Egg-shaped objects dot Hong Kong’s harbour in art installation opening to public on Monday
- Residents who took a peek at interactive installation mostly delighted, but some say government should charge visitors for entry
- Visitors will need to book a time to interact with the ovoids that change colour and emit different sound in response to touch
An art installation featuring hundreds of giant glowing egg-shaped objects dotting Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour will open to the public on Monday, as the government seeks to make better use of the waterfront in defining the city’s image and draw more tourists.
Residents who took a peek at the installation during a preview on Sunday were mostly delighted with the spectacle, but some said the government should charge visitors for entry. The installation, along with another art project by local artists, is being funded by HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) in taxpayer money.
Running until June 2, “Continuous” at Tamar Park in Admiralty is part of the government’s Art@Harbour initiative. It aims to make the harbour the city’s artistic brand and draw visitors from around the world.
The 200 egg-shaped objects, each measuring three or five metres (10 or 16.4 feet) tall and sitting on land or water, change colour and emit a different sound in response to touch.
The project is a collaboration between the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Japanese brand teamLab, an interdisciplinary group of artists formed in 2001 in Tokyo.
The installation will be open to the public between 6.30pm and 11pm, with no admission fee, but only those who made a reservation online can enter a cordoned-off area where interacting with the objects is possible.
Authorities have not disclosed the exact ticket quota, but indicated up to tens of thousands of tickets for viewing this week were handed out within two hours.