MESSAGES
In mid-October 2013, I embarked on a 5 months long journey with my wife. We took the sea route to cross the Pacific Ocean. Instead of taking a cruise ship, however, we managed to book ourselves onto a container ship. We were the only passengers on the ship. Life on the ship was completely different from Hong Kong. No telephone, no internet. But we had a lot of time to think, to contemplate our lives, and every minute change in the sea was observed. Read more
In mid-October 2013, I embarked on a 5 months long journey with my wife. We took the sea route to cross the Pacific Ocean. Instead of taking a cruise ship, however, we managed to book ourselves onto a container ship. We were the only passengers on the ship. Life on the ship was completely different from Hong Kong. No telephone, no internet. But we had a lot of time to think, to contemplate our lives, and every minute change in the sea was observed.
Before embarking on the voyage, I had the idea of throwing bottles into the ocean, with messages inside, and see if anybody would pick them up and reply. This is a challenge for communication.
Nowadays, we have myriad ways to gather information on people we have never met. The internet has enabled us to connect with people thousands of miles away in a split second. But a message in a bottle is unpredictable in terms of space and time. Where it would be picked up, if it would be picked up at all, is in the hands of the gods.
It was with this in mind that I sent a challenge to my friends: “How would you like to send a message to somebody you have never met, is unlikely to meet, halfway around the world but in a place unknown, and further more, the message may never get there?” I gathered 32 responses. They came from all walks of life – artists, professionals, housewives – offering advice, insights and descriptions of their lives.
In a way, they form a representation of Hong Kong.
Before embarking on the voyage, I had the idea of throwing bottles into the ocean, with messages inside, and see if anybody would pick them up and reply. This is a challenge for communication.
Nowadays, we have myriad ways to gather information on people we have never met. The internet has enabled us to connect with people thousands of miles away in a split second. But a message in a bottle is unpredictable in terms of space and time. Where it would be picked up, if it would be picked up at all, is in the hands of the gods.
It was with this in mind that I sent a challenge to my friends: “How would you like to send a message to somebody you have never met, is unlikely to meet, halfway around the world but in a place unknown, and further more, the message may never get there?” I gathered 32 responses. They came from all walks of life – artists, professionals, housewives – offering advice, insights and descriptions of their lives.
In a way, they form a representation of Hong Kong.
