“Illuminated puppetry is not something that is often done in Hong Kong and so when we decided to create the city’s very first night parade of illuminated artworks, we knew we needed expert help. We scoured the globe and were thrilled to find The Lantern Company. Over the summer, The Lantern Company ran a workshop series with our local Hong Kong artists, where they exchanged valuable techniques and tips in a mutually stimulating environment. They then created three spectacular gigantic puppets and a pair of beautiful costumes for our big Standard Chartered Arts in the Park day and night parades. Their re-interpretation of masterpieces by Miró, Magritte and Dalí’s works were stunning – crowds descended upon Causeway Bay to be inspired by our parades! Thanks to The Lantern Company, we look forward to collaborating more in the future”
Anca Chung, Marketing Manager, HKYAF
We were very excited to head to Hong Kong, to animate the streets with our brand new illuminated giant puppets and carnival costume at the spectacular ‘Standard Chartered Arts in the Park Mardi Gras’. which was hosted Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 November 2013 at Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, in the heart of Hong Kong. The theme was ‘Gallery in Motion’, which celebrates 5 of the greatest art movements in history.
The Night Parade took place on Saturday 16 November, 8.30pm – 9.30pm. The parade featured giant lit artworks made by the Lantern Company and others made by local artists, following the masterclasses led by Lantern Co artists Eilidh Bryan and Carly Mackay with HKYAF’s artists in August. The parade led through the streets of Causeway Bay and drew crowds of 100,000. The project is organised by Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, who commissioned us to make 5 brand new giant illuminated puppets and costumes especially for the event.
Designed by Jo Pocock and Kevin Pollard, the new costumes and puppets were made by a team including Jo, Kevin, Eilidh Bryan, Carly Mackay and illuminated by Jack Sweeney. We spent 3 months on the work, and estimate that around 5,000 led light bulbs and over 1,200 hours of work have gone into the artwork!
Webpage and Facebook for Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation:
Webpage: http://www.hkyaf.com/projects/ArtsInThePlaza/2013/AIP2013Night/eng/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hkyaf
Eilidh Bryan, Jackie Swanson, Carly Mackay, Gavin Lewery and Tony Cairns were the team of 5 who puppeteered and performed in the parade.
