影行者
http://www.v-artivist.net

「把藝術還給人民,把人民還給藝術」

把影像藝術交到平民百姓手中,尤其是尋找本土的邊緣和消失的聲音,讓影像藝術回到本土的生活現場,這是影行者的重要工作目標。

藝術創作,是每個創作個體(或群體)發端於對週遭事物的感受,轉而成為內在的思考和重新組合,進而把這些內在過程透過各種媒體轉化成一件創作品。既是對週遭事物的感受,自然是與創作人自身的特性與其所身處的社會環境之間,所產生的磨擦或融合密不可分,而一位觀眾如何去欣賞或不欣賞這件創作,亦同樣存在於這一個社會空間,並受著某一個大環境的氣氛、文化、慣性思維所限制。沒有一個人不是在人群裡面(不關乎你是否願意)、在社會裡面成長,因此,我們相信,任何個人創作和觀賞藝術作品的態度/ 形式,都有其個人及社會的面向。也可以說,藝術本身所重視的新思維、新視角,正正是重新表述世界的形式,正是個人與他身處的世界嘗試介入的一種方式。

影行者持續的工作,包括有:

1. 舊區更新電視台﹕目的是結合探尋本土文化可持續發展與維護弱勢街坊權利;

2. 突擊報導:每年為當年內我們認為本土發生的重大的、在文化意義上有深遠影響的突發事件,作出特派的錄像報導、紀錄和創作。例如﹕紥鐵工友罷工的紀錄、皇 后清場事件等。在08-09年度,我 們的重點工作會是記錄政府在這兩個年頭,意欲實行廿三條之實況、以及濫用警察權力和法律權威來打擊異見份子等問題;

3. 研究土炮的攝影技術﹕讓貧窮拍攝者得以自製攝製工具作拍攝;

4.舉辦各種與影像有關的工作坊﹕為學校、基層團體、基層團體工作員、老師等朋友籌劃影像工作坊。當中,有些是基礎錄像課程,有些是主題性(如關於舊區、貧窮、戀愛、公民教育等等)的工作坊;

5. 香港社會運動電影節﹕電影節至2008年已是第六屆,與自治八樓合辦,以推廣世界各地有關社會議題的影片 。

V-activist
http://www.v-artivist.net

Give Art Back to the People; Give the People back to Art

As a social concern art group, our major obligations are to search for the image and sound of local marginal voice, take the art of video back to local daily life and bring art back to the ordinary people.

Artistic creation is actually the process through which individual re-thinks and re-articulates the feelings originated from surrounding environment. As the feelings are originated from surrounding environment, the relationship between collective mass and individual in term of conflicts or harmonics becomes inseparable. As for art appreciation, it is also an interpretative process with a given social and cultural aura, together with its creative possibility and its limitation.

All individuals are living in society (whether you like it or not), and are affected by such aura. Therefore, we believe that for anyone who creates or appreciates an art work, there exists the individual and the collective view. In other words, the emphasis of new perspective and new narration in the world of art creation and appreciation can be a path through which an individual tries to act and react in society. Art lives in society, like all of us.

Works of v-artivist are:
1. Operate “Old District Renewal” TV channel:
To search for the sustainability of local culture and defense citizens’ right of housing and community life;

2. Spontaneous Reporting:
Produces report-series, documentations and creative works per year for a selected controversial local issue, which we consider having substantial impacts to our society. For examples, film for the strike of bar-benders in 2007, the Queen's Pier event, etc.
This year, we concentrate on a series of political arrests and trials which are intruding our civil society.

3. Research for low-technology and inexpensive filming technique:
Cater poor/low-income film/video maker to produce art work.

4. To hold multi-purpose video workshops:
Organize workshops for secondary students, university students, teachers and social workers
Themes of workshops focus on community work, poverty, civil education, love, etc.

5. Hong Kong Social Movement Film Festival (SMFF):
SMFF has been held for 6 years with an increase in size of audience. It is co-organized with "Autonomous 8A", aiming to promote "social concern films", "grassroots video works" and "grassroots workers documentary films".