Into the woods
The Zen zone
While the sheer scale and technical finesse of Treehugger boggle the mind, another nature-themed immersive installation shown in Hong Kong recently, seeks to create a meditative space for quiet contemplation. Solis Occasus (The setting sun), created by cross-disciplinary artist Wong Chi-yung, and presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, is a massive, semicircular, illuminated sculpture erected inside an otherwise dark theater. Once the audience members have found their feet — for the ground is covered with layers of minuscule pieces of cork — and settled down, a haunting tune (composed by An Ton That) begins to play. The installation, made from dry twigs piled up inside a crescent-shaped, metallic structure with a facade of vertical iron bars, is instantly turned into a screen with a panoramic view across which dark silhouettes of fish swim, ducks paddle, wild dogs roam and herds of elephants amble.
