Arts Thread

Chloe’s project takes the Cantonese ‘Ballad of Sighs’ as an entry point, to explore the maritime history of Hong Kong through the lens of a nomadic group of fishermen. A city known for its past as a fishing village, Ballads of Sighs carries stories about the sea’s scenery, the variety of fishes; stories about life & death, through tones that alternate in repetition, synchronising with the ocean waves. Unique to the sea dwellers, this genre of music is passed down from one generation to the next, but as fewer follow the ancestral path of fishermen, the music finds fewer and fewer listeners today. From Sampan (fishing boat dwellings), and shipyard factories, to typhoon shelters; Chloe seeks ways to connect, revisit and reactivate pieces of the fading history and culture of the city. Chloe explores sea burial as a more environmentally-conscious alternative to traditional burial methods, as well as a way of honouring the natural cycles of life and death, where all living things eventually return to nature. The ritual walk through her architecture gathers a community of listeners, whose togetherness provides a space of mourning, remembrance and healing.