1a Space Sat-Aug 14 How many people do you know who participate in demonstrations? Do you? On July 1, 2003, an unprecedented half a million Hongkongers took to the streets protesting against various government policies. Two years later, the numbers have dwindled to 20,000. One of these protesters is Edwin Lai Kin-keung, who's been demonstrating since the late 1970s. A photography teacher at the University of Hong Kong and a member of the photography group pH5, Lai is one of the curators of Walk Don't Run, a group photography exhibition about demonstrations. Through photos and photo installations, seven artists - Almond Chu Tak-wah, Yvonne Lo Yuen-man, Ducky Tse Chi-tak, Pak-chai Tse, Stanley Wong, Vincent Yu Wai-kin and Danny Yung Ning-tsun - document the celebrations, thoughts and dissent of Hong Kong society. 'The show doesn't have a stance on the July 1 demonstrations,' says Lai. 'The artists are reviewing the phenomenon of marches.' Lai says he wants the photos and installations to make viewers think about the extent of change that has occurred since the 2003 march, if any. 'The demonstration is a means, not an end or a solution,' he says. 'The demonstrations are to advance society, sometimes through the political system. But even with a change in the political system, we're so narrow-minded that people may hold onto old-fashioned ideas.' Some of the photos show hundreds of people packed together, moving slowly. Chu captures marchers walking up a highway ramp against an ominous backdrop of huge concrete buildings. The photo accentuates the power of the buildings towering over the protesters. In Tree.Man, Yung blurs the outlines of bodies by adding a top layer of thin white square boxes. This prevents the viewer from gaining a clear view of the subject matter. As with protests, the outcome is seldom clear. Wong (aka Anothermountainman) takes a visually striking black and white photo of protesters holding up a large placard in the work Speechless. The words have been erased so the message is blank, suggesting demonstrations have no meaning - or possibly that the people are so upset that no words come out. The exhibition isn't limited to the selected seven artists - anyone can participate. A space has been reserved for those who want to share their demonstration photos. Tue-Sun, 2pm-8pm, Unit 14, Cattle Depot Artist Village, To Kwa Wan. Inquiries: 2529 0087
