Local artist and designer, Movana Chen
Local artist Movana Chen cuts up hundreds of old magazines, laminates the pages and then weaves them together to create intricate outfits, which she then wears around town. She tells Cheryl Wong Wing-zi how she knits the news into art.
HK: Why wear magazines? Is it about recycling?
MC: I like to collect magazines, so I create clothing out of them. I want people to be aware of how the media controls our bodies, minds and ways of thinking. Life is not just about trying to make your body more beautiful.
HK: What’s one of the most eccentric projects you’ve created?
MC: My last exhibition was a performance show. On the opening night, I wore a magazine sculpture piece for two and a half hours. It covered my whole body, so people weren’t aware of a person being inside the sculpture until they read the captions. I needed to go the bathroom, but I kept sleeping. I fell asleep for 10 minutes or so and some people were afraid when I moved. A lot of people asked questions, but I couldn’t answer. It was painful inside the dress; I couldn’t even open my mouth. I could hear but I couldn’t answer. Then, someone tried to sit on me!
HK: How do you find the models/performers for your sculptures?
MC: In London and Hong Kong, I invite people from the street to do performance pieces on my catwalks. In Central, I waited in the street, then flagged down people who stared at the dresses in my hand. I then explained the situation to them.
HK: What is it like to wea r the sculptures?
MC: For men, I make shorts. They say it’s painful, that the magazines cut their skin and that they don’t want to wear it again. But women like wearing my dresses because it feels like a massage. It’s comfortable. Different people feel different things.
HK: Are Hong Kong people into your art?
MC: The public doesn’t really know about Hong Kong art - every time you go to an opening, you always meet the same artists, designers and performers. The market is very small. I want to open my own gallery, combining a bookstore with fashion shows. This way, I can invite other Hong Kong artists to participate.