A concert experience that lets audiences hear, see and read cultural influences will be presented as part of The Lab: HK Video/Film Artist series. Titled makin40@lab, the multimedia performance - by video artist Makin Fung Bing-fai and his friends DJ Wong Chi-chung and artist Thomas Chan - will feature live remixing of pop and alternative music, as well as projections of video images from movies and text. Fung said the performers' roles were deliberately reduced to a bare minimum to reflect society's modern modes of communication. 'Nowadays we don't need to sit down, face-to-face, to communicate with each other. We can use our mobile phones or simply type messages into a computer. 'I'm trying to reflect this in theatre, by hiding the performers and using the stage space to let the audience generate their own thoughts and ideas,' said Fung. The performance is divided into six chapters, each bearing the name of a movie title. Fung will incorporate images from films that have left an impression on him and also music he grew up with. The songs, by overseas and local musicians such as David Bowie, Tat Ming Pair and Beyond, will be remixed live on stage to create a familiar, yet fresh experience for the audience. In some respects, said Fung, 'the performance is a guided tour of movies and music for young people'. The concert will not be pre-programmed, thereby leaving room for improvisation in accordance to audience reaction. The show will also feature an acoustic musical performance. 'The synthesisers will be linked up with a computer so that the [projected] images will change according to the music and sound effects,' said Fung. While Hong Kong educators tend to draw a line between art and technology, Fung said the two disciplines are interrelated, especially in western culture. He cited the example of Renaissance painters who sought out specific raw materials to create a particular colour for their work. 'Technology and art are indivisible. Technology is essential for many artists to achieve their artistic ideals,' said Fung. He hopes the show will mark the start of a new trend in performing arts by introducing young people to 'both pop and avant-garde music by local and overseas musicians as well as images from movies that they have never seen before. 'I also hope they will appreciate the effect of the impromptu handling of music and images through technology [in a live performance setting.] If it is successful, I hope to do similar performances - but in a larger scale - and have more artists involved.' makin40@lab will be staged at 8pm on November 18 and 19 at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Tickets available at Urbtix on 2734 9009
