Being a formal slaughterhouse for cows built in 1908, Cattle Depot Artist Village is the most unique art space of its kind. Co-presented by Videotage and Kowloon City District Council, the project ‘Cattle Depot 101’ celebrates the 101st birthday of the historical building, as well as re-discovering To Kwa Wan, where the village is located. The art projects presented in the exhibition were completed by a group of teenagers from 4 different secondary schools during an interdisciplinary art workshop (in which secondary school students were exposed to different media including video, performance, photography, computer graphics, new media etc.) in Summer 2009.

Situated in the South of Kowloon City District, To Kwa Wan is a city out of time. With an air of tranquility, the area is filled with older settlement and family-run stores, much unique in comparison with the cosmopolitan city scene in Hong Kong. How does this ageing community move forward with the rapid development of Hong Kong and yet remains it’s unique quality? How will the future To Kwa Wan MTR station change the lifestyle of the residents? Does the facilities of the area address the needs of the disabled? These are some of the issues raised through the exhibited artworks.

Guided by the instructors at Videotage, the 2-day interdisciplinary art workshop focuses on passing on the spirit of new media art to our young folks through practical and theoretical exposure of various media. We believe that new media art is not simply a medium, but more importantly a sort of beliefs, or a state of mind. By applying various mapping methodology and creative mediums, these young people get to open up their mind to freely explore the forgotten and fun aspects of To Kwa Wan. Their fresh and sometimes insightful ideas, combining with their personal experience, were transformed into wonderful pieces of artwork, which allow the viewers to have a closer look of the unique characteristic and complexity of the To Kwa Wan community.

The exhibited artwork, together with the students’ feedback and a brief introduction of the Cattle Depot Artist Village, will be documented and published in a booklet, which will be available during the opening and throughout the 10-day exhibition period, and will be distributed all over Hong Kong and internationally.

Opening
Date & Time: Jan 30, 2010 (Sat), 4pm

Exhibition
Date: Jan 31 – Feb 08, 2010
Time: 12:00pm – 7:00pm (daily)
Address: Unit 13, Cattle Depot Artist Village, 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, To Kwa Wan, Kln, HK