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Food and Photography Can Mix |
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Food and Photography Can Mix |
Lan Kwei Fong is now a very popular "in" place for the yuppies in Hong Kong to spend their afternoons and evenings, and it becomes the centre of attraction in festivity period like the Halloween, the Christmas Eve, and the New Year's Eve.
Amongst all the popular bars and restaurants there, such as "The 1997" and "The Time Is Always Now", there is a very unique new one being opened on 15 December 1993 by the name of "F-Stop Bar & Restaurant" to catch up for the Christmas boom. From it's name our readers can probably guess that there is something to do with photography in this bar and restaurant. Right your are!
An exhibition entitled "New Perspectives" featuring recent photographic works of Hong Kong renown professional photographer Joseph Fung will be on from 15 December 1993 to 31 January 1994 in this bar and restaurant complex. On display at this exhibition are 12 pieces of recent photographic works embracing two media. Nine of them is Polaroid manipulation work. Ideas manoeuvre around the characteristics of the material and the intuitive response towards the environment photographed. In addition, two pieces of digital collage images, expressing in its format and media. Joseph will display a mural size bodygram, entitled "Fantasy No.1 ", a 50" x 80" size silver print using the artist himself as the model.
All exhibits except the mural bodygram are on sale at HK$3,000 per piece, with limited editions.
The lady behind the scene is Becky Cho, who had much involvement with HKIPP (Hong Kong Institute of Professional Photographers) in the past and hence knows all the professional photographers in Hong Kong. Becky is now helping F-Stop to procure works from local photographers and display them on the walls for sales.
This serves many purposes.
Customers will never become bored looking at the same décor along the walls all the year round as the works on display will be replaced fortnightly. The works can also create good topics for conversation for the visitors to the bar and the restaurant.
Those frequent visitors to Lan Kwei Fong who love photography can have a corner of their own. They can meet more new friends having a common interest there. And they can be benefited by exchange of information and experience over the photographic equipment. I do hope to see some local photo club members there when I next visit this place.
For the artists, they have a very ideal venue to exhibit their latest works to a more focused group of viewers for increased exposure. Some viewers can be art directors from the advertising companies who might be interested to let them handle the next assignment.
The exhibitors can also have an opportunity to sell their works to a very affluent group who has the disposable cash.
This is an excellent attempt to promote photography as an visual art to members of the public, particularly the contemporary works, which might not be easily accepted by an average viewer. Through frequent viewing, those seemingly "difficult to understand" pieces might gradually become "acceptable" pieces and finally from "acceptable" to "loveable". The disc jockeys should have a lot of experience on this.
The first professional photographer supporting this concept is my good friend Joseph Fung, a very well known figure in the arts circle in Hong Kong who needs no introduction. His involvement in photography extends from Hong Kong to China and Taiwan. He is a MFA (Master of Fine Arts) from USA, and has spent some time in San Francisco and LA to find out how to build up electronic imaging in the tertiary institution's curriculum. He is now lecturing design degree course in Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
According to Becky, Joseph's works "New Perspectives" are particularly suitable for the F-Stop environment. Whenever Becky is behind a project, you can be sure that it should be an event well worth your while to attend.
The F-Stop is a very unique place to visit. The bar is on the ground floor, which is a nice spot to meet friends who love photography for a drink before going home. A spiral flight of staircases leads to the small restaurant on the cockloft, where you can dine with a lot of privacy, whilst looking at the works of art displayed along the walls.
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