By Jessica Wan
Much like gazing at the night sky during the new moon in minimal light, Ling Pui Sze’s works capture ever-evolving textures and organic forms, evoking a sense of tranquility and boundlessness. Inspired by her personal medical experiences and a deep connection to nature, Ling employs experimental ink techniques and collages to create videos, sculptural installations and works on paper. Her intuitive approach to arranging collected images of nature transfigures creatures and landscapes into abstract representations that recall both the familiar and distant. Ling embraces and reconstructs the incidental organic through an iterative process, reflecting on the interconnectedness of various life forms.
To further explore the interplay between biological traits and the evolution of human society, Ling has participated in several artist residencies, including ones supported by Haohaus in Taiwan in 2015 and Listhus Artspace in Iceland in 2018. From July to December 2023, she undertook an artist-in-residence programme at Robinson College, part of Cambridge University, with Artecal Foundation. Her latest work, White Mirror 2, is on view until 9 March at the group exhibition Living Paper at Galerie du Monde in Central. Curated by Olivia Wang, the show highlights innovative explorations by 10 different artists across generations and locations who engage with the materiality of paper.
Jessica Wan: How did you start your research at Cambridge? Ling Pui Sze: After arriving in the UK for the first time, I discovered a community of Hong Kong diaspora artists and scientists actively engaging in the art scene there. I started visiting them, sharing details about my project and proposing collaborative ideas. Their positive responses and willingness to connect me with diverse networks opened up new opportunities. Through these connections, I was introduced to friends who were either graduating in or studying biology at various universities. I had the chance to meet committee members and the president of the British Society for Cell Biology. Furthermore, I visited the Biology and Pharmacology departments at the University of Huddersfield, and the Zoology and Biochemistry departments at the University of Cambridge. This process allowed me to gradually broaden my network and engage with scientists across London, Huddersfield and Cambridge, facilitating my research development.
JW: Who else have you met? How have these interactions with curators and scientists influenced your practice? LPZ: I’ve had the privilege of meeting various museum curators, including Natasha McEnroe at the Science Museum and Janice Li at the Wellcome Collection. In Hong Kong, the development of art-science collaborations is rare. In the UK, however, I’ve visited exhibitions and collections centred around the intersection of biology and art. This exposure has been enlightening, providing me with valuable insights into the curatorial process and exhibition dynamics. I plan to continue the conversation with these professionals and develop future collaborations.
Moreover, I’ve had the opportunity to meet scientists in Cambridge who generously allowed me access to their laboratories. For the first time, I used an electron microscope to produce detailed surface images of various creatures. Before, my collection of microscopic images was based on online sources. Now that I’ve learned to operate microscopes first hand, this experience will provide a more original and hands-on approach to my artistic process.
JW: How have you recently developed your Reactionary series, a visual diary capturing your daily life since 2016? LPZ: I keep working on this series from time to time. The experimental nature of these images enables me to take bolder steps in selecting diverse materials and employing various collage techniques to express my sentiments about daily life. During my [Cambridge] residency, I explored different paper types and incorporated more watercolours. This series has no predefined concepts, affording me the freedom and openness to create several new works.
JW: Mirroring the multifaceted nature of your visual collages, the Experimental Ink workshop you hosted at Robinson College presented a continuously changing series of images gathered through an array of devices like microscopes, satellites and scanners. How does the convergence of art, biology and social development shape your creative process and influence your work? LPZ: I have conducted a few experimental ink workshops in Hong Kong, and this marks the second occasion when I have done so in another country. The workshop is open to the public, with no age restrictions. It brings me immense joy to witness participants using their creativity and discovering new approaches to making collage works with the techniques and materials I provide.
This process mirrors how I start my collage work, immersing myself in textures and imagination to capture emerging patterns, colours and sounds. Similar to playing jazz, there is no correct or standard method for creating freestyle collages. It involves continuous improvisation, shaping and forming on canvas, letting go of the need to control every aspect of your artwork, and allowing it to find its direction. This process of exploration and discovery, allowing the artwork to evolve organically, resembles forms in the natural world.
JW: Nature is core to your practice. How have you found Cambridge and the UK to be distinctive compared to Hong Kong? LPZ: One of the most noticeable differences I’ve observed between Hong Kong and the UK is the water. I became particularly fascinated by the variation in water in the UK. Initially, I wasn’t accustomed to drinking tap water in the UK. However, my perspective shifted when I visited Scotland. I discovered that the water’s colour changes based on the region and location. This colour variation is an intriguing aspect that I wish to incorporate into my ink-based work.
For example, I am interested in collecting limescale to develop a new series of works. Besides, I find the terminology used to describe water types, such as “hard water” and “soft water”, quite poetic. This has sparked my curiosity, and I want to delve deeper into understanding how these terms were coined and why they are associated with different types of water.
Courtesy the artist.
JW: In what way does your latest work relate to your continuous exploration of organic forms and the progression of human society? LPZ: I am showcasing two works in the group exhibition Living Paper: Solaris and White Mirror 2, with the latter being a revised version [of White Mirror 1]. The inspiration for Solaris is rooted in my experiences of witnessing the unique challenges people face when dealing with memories: distortion and selective consolidation. This series draws parallels to the reproduction of barnacles on rails and sea tortoises that become inseparable from their surfaces over time, akin to the enduring nature of memories that persist if we dwell on them incessantly.The creation takes the visual form of something one wishes to tear apart but clings to stubbornly, much like a persistent gum [connecting] two worlds. This narrative delves into how specific memories become deeply ingrained and distorted in one’s mind. In collaboration with Olivia Wang, the curator for the exhibition, we envisioned a dedicated room, like a space inside one’s mind, to host Solaris.
White Mirror 2’s inception dates back to 2022, when I began collecting images of my cells. Under the microscope, magnifying minuscule details revealed a profound complexity that responded to the fragmented nature of self-perception and identity. So I decided to create a celestial galaxy using images of different parts of my body, as a self-reflection process. As I extract various elements from daily life, the loop signifies a continuous cycle of time, with the centre of it left in white. The white conveys my desire to empty my mind at the end of each day, inviting new perspectives into my life. Using washi paper, I engage in the deliberate act of tearing and repairing the fibres, which are tightly interwoven. This meticulous process demands considerable time. The act of tearing and sticking serves as both a meditative process and a means to solidify my thoughts.
These two works invite reflections on the intensified sense of the present and staying grounded amid the myriad uncertainties that impact our emotions and exert pressures in daily life. It’s a gentle nudge to recognise that there are more things to come, and we are merely a tiny fragment in the grandeur of the cosmos.
Featured image: Solaris by Ling Pui Sze, Bamboo sticks, plastic stick, steel wire, aluminum foil, paper, xuan paper, site-specific installation, 45-part work, dimensions variable, 2019-23.Courtesy the artist and Galerie du Monde.
凌佩詩的作品捕捉不斷演變的質感和有機形態，營造出一抹靜謐無垠，仿如新月晚上燈光淡薄時仰望夜空。凌氏受自身醫療經歷啟發，結合與大自然密不可分的連繫，利用實驗水墨和拼貼技巧來創作短片、雕塑裝置，還有畫在紙上的作品。她以直覺的方式把從自然收集的圖像，把生物和風景轉化為既熟悉又陌生的抽象呈現。在反覆推敲的過程中，淩氏擁抱和重構許多偶然而成的有機視覺創作，反思不同生物形態千絲萬縷的關係。
為進一步探討生物特徵和人類社會進化之間如何交錯互動，凌氏先後於2015和2016年參與了台灣和冰島的藝術家駐場計劃，前者由好思當代空間主辦，後者則由Listhus Artsspace支持。2023年7月至12月期間，她參與了Artecal Foundation支持的劍橋大學羅賓森學院藝術家駐場計劃。她的最新作品《白鏡2》正於中環世界畫廊的群展「活展」中展出，展期至3月9日。展覽由汪鈴策展， 10位不同年代、不同地域的藝術家，在作品表達對紙張特質的各種巧思。
Jessica Wan: 你在劍橋的研究是如何開始的？凌佩詩：首次踏足英國時，我發現當地有一個匯聚香港藝術家和科學家的僑民社群，在英國藝壇頗為活躍。我開始拜訪他們，分享自己的項目細節和提出各種合作意念。他們的回應非常正面，而且很樂意將我與不同網絡聯繫起來，開拓了很多新機會，於是我認識了正於不同大學就讀和準備畢業的朋友，更有機會與英國細胞生物學學會的委員會成員和主席會面。另外，我還拜訪了哈德斯菲爾德大學的生物學和藥理學學系，以及劍橋大學的動物學和生物化學學系。我的人脈也逐漸擴大，分別接觸了倫敦、哈德斯菲爾德和劍橋的科學家，促成了我的研究發展。
JW: 你還遇到了哪些人？這些與策展人和科學家的互動，怎樣影響你的藝術實踐？凌佩詩：我有幸與多家博物館的策展人會面，包括科學博物館的Natasha McEnroe和Wellcome Collection的Janice Li。藝術與科學合作的發展，在香港可以說非常罕見。然而，我在英國卻接觸到很多以生物學和藝術交匯為主題的展覽和藏品，令我大受啟發，也對策展過程和展覽互動生態增長了寶貴的知識。我打算繼續與這些專業人士保持對話，在未來發展更多合作。
此外，我也有機會與很多劍橋科學家會面，他們不吝賜教，讓我進入實驗室參觀。我就是在這裡第一次用到電子顯微鏡來創作不同生物的細緻表面圖像。此前，我的顯微圖像都只是參考網上資料。現在我親身學習了如何操作顯微鏡，有了親力親為的體會，相信將會為創作過程帶來更多原創性。
JW: 你的「反作用」視覺日記系列，自2016年以來便紀錄著你的日常生活，最近有什麼新發展？凌佩詩：我不時都會為這個系列創作。這些圖像本質上是實驗性的，我可以更大膽地選擇形形色色的物料，也會運用不同的拼貼技巧來表達我對日常生活的情感。我在劍橋留駐時，探索了不同的紙張種類，也採用更多水彩。這個系列本身沒有預設概念，所以我有更大自由，懷著更開放的心來創作幾件新作品。
JW: 你的視覺拼貼是多面向的，你在羅賓森學院主持的實驗水墨工作坊也反影了這種特質，呈現了一系列持續改變的圖像，而這些圖像都是從顯微鏡、衛星和掃瞄器等裝置收集而來的。藝術、生物學與社會發展這種融合，如何塑造你的創作過程和作品？凌佩詩：我在香港也辦過幾次實驗水墨工作坊，而這是我第二次在另一個國家舉行同類活動。工作坊是向公眾開放的，不設年齡限制。親眼看到參加者透過我提供的技巧和材料來發揮創意，發掘各種新方式來創作拼貼作品，令我感到無比快樂。
過程就如我最初開始創作拼貼作品時，完全沉浸於材質和想像之中，竭力捕捉各種變化萬千的圖案、色彩和聲音。創作自由風格的拼貼畫好像爵士樂一樣，並沒有正確或標準的方法，而是要不斷即興地在畫布上創造成形，要放開執著，不要強求控制藝術品每一個細節，讓作品尋找自己的方向。這種探索與發現的過程，讓藝術創作有機演進，就如大自然裡各種形態一樣。
JW：大自然是你藝術實踐的核心。你認為劍橋和英國對比於香港，有哪些獨特之處？凌佩詩：香港和英國其中一個最明顯的分別，就是水。英國各地的水都有點不一樣，令我著迷。初到該國時，我不太習慣直接飲用水喉水的做法。然而，到訪蘇格蘭令我改觀。我發現水的顏色會因應地區和地點而改變，這種顏色變化非常有趣，我很希望能把這些變化融入水墨作品中。
例如，我有意收集水垢來發展另一個系列的作品。另外，「硬水」、「軟水」等形容水的術語也有本身的詩意，引發了我的好奇。我希望可以更深入為這些用語溯源，了解它們為什麼與不同種類的水關聯起來。
JW：你不斷探索有機形態與人類社會進步的關係，這個方向與你的最新作品有什麼關係嗎？凌佩詩：我在群展「活紙」中展出《Solaris》和《白鏡2》兩件作品，後者是《白鏡1》的延續。《Solaris》 的概念源自我的自身經歷，我目睹了人們在處理記憶時，往往會出現扭曲失真和選擇性的整合。這個系列借助藤壺在路軌又或海龜上繁衍作對比，隨著時間流逝，最後與表面形成一體，就如若我們不斷思索某段記憶，記憶便揮之不去。創作的視覺形態，來自一些我們想擺脫但卻死守的事物，就像一直黏連著兩個世界的香口膠一樣。論述深入探討特有的回憶如何刻在腦中、怎樣在心內變形。我和策展人合作，屬意把《Solaris》放在專屬的房間，以它來比喻人腦中的空間。
《白鏡2》的緣起要追溯到2022年，當時我開始收集自己細胞的圖像。在顯微鏡下，放大微細不過的細節能顯現出深不可測的複雜性，回應著自我感知和個人身份割裂零碎的本質。所以我決定以自己身體不同部份的細胞來創作一個銀河天體，以作為自我反思的過程。我在日常生活中擷取不同元素，這個循環不斷的過程象徵著時間周而復始，中心處以留白處理。留白的地方代表我每天都希望讓自己放空，邀請新視覺加入生活。和紙的纖維緊扣交織，我肆意撕開和修補這種材料，整個過程精密細緻，要花上相當長的時間。撕扯和拼貼既是冥想過程，也是鞏固思想的方法。
這兩件作品叫人反思越來越強的當下感，並提醒我們保持堅定，從而好好處理影響情緒和加劇日常壓力的不確定性，囑咐自己未來將有更多事情發生，而此刻僅是浩瀚宇宙中短暫不過的剎那。