Lighting up Hong Kong: Art Basel’s largest installation towers over Victoria Harbour, counting down to death
Meet the artist behind the massive light installation as part of this year’s Art Basel
For the duration of this year’s Art Basel, Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima presents a light installation called Time Waterfall on the façade of the International Commerce Centre at Kowloon Station. In the evenings, viewers can see a cascade of digital numbers falling down the tower, from nine to one.
“My numbers count nine to one without showing zero. It means the timing of life, counting is life, as zero means death,” he explains. “It’s about counting down to death, life and death, the meaning of life.
The numbers fall at different speeds, he continues, “like a waterfall. So it’s like time that never comes again”. Miyajima snaps his fingers and says, “Just now, it’s life like that.” He describes the installation as about living in the now.
Miyajima embraced the challenge. He felt that since Hong Kong is a city teeming with energy and life, the Time Waterfall would dovetail with his theme of life and death.
His biggest concern was how the numbers would look as they fell down the façade of the building.
“I tested it twice, and changed it a bit after the first test, particularly the size of the numbers and the speed of them falling down,” Miyajima says. A computer programmer helped him realise his work on the tower.
Originally from Tokyo, Miyajima says he first studied oil painting and then moved on to performing arts. It was then that the artist began working on installations, particularly with light.
He says the concept for his art constantly changes. “That’s why I use technology to light things,” he explains. “Light and counting numbers are moving all the time. It’s like a performing object.”
Time Waterfall will be shown on ICC every evening from March 21 through 26 at 7.20pm, 8.10pm, 9pm and 9.50pm.
