an ancient Chinese poem. During the journey of creation, through repeated pondering, attempts and self-questioning, artists undergo intertwined periods of getting lost, self-doubt and countless decisions. Taking down the assumption that an exhibition consists of individual rooms was a breakthrough in the project design. The team believes that the art pieces we have understood were not suitable for a room-by-room arrangement and the intangible connection between the artists and their work was the seed we hope to bring to the audience in the appreciation of art creation. Riding on the Chinese typography design for "行行重行行" (looping journey), the team has developed the whole exhibition through one continuous surface, implanting the idea of a recurring “art journey”. The bold use of white, black and green weaving in the 2-floor gallery spaces was intended to give audience shocks, pauses, contrasts and confusions. One would feel the rhythm when he or she walks inside the galleries, the more intense spaces are for artwork created in the time of struggles, the more spacious zones are for artwork created in the time of confidence. Works from one artist at different times were selected and displayed at an overlooking position so the audience could easily look at the differences and evolution of the artist. The continuous surface across two levels imposed challenges to construction. A careful modular set-up and mock-ups had been carried out for a good result.

Project Innovation/Need

Innovating through the rich collection of artworks to be displayed, the exhibition design tried to use only "one" ribbon element to connect and sculpt each space. The ribbon started from the entrance and guided the audience to navigate through the 2-floor gallery with over 100m long.

The exhibition was a very rare and valuable one where museum collection with over 1000 years old and contemporary artworks were displayed in parallel. The differentiation of each artist's style and the common grounds between art exploration was demonstrated through the careful juxtaposition of artworks and the intangible dialogues designed in each artwork location.

Design Challenge

The exhibition design required a close working relationship with the museum and the lead artist. Starting from studying the museum’s selected collection of art pieces, to portraying the sequence of displays, to the intersection with new artworks and to the dialogues between works, the whole project had taken almost 2 years to complete and open to the public in April 2022. One of the challenges, yet an enjoyable one, was the iterative and thorough design for the retrospective artwork area. The team had gone through numerous proposals to test how to present a protected environment for each piece and how the display method could reflect the artist’s journey precisely. The input from all parties in the project was crucial for the successful execution.

On the other hand, the 7 new pieces of commissioned artworks covered different media, not only to design a space for the artwork, the team has also supported in the production and technical development of the artwork. The communications with artists helped the team to understand their art creation journeys in order to design the appropriate space for their works. This first stage of understanding had taken the longest time in the project. However, we see this as a crucial step to create a coherent concept and curatorial direction for the exhibition. “In-Between (行行重行行)” was developed by the guest curator along the way and it became an anchor for spatial development.

Sustainability

To consider the sustainability of an exhibition at this scale, fabric has been widely adopted to create the experience. Fabric created less environmental impact than typical paint and exhibition finishes from their production, fabrication and on-site installation. Moreover, the fabric can be upcycled and recycled at ease to present an eco-friendly exhibition.

Pop-Ups, Display, Exhibit & Set Design

This award celebrates innovative and creative design for a pop-ups, temporary buildings and interiors, installations,exhibition, fixture or interactive element. Consideration given to materials, finishes, signage and experience.

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