On Sino-French collaboration setting the tone for the 26th Le French May

Exchanges between French and Chinese cultures have always been part of the DNA of Le French May. This year on one side we have collaborations between local and French artists, like the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong being led by a French conductor in Les Forains, Ballet Urbaine and the dialogue between the Hong Kong comedian Sony Chan and French writer-actor Lorant Deutsch in Paris. On another side there is the influence of Chinese art and culture on French works of art, as in The Painting on the Wall dance performance by Ballet Preljocaj.

We want Le French May to be a true blend of French culture adapted to the local art and audience. And since Hong Kong is so rich in great artists, why not make use of them to enrich our program?

On why The Painting on the Wall is a must-see

First, the love story it depicts, about a man falling in love with a painting, entering it and ultimately changing it is absolutely beautiful and fascinating. Second, Ballet Preljocaj, led by the very-talented Angelin Preljocaj, is one of the most renowned in the world. The result of this combination is a poetical yet energetic piece. The show promises to be a delight for the youngsters and adults alike!

On one of the most-anticipated shows of Le French May 2018, Chanson Musical's La Vie en Rose

This year's program is built around the idea of paying tributes to the greatest artists and their works. Edith Piaf is an icon of the French chanson, both in her country and worldwide. On top of the great songs of Piaf, beautifully interpreted by Anne Carrere, the show is also depicting part of her life: a complete flashback to mid-20th century Paris!

On bringing French pop art from the 1960s to Hong Kong

Not many people associate pop art with France in the 1960s and 70s. This was a period of deep transformation, social changes and physical emancipation. The art by this generation of artists, such as Arman, Niki de Saint Phalle, Yves Klein, Csar Baldaccini, Martial Raysse, is today considered iconic. They are marked by a quest for adventures and invention.

Our aim is to show the important contributions of these artists, who were in constant dialogue with major other creators in different parts of the world, and inspired the creation of a lot of contemporary art.

On presenting French Impressionist masterpieces through interactive multimedia experience

There are different levels of understanding and appreciating art. For example, if you visited the Claude Monet exhibition in Le French May 2016, you could have just stood in front of the paintings and admired them. Then you could also have gone a level deeper and tried to explore the idea of impressionism in the arts, and its impact later on photographs, cinema and the modern arts. So by interacting with the digital content a visitor can relate with the artwork, get a better idea of the technique of Monet. Of course you cannot become Monet but in a way you could. It's a value addition to the enjoyment of Monet which we try to bring to our audiences when we can.

I agree that putting an interactive installation in front of a Monet painting could be distracting. Ideally it should find it on your way out of the exhibition, perhaps something playful to help you digest a show of high art.

On the educational content in Le French May events

When it comes to shows such as baroque or medieval music, people do not always have the background information. It's important for us to put things back in context. We try to have the musicians and dancers give master-classes to artists and students in Hong Kong. We also try to do talks and lectures.

For example, it was necessary to contextualize The Royal Concert of the Night: the birth of the Sun King which opened last year's Le French May. The original concert was held to show the power of King Louis XIV when he was a leading figure in Europe. So an understanding of the mythology, history and politics behind the original event was necessary to get a sense of the theme. The director and musicians took part in a sharing session after the show.

For the Inventing le Louvre show last year, we designed a student pamphlet which helped guide them across the rooms, simulating the experience of visiting the original museum. Hong Kong school students were trained directly by the curators of the show to become docents.

On showing heritage buildings in a new light as part of the Lumieres Hong Kong festival

The buildings and sites we chose to illuminate all represent something generically Hong Kong, either architecturally or in terms of the memories related to Hong Kong's past. We wanted the content to be either made by local artists or artists from abroad expressing something about the city and its culture.

For example, the Anooki Shake Up Hong Kong piece (by Moetu Battle and David Passegand) projected against the wall of Hong Kong General Post Office used cartoon characters from French TV. The artists decided to include elements that make Hong Kong very unique in foreign eyes, so they used Chinese music with the drums, kung fu dancing, and Chinese calligraphy.

On the overwhelming response Lumieres Hong Kong generated

In most of the key locations we got a sizeable crowd. What we loved was the sight of the kids dancing, clapping and counting down at the Anooki show. Often people queued up for over an hour to be able to participate in The Light Keeper Dragon (by Benjamin Petit and Salvatore Barletta of Vendredi 4) show at the Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui. And I noticed a lot of cameras were pointed towards the artworks rather than people taking selfies. We hadn't expected that.

For Lumieres Hong Kong we wanted different levels of artworks, not just pieces that would entertain, rather those that invited viewers to think and ask questions. For example, one could just appreciate the beauty of a spectacular 9-meter glittering sculpture (Teddy Lo's Quintessence) in the Lan Kwai Fong amphitheater, or one could choose to exert a degree of control by instagramming, getting into the more geeky aspect of the experience. So we were not just presenting something cool and catchy but inviting the viewers to take some time on the exhibits, read, understand and meditate on.

Interviewed by Chitralekha Basu

(HK Edition 05/04/2018 page11)