Work by KATHY NG
EXPERIMENTAL VIDEOS
SURREALIST BALL 2019
The idea of Surrealist Ball 2019 comes from the Surrealist Ball held by Marie-Hélène de Rothschild in 1972, in which celebrities attended dressed as various Surrealist imagery.
The elements used in Surrealist Ball 2019 are inspired by David Lynch’s short film Rabbits (2002) and TV series Twin Peaks (1990-1991). The short film is comprised of three scenes, each plays with the nature of conversations. Surrealist Ball 2019 features three actors (including the artist herself) playing seven characters, each given different names, personalities, and costumes.
Through the bizarre dialogue and the awkwardness of the characters, this film intends to instill discomfort and confusion on audiences, yet with elements of humour within. At paramount Surrealist Ball 2019 is a Lynchion and surrealist take on everyday awkward encounters with the ball setting acting as more of a backdrop for this concept.
THE VANISHING LADY
The screen on the left shows Georges Méliès' film The Vanishing Lady (1896), while the screen on the right show my appropriated version of the film. By appropriating Méliès' work, I wish to redeploy it, such that it fits the taste of the modern audience. And by showing the two screens side by side, a strong contrast is created.
COUNTENANCE
Inspired by a scene from the American sit com That '70s Show, where the son thinks his dad is angry all the time because life didn't go as he wanted it to be. This video conveys similar meaning- I am currently at a place where I need to start figuring out my life, I have expectations for my future and I fear that I would never get to where I want to be in life, eventually I would be sad and angry about my life.
IMAGINATIVE SPACES
This video aims to show the differences between living in a house and living in an apartment. In the video, instead of using the actual space available in and around the house, I tried to imitate having the space in my Hong Kong apartment and its surroundings. The video is divided into eight segments and they are titled according to the actions I am mimicking.
CULTURAL SHOCK
The video shows how unfamiliar with snow I am, as Hong Kong is warm almost all year long and never snows. In the video, I can be seen stepping on snow and touching snow with bare hands with hesitation and caution, as my character is not sure whether snow is safe to touch.
MAKING DINNER
Split screen is used in this film- the left side of the screen shows the instructions of making linguine (representing western culture), while the right side of the screen shows the instructions of making Chinese chow mein (representing oriental culture). The film aims to show cultural differences and the chaos in the latter part of the film represents the difficulties of trying to adopt both western and oriental culture in my daily life.