#FIRSTLOOK: NUIT BLANCHE INSTALLATION “DIM SUM WITHOUT BORDERS”

“Dim Sum without Distance” is an artistic exploration that celebrates the transformative effect of cultural exchange and profound connections between Eastern and Western traditions. Through the culinary art of dim sum – which means to ‘touch the heart’ in Chinese – two artists from distant cities form an artistic bond that traverses physical and cultural divides. A collaboration between Canadian dance artist Lauren Runions and internationally renowned Hong Kong artist HUNG Keung, known for his interactive installations that integrate digital new media with classical Chinese themes, Dim Sum Without Distance will be presented at Nuit Blanche from October 5 & 6 at Love Park (96 Queens Quay West).

Dim Sum Without Distance invites audiences into a sensory odyssey where art, culture, and cuisine converge to create a tantalizing feast for the senses. The installation will feature five large-scale LED monitors placed in and around the iconic heart-shaped pond in downtown Toronto. Each screen offers a unique perspective, interweaving the disciplines of traditional Chinese landscape painting, video, dance and performance art with the universal language of food in a visually stunning narrative.

Hung Keung had invited Lauren Runions to embark on a transformative journey to travel to Hong Kong for her first time. There, she immersed herself in the multi-sensory world of dim sum and learned from a master in the culinary craft. These experiences inspired her to create a series of performance pieces incorporating the backdrop of Hong Kong’s beautiful interiors and exterior landscapes. Captured through the innovative lens of Hung, the result is a mesmerizing visual narrative that dim sum is more than a mere sustenance for the body, but nourishment for the soul.

Dim Sum Without Distance will be part of Nuit Blanche Toronto’s free all-night celebration of contemporary art that transforms and animates public spaces into extraordinary art throughout the city. This year’s theme, “Bridging Distance,” is exemplified by the cross-cultural art collaboration between Hung and Runions that defies geographical boundaries and brings together the vibrant cultural connections between Hong Kong and Toronto.

To celebrate Dim Sum Without Distance at Nuit Blanche, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is giving away a Trip for Two to Hong Kong during Arts Month in March. To enter, simply scan the QR Code on the Dim Sum installation screens at Love Park. The lucky winner will receive (2) round-trip flights to Hong Kong aboard Cathay Pacific Airlines, four-night hotel accommodation, and access to various museums and art experiences during Arts Month in Hong Kong.

Dim Sum Without Distance at Nuit Blanche Toronto
October 5 – 6, 2024
Love Park, 96 Queens Quay West

Artwork by HUNG Keung (Hong Kong)
Created by: HK + imhk lab (Hong Kong)
Collaborative with: Lauren Runions (Canada)
Exhibition Curator: Laura Nanni (Canada)

About the Artists

HUNG Keung is an award-winning digital media artist and professor at The Education University of Hong Kong. He blends Chinese philosophy with digital media in innovative practice incorporating interactive performance and experimental art. As founder of the IMHK LAB, he explores how traditional Chinese art intersects with modern technology and contemporary art practices. Among his accolades, Hung has been twice honoured with the Artist of the Year (Media Art) by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC), and received the Achievement Award from the Hong Kong Museum of Art for the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial.

Lauren Runions, a Toronto and Halifax-based dance artist, and leader of I/O Movement, a contemporary dance project that combines site-specific choreography with community engagement, exploring movement as a spatial and reciprocal practice. Lauren’s innovative approach uses score-reading and score-writing to expand improvisation and interactions with material, raising awareness with both urban and natural environments. Lauren has installed site-specific work for MOCA (Toronto) and Nuit Blanche 2022.

2012 SCOTIABANK NUIT BLANCHE

As a reminder, the seventh annual Scotiabank Nuit Blanche takes place in Toronto tonight from 7:03 PM to Sunrise.  The free Contemporary Art Event divides the City into three zones with 150 Exhibits.   As usual, to accommodate Commuters, there will be all-night Subway Service.  Details here.

I loved these Vertical Constructions named Dancer #1 and Dancer #2, dangling at Eaton Centre.  Artist Max Streicher made these Sculptures out of Vinyl from old Billboards – quite a few Disney ones I might add. “Before I cut them up and reassembled them, this printed material was telling us how to look, what to wear and so on. Now they are just part of the dance”, he explains on Scotiabank Nuit Blanche‘s Website.

Start planning your night here.  Have fun!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)