皇潮 King Tide
Audiovisual Installation
By Garling Wu & Clovis McEvoy
'In 1983 my father swam from China to Hong Kong. From midnight till sunrise, he swam until he made it to the distant shore. He carried everything he owned wrapped inside two plastic bags. After reaching land, he knew he was far from being safe and he continued his journey on foot, walking over a mountain and down to the city where he met his younger brother. He knew that if he stayed there, he would never truly be free, and so the brothers came up with a plan. My father would climb aboard a container ship that was leaving Hong Kong for good. I recount the legend now told through music and sound.'
Growing up, Garling heard stories of her fathers escape from his home country of China, to Hong Kong. These events have rippled out across generations to form a family legend told to children and grandchildren. Guided by Garling’s artistic vision, this collaborative work tells that tale through sound, light, perfume, and interactive experience.
At the center of the room is a black pool of water. Surrounding the pool is a small table and floor mats scented with a perfume specially commissioned for the exhibition. Using high- fidelity hand tracking to create patterns across the water, and to activate and shape moments of sound and music. The audience is invited to sit around the pool and contemplate one person’s search for freedom, the nature of migration, and the promise and peril of water.
- Taiwanese premier at Pier-2 Art Centre Kaohsiung, Taiwan July, 2024.
- UK premiere at Sound/Image Festival, Stephen Lawrence Gallery, University of Greenwich, London, November, 2024