Tsuen Wan Nan Fung The Mills | "MusiCLAY Days" concludes with a music performance, art workshops, and interactive art installations. Experience mud jams, listen to mud, and play with mud together!

Description

The "MusiCLAY" exhibition tour, organized by "Artistic Vision" under St. James' Settlement Rehabilitation Services, will culminate in a grand finale, "Music Ceramics Day," at the Nan Fung Textile Factory from November 14th to 16th, 2025, marking a brilliant conclusion to the third chapter of the cross-disciplinary community art project, "Our Story." This public-facing community art extravaganza blends ceramics and music, using ceramic instruments, percussion rhythms, and pop music to realize the creative concept of "visible sound, audible ceramics," inviting the public to "Play Music, Play Clay," co-creating art with their hands and senses, and experiencing how creation flows within the community and resonates in everyday life.

The event features five highlights: a hands-on Clay Jamming pottery sculpting experience, a rhythmic ceramic percussion workshop, highly interactive art installations, a closing performance by the local band The Hertz, and an exhibition reviewing the entire creative process of the MusiCLAY project. Whether you're an art enthusiast, a local resident, or a beginner to pottery, you'll find your own rhythm and inspiration at this event.

St. James' Settlement Rehabilitation Services Senior Manager Zhang Wenying stated, "'Master' is not just a title; it's a proud symbol of identity for pottery creators—representing their choice to create with their own hands, sharing their ideas and dreams. 25 years ago, based on the choices of rehabilitated individuals, we opened a creative space, planting the seeds of art, allowing today's 'Masters' to encounter the opportunity and choose to create."

Event Highlights | Five Sensory Experiences: A Symphony of Ceramics and Music

Highlight 1: Clay Jamming Experience

"Artistic Vision" pottery creator "Fu Zai" will personally lead a large-scale clay sculpting experience, inviting the public to participate in a unique "Clay Relay Creation Marathon."

An open creation area will be set up on-site, welcoming friends of the same age and background to join and create at any time. Each participant's work can be displayed on-site, encouraging improvisation and exchange, transforming creation from a personal expression into a collaborative community journey—"Clay Jam, Clay Listening, Clay Playing Together!" The event is expected to attract over 1,000 participants, who can personally sculpt and knead clay, exploring the possibilities of texture and creation.

Highlight Two: Ceramic Percussion Workshop

The exhibition will showcase over 100 ceramic musical instruments created collaboratively by "Fu Zai," artists, and community participants, assembled into an installation titled "100 Sounds of Ceramic." Each piece embodies the creator's story and emotions. These instruments are not only for viewing but also for playing, allowing visitors to experience firsthand "striking the sound of ceramic."

In addition, the exhibition features a free "Ceramic Music Experience Workshop," where artists will teach the basic rhythms and playing techniques of ceramic percussion, allowing participants to understand the manufacturing process and sound characteristics of ceramic instruments.

Highlight Three: Closing Music Performance

The closing music performance will be held on November 16th at 4 PM, featuring a live performance by the local indie band The Hertz, a group of artists, and "Fu Zai," using ceramic instruments and mixed media to bring the exhibition to a moving close.

The Hertz, known for their diverse musical styles and down-to-earth compositions, plans to produce an original song, "I Want," which will be released on music streaming platforms, transcending geographical boundaries and allowing the melody of ceramics to resonate within the community. This creation is inspired by their daily life and emotional exchanges with

"Fu Zai," aiming to create a sincere, simple, and catchy melody that showcases the plasticity and musical expressiveness of ceramic instruments, allowing the works of "Ceramic MusiCLAY" to be transformed, disseminated, and extended.

This exchange has also inspired the band's creative direction, hoping that the songs will be catchy, easy to remember, and possess the power to touch people's hearts, allowing anyone to sing along and feel the emotions within. The process of working with "Fu Zai" allowed the creative team to rethink the meaning of "purity" and "joy," gaining profound reflection and inspiration.

Herman, lead singer of The Hertz, stated, "《I Want》 is a song that sings of everyone's inner desires and courage—

—to embark on one's own path, to be understood, and to leave footprints in life. Every teacher deserves to be cherished, and every hand can create its own brilliance. We meet here, appreciating and walking together through creativity and action, connecting our diverse teachers into a vast and beautiful world."

The three final performances will blend music, ceramics, and lighting elements, allowing the audience to experience the crossover charm of ceramics and music, and to hear the stories of the community and witness the power of creation through sound and light.

Highlight Four: Ceramic Instruments x Interactive Art Installation

Ceramic musical instruments intertwine in the exhibition to create a sensory symphony, blending sound, light, and space to explore the sonic potential of clay and the narrative power of installation. Woodcraft artist Lin Chi, with over forty years of experience, has collaborated with "Art Imagination" for many years. This time, he also serves as the installation artist, infusing his work with structure and soul. The design emphasizes interactivity and, in conjunction with the touring exhibition venue, transforms his creations into tangible, audible, and sensory art spaces.

In "Sounds of Nature," "Fu Zai" collaborates with artist Zhang Qixin, using softness and fluidity as the main themes. Lin Chi erects a wooden boat with a rotating water flow mechanism, allowing water to gently lap against the ceramic, producing sounds like whispers in the breeze, slowly flowing through the space. The work captures the sounds of wind, flowers, birds, and the moon through ceramic, storing them on the boat, showcasing the tranquil poetry of nature. Crescent-shaped willow branches suspend "Ode to the Wind" high, resembling ceramic flowers blooming on branches; the wooden boat carries the flowing water, harmonizing with "Ode to Flowers," forming a flowing installation that blends sound, light, and movement, inviting viewers to listen, feel, and imagine between ceramic and nature.

*Electric Ceramic Universe: The Magic Mirror*, a collaborative work by Chen Yi-yun, Lin Chien-lin, and "Fu Tsai," blends elements of a retro radio and a magic mirror, combining ceramics with an electronic sound and light system to create a multi-sensory installation full of detail and inviting contemplation. Viewers can activate the system with a button to view the magic mirror and glimpse a corner of this ceramic city. This miniature world embodies the artists' and "Fu Tsai's" imagination and experience of art and the environment.

*The Two Beats of Ceramic* draws inspiration from the rhythms of pop music and video games. Ceramic artist "Fu Tsai" created emotionally resonant ceramic musical instruments, while music director Fan Li-hua composed a unique ceramic rhythm, cleverly fusing sound and ceramics. The work is a fluid, playful musical art installation where ceramics are no longer merely a carrier of visuals and light, but an interactive medium for creating rhythm and sound. This innovative concept combines playfulness and visual appeal, inviting viewers to rediscover the infinite possibilities of ceramics in a relaxed and fun way. Every touch and sound is an impromptu symphony performed by you and the ceramics.

Highlight Five: A Review of the Community Art Project

Since 2017, St. James' Settlement's "Artistic Vision" has been promoting a community art project centered on ceramic artist "Fu Zai." Through creation, the project aims to build confidence, express ideas, and connect with the community. Over the years, the project has invited local and international artists to participate, promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration. In 2021, it received the Hong Kong Arts Development Award for Arts Promotion, recognizing its contributions to art popularization and innovation.

The sub-project "MusiCLAY," launched in 2024, further expanded the boundaries of creation. Thirteen artists, including "Fu Zai," collaborated with creators in music, performing arts, and other fields to produce ceramic musical instruments, which were then exhibited in 12 communities, accumulating over 100,000 visitors. The exhibition included interactive installations and on-site workshops, allowing the public to participate personally and promoting exchange and understanding.

As ceramics consultant Luo Shilian stated, "In the process of creating, appreciating, and sharing, art teaches us to respect each other." This is precisely the belief that "Artistic Vision" has always held: to make creation not just a work of art, but a bridge for understanding and connection between people. In the future, "Artistic Vision" will continue to be community-based, promoting innovative and cross-disciplinary art practices, allowing everyone to find their place and strength in creation.

Participants in the touring event commented, "This project allows people to rediscover beauty in daily life and feel the power of creation. We appreciate the creativity and perseverance of 'Master Boy,' and support collaboration between artists and people with disabilities, exploring the infinite possibilities of art."

Through this exhibition and sharing, "Artistic Vision" hopes to further promote public awareness and participation in community art, encouraging more people to connect with the community through art and create a better future for everyone.

Headlining Music Performance (Sunday, November 16th, 4 PM to 5 PM)

> Fan Lai Wa (Percussionist)

> Chan Yat Wan (Lighting Artist)

> Lam Kin Lam (Sound Artist)

> The Hertz (Local Indie Band)

Artistic Vision "Fu Zai"