Imagine the scene: a massive meatball dancing in a big bowl of noodles, a running hot dog and a huge cha siu bao. Do these images whet your appetite? These icons are portrayed in a series of giant soft sculptures created by local students for an art exhibition intended to give visitors food for thought. The Soul Foods exhibition is part of Pop Art - Made in Hong Kong, a flagship visual art project of the 2004 Hong Kong Youth Arts Festival (YAF). The Pop Art project involved 8,000 students from 180 primary and secondary schools. Some of the students worked alongside professional visual artists through a month-long 'artists in schools programme'. The artists also held workshops for teachers so that they could pass on new creative skills to their students. The project was inspired by the original pop art movement which emerged from England in the 1950s. The concept combines techniques used in consumer marketing with icons from popular culture - such as everyday objects and images of famous people. It also blurs the gulf between high art and low art. 'Pop art is about finding an interesting angle in mundane [and] ordinary things in life,' said Paul Chan See-lik, a YAF project artist and theatre prop designer. During the workshop, Chan explained the concept of pop art to teachers and students. He also showed them how to make giant soft sculptures using materials such as foam, rattan and fabric. 'We used a wide range of materials [that was determined by] the type of food and texture the students wanted to create,' said Chan. 'The materials were quite new to the students and some teachers, too. I encouraged them to open their eyes and touch and feel the textures of objects in their daily lives. This gave them more ideas as to what types of material to use,' he said. Although the concept of pop art stems from the west, the students spiced up their works with local flavour. Most of the soft sculptures on display are images of fast food and snacks popular in Hong Kong. A giant hotdog, made by Form Four students from Toi Shan Association College, demonstrates their sense of humour. Said their teacher Lee Yim-han: 'My students asked me why there's no dog in a hot dog. So they created a hot dog where an image of a dog is wrapped inside vegetables and tomatoes. 'They also put a pair of wheels underneath the hot dog to show the hectic city life of Hong Kong.' Form Four student Li Wing-yan said: 'Unlike a regular art lesson, during which we just sit on chairs to draw sketches, the [pop art]workshop was very interactive. There was more collaboration among classmates too.' The Soul Foods exhibition will be held at Pacific Place from November 1 to 5. For more details, contact YAF at 2877 2779.
