The title of my video reads “tableau,” and there are reasons to be stated here.
The general meaning of tableau is a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or a history, thus “tablet vivant” when in real time. The word tableau usually stands together with vivant. However, the title of my video, tab l’ eau. is the abbreviation of “tableau eau.” In French, tableau is painting, and eau means water. The basic idea of the video was to make a water painting with water, no colors were needed. The idea was to challenge the naive way of water painting through the process of video making. The location of the video was the sitting area of my school building, the School of Creative Media Center at City University of Hong Kong. I drew my inspiration from my personal experience – the weather was affecting my mood and I thought about it a lot at that time. The video was also made during the Easter holiday, when contemplating myself in a spiritual journey was sacred for me. The location of the video was carefully chosen, as there was a connection between myself and the space, completing a sense of familiarity. It also gave me a sense of relief— it is comforting to reveal life and to reflect on it.

「Tableau」【編著:在視覺上構圖而言強調人和景物在畫框內的橫向排列,這樣的全身全景以前正方為最理想的視野】的正面全景,在繪畫上多見於一群模特兒或靜止的表演者合力重現歷史事件或故事的某些場景,因而有了「tableau vivant」(活人的圖像)一詞。然而,我的錄像作品的標題<tabl’eau>卻是法文「tableau eau」的縮寫。「tableau」意指「圖畫」,「eau」則為「水」;我的原意是挑戰如何只用水而不用顏料來創作一幅「水的圖畫」,並把這個意念套用到製作錄像之上。我選擇了我所就讀的香港城市大學創意媒體中心大堂前的空地作為拍攝地點。那時候正值復活節假期,我總是想很多,亦常被天氣影響自己的情緒,對於如何進入沉思的狀態感到恐懼。因此,這個拍攝地點可說是精挑細選過的,正因為本身與空間有所連結,那份熟識的感覺令我如釋重負——把生命展露於人前並作出反思原來是如此令人寬慰的。