Why keep Hong Kong’s light show going with no tourists, artist asks as part of show exploring his personal and political fascination with lights

Mark Chung is baffled by the absurdity of continuing the Symphony of Lights when tourist traffic is at an all-time low, reflected in his Befuddled installation

‘Wheezing’, his exhibition at Hong Kong’s de Sarthe Gallery this month, also looks at how light was weaponised during recent anti-government protests

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Hong Kong’s Symphony of Lights laser show still plays every night at 8pm despite tourists being at an all-time low, a situation questioned by artist Mark Chung in his residency at de Sarthe Gallery this month. Photo: Martin Chan

Published: 5:15pm, 3 Sep 2020Updated: 10:17pm, 3 Sep 2020

Hit by anti-government protests and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Hong Kong has undergone a lot of changes since June last year. However, one daily occurrence has remained constant throughout – something that artist Mark Chung finds a little absurd.

“One thing that hasn’t changed is the Symphony of Lights – it’s there, eight o’clock every [night],” says the 30-year-old, referring to the light and sound show organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board that projects over Victoria Harbour to promote the city and its skyline.

Baffled by the absurdity of continuing a laser show during a time when tourist traffic is at an all-time low, the New Zealand-born Chung created Befuddled (2020), an immersive installation as part of his residency at Hong Kong’s de Sarthe Gallery this month.

Chung projects drone video of the show through a cracked glass partition, highlighting how perspective is critical to this exhibition – he is imagining how those inside shops with broken windows viewed the protests.

Befuddled (2020) by Mark Chung at the de Sarthe Gallery. Photo: Courtesy of de Sarthe / Mark Chung

“They [those in the shops] are literally looking at the protests through shattered glass – you’re looking at something broken, through something broken,” he explains.