In case you’ve been living under a rock this past week, the world of art officially took over Hong Kong with the return of Art Basel!
This year, Audemars Piguet (one of the official global Associate Partners of Art Basel 2014) created a cool lounge area at the Hong Kong Convention Centre, designed by leading French designerMathieu Lehanneur and displaying a new piece by Austrian video artist Kurt Hentschläger.
Inspired by Audemars Piguet’s home in Le Brassus in the Vallée de Joux, Mathieu Lehanneur’s creative designs were inspired by science, nature and technology and used the latest technology to cast replicas of the rocks he discovered at Piguet’s home, which lies in one of Europe’s remote and pristine forest regions.
Kurt Hentschläger is famous for his work with time-based media, light and sound; his video for Audemars, “Moment”, played across all three screens in the Collectors’ Lounge and depicted scenes from the Vallée de Joux. His film showcases the combination of nature and technology and how they can inspire and affect one another, offering a new perspective on the rugged landscapes that have shaped the Audemars Piguet brand and how they create their watch masterpieces.
I was lucky enough to chat to Kurt on what inspired them, the creative process and their take on the art scene in Asia.
Is this your first time in Hong Kong?
Actually it is! I’ve never been to Hong Kong, strangely enough.
How about other Asian countries? Which is your favourite?
I have no favourite, they’re really all so different. I’ve been most often to Korea and China, and I haven’t been to Japan in a while. It’s unfair to compare them.
So what do you think of the design scene in Asia?
When I think of design, I think more of Japan. But Korea now is exploding and becoming so strong. China is still massively emerging… it’s grown so fast, in such a short time.
Can you use three to five words to describe this work for Audemars Piguet, “Measure”?
Three words? No!
Or five or ten?
You really make me work!
Just give me a few then… it doesn’t matter how many!
It’s a contemplation on what is real and what is fake… or is it even interesting to ask that question? I feel pretty much everything mediated has to become real, one way or another. It’s become a reality, so we don’t think twice about it.
Did you change anything while you were creating this piece from your original idea? Do you work as you go along or do you have a plan before you start?
I have a concept, and a set of ideas when I start; then during the process, some ideas prove not be potent… They automatically go away. In this piece, pretty much everything that for me was the pure essence of the work is absolutely still there. So, there are different processes; one of them is when you conceive a work, it’s much more analytical… you’ve got to think about framing and ingredients. It’s almost like a process of cooking – you have to think about what you want to cook, then you think about the ingredients, go shop for them and prepare.
But once you start cooking, it depends if you cook often – it’s a lot about intuition, I’m not usually measuring every ingredient exactly and it’s the same here in my studio. Once I’ve shopped, all the preparation has come to an end and then it’s a rather intuitive process, I just go along with it. But it’s weird because while part of me is creating, another part is filtering… so things that don’t quite work just go out without much thinking!
When Audemars approached you, did they give you any direction or a concept before starting, or did you have total freedom to create what you wanted to do?
I demanded freedom in creation – it’s an artistic commission, not a corporate work, so it can only be either or. But of course, there’s a dialogue. They wanted me to come to the Vallée de Joux to shoot and use the landscape in my work – it was a perfect match, working on this idea of nature and what is nature in the 21st century. So it was just a fantastic opportunity to go and shoot in a very specific, very special, mostly original environment. But otherwise, they called me an “unmanaged artist”; they said ,“You’re the most unmanaged artist!”
Do you like how they call you that?
I found it funny! I think they were nervous, in the sense that what if this is completely…
But they were really brave, because they still went for you right?
Yeah, I’m sure.
This is your first time in Hong Kong, what’s your first impression of the city?
It’s weird because the first impression is that it’s not China, obviously! I mean it’s sort of China, but it’s not like Mainland China and there’s this distinctive British feel. It’s mostly in the infrastructure – driving and stuff. It seems very cosmopolitan, with lots of people from all around the world. Of course, it’s strikingly beautiful in the way it sits in the ocean.
Have you ever noticed any digital artists in Hong Kong?
No, not particularly from Hong Kong. I know there are some, obviously.
What about designers or artists in Asia?
China is particularly interesting because it seemed non-existent [in the art scene] 20 years ago but just over the last 15 years, it has became a strong player and massively prominent on the international art scene, with people like Ai Weiwei. They are more like figureheads… It’s really a variety of artists and I think that some of the most interesting artists in the last decade have come out of China.
Where did you go in China? Which city did you prefer?
I went to the usual, Beijing and Shanghai, and they are very different. What struck me in particular is the way they have been “made over”. I remember the first time I went to Beijing, I thought it was like New York, but it was more like boutique buildings – a beautiful tower here, another one there. But now, when you go to Beijing, everything has been built as a cluster – a cluster of towers there, a cluster of towers here. It’s all new.
I was at an after-party, at a settlement called Class A, in an apartment. It was totally Euro, designed by a Dutch architect. But it was at the end of Beijing, and there was a meadow and mud, and then a Class A settlement – fabulous! Everything just grows so rapidly, it’s quite dynamic.
When you create a piece, do you work non-stop? Or do you have a regular daily routine, and working on the piece is just a part of your life?
What do you think? As an artist, you don’t have a normal routine; your life and work blends into each other. I’m really busy – it’s more like with this , there are too many things to do. I also started teaching last year… I don’t know why, it’s crazy! I have like three jobs, so the day never ends.
How long did this piece take, from when they approached you to it being finished?
Audemars approached me at the end of summer last year. I started to work really slowly in November, and then the intense period was from February to May. So around four months, something like that.
Are you happy with how the piece has turned out?
I’m happy. Which is rare.
Really?
Yeah, you have to be your own biggest critic. I feel very good about it, because it flows, it has an organic feel. It’s like an organism of sorts. It’s metro… and then not. It came out pretty well, from what I initially envisioned.
Now, how about a selfie?
Finally! :p
Tags: art, art basel, artist, Audemars Piguet, collaboration, digital, exhibition, hong kong, Interview, Switzerland, 巴塞爾藝術展, 數碼, 瑞士, 藝術家, 訪問, 香港
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