The Eclectic Electricity Of Cheung Hon Him

More and more these days we see artists working in a transdisciplinary way, making no distinctions between visual art, music and performance but integrating all these previously disparate mediums into one comprehensive artistic arsenal. Young artist Cheung Hon Him, who has appeared frequently in new media arts/design exhibitions and film festivals in the past two years, is a recent champion of this medium-agnostic style of art making. His work ranges from music and instrument design to interactive installations, theater, and performance, with the one common thread being a palpable interest in technology and new media.

As a prolific creator, Cheung Hon Him keeps busy. He’s the brains behind the up-and-coming Hong Kong electronic duo VIM (Volt-in-Music), works as a composer for film and advertising, and is also the founding member of XEX Group, a Hong Kong-based creative collective. Hon Him is actively integrating his art into every discipline he can get his over-active hands on, constructing an eclectic future in arts with a stylish and playful imagination.

Cheung Hon Him and his parter, Cheung Yuen Tung, the vocalist of VIM, had their first solo concert at the Hong Kong Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity last week, the biggest and most elaborate show they’ve ever played. Hon Him transformed the whole auditorium into a huge installation, breaking down and deconstructing the traditional concert set-up to explore new and diverse ways of performing, bending space into an organic system.

VIM / First Touch Of Electricity from XEX GRP on Vimeo.

We visited Hon Him at the venue the night before the show, and spoke with him about his multi-disciplinary practice and unique creative process.

The Creators Project: How do you define yourself? Musician, artist, new media designer?
Cheung Hon Him: I don’t want to label myself into any of those categories, I think that is up to the viewers of my work to decide. I am spending a lot of time exploring different fields, but new media art is the direction that fascinates me the most. I don’t want to have boundaries to limit myself, so “creator” is the proper term for me.

What lead you to new media art creation?
I was trained in classical music when I was young, I mainly played piano, but I always like to try new directions and things. I also like to try new elements and different approaches when I do music, so I started to do new media art works when I was in college, for music making. I mainly use electronics and new media elements, and I design instruments for myself.

Are you still playing piano?
Of course I do, but I do not like to play the scores, I prefer improvisation. I did try to connect keyboard with the computer, using it as a midi controller for audiovisual performance.

What is your relationship with XEX Group?
I formed XEX with my good friends when we were in college. What’s most interesting about it is that the members are filmmakers, programmers, hardware developers, photographers, musicians, effects productions, and new media designers. This kind of combination makes us fit in any kind of project. We are still working together after two years, and that is a blessed thing. No matter what we are working on, we can help each other with our own strengths. In some of my bigger scale projects, my good friends always give me the biggest support and are my true backup.

Do you have a rather focused direction in your art making?
My main focus is new media art through a multi-disciplinary exploration. Tomorrow ’s VIM concert will be a result of my practice—I am combining music, visuals, and interactive installations in one solid act. I even designed the instruments. I want to combine music and new media in different ways, design is only the package/appearance. Many of my projects are like this, covering different fields and embracing different elements.

Remaining playful and open to users’ exploration is an important part of your work, for example in the piece Sound Graffiti. Why do you think that is?
Those are important elements for my work, I always want to design space and installation work open for people to explore. I often see unexpected results when I exhibit my work, this is interesting, I am happy to see people can create new possibilities with my work.

SOUNDgraf from mb09 on Vimeo.

What was the inspiration for the piece The happiness of the fish?
The happiness of the fish is one of my favorite works. I think art making is very subjective, and not all the art works can be interpreted properly and objectively. I wanted to discuss this paradox of subjectivity and objectivity. The idea came from a story of Zhuangzi: Zhuangzi and his student Huizi were strolling along a waterfall when Zhuangzi said, “That fish is really enjoying himself!” and Huizi said, “You’re not a fish—how do you know his feelings?” Zhuangzi said, “You’re not me, how do you know I don’t know if a fish is enjoying himself?” This story projects a subjective idea to an objective situation, and explores the interactivity of conscious flow.

子非魚/式壹/魚之樂 from honhim on Vimeo.

What are you working on now?

I have been preparing this concert for a few months. Next week, I am preforming at the awards ceremony of Hong Kong Arts development council, where I am being awarded the “Young Artist Award” this year. This time I will perform with lasers, and then I will focus on a big installation, which will be on exhibit in July.

Now there are many new media artists developing LEDs, lights, and laser technology, and using them as creative tools, have you thought of developing other technology?
I do not think in a way where technology comes first and ideas to adapt it come after, it should be the opposite. Technology should be used to express our ideas, and then we pick up the tool that can help do that best. To be too concerned with the technological aspects will weaken the concept, so that is not wise. I like to explore technology in a more conceptual way.

Brainwave detection is the technology that I am most interested in right now, how people could control things just through their brain. There is a device called EEG, which is like a helmet that detects the movement of your brain waves and enables you to control your environment. The EyeWriter is another one of my favorite works. The work itself helped a graffiti artist who suffers from paralysis keep pursuing his interests, which is very good in a practical, artistic and ethical sense. I want to do works that are impressive and have a social impact. I hope my future works can help others.

Who has influenced you?
Many people, I am influenced mostly by artists who work with me. This year I am more focused on theater. I did a collaboration with a dancer who uses her body to create a dialogue with the space and make the audience to perceive it. I get inspired every time I work with different artists.

Image courtesy of Cheung Hon Him