Dorsett Hospitality International is delighted to be bringing The Way We Dance, an Augmented Reality (AR) digital art performance piece, to Affordable Art Fair. Returning as the Exclusive Hotel Partner for Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong, Melbourne, London Battersea Autumn and Singapore for 2022, Dorsett Hospitality International has always believed in the power of art and technology to bring people together.
With a footprint of 54 hotels in 25 cities, Dorsett Hospitality International has supported the fight against Covid-19 from the very beginning looking after over half a million quarantine guests, medical workers and refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine. As a hotel group, we’ve been inspired by how our guests, colleagues, frontliners and people from all walks of life have danced through the rain, through all challenges together, and come out stronger on the other side.
This is what led Dorsett Hospitality International to partner with digital art and creative studio The Collective to create The Way We Dance – an Augmented Reality (AR) performance art piece, choreographed by Yuh Egami (with kind permission from the Hong Kong Ballet) and performed by students Jennie Chou and Lee Kok Liang from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.
Combining visual art, virtual space and technology, the dance has been brought to life via motion capture with each virtual dancer designed through the lens of artists from all over the world; each representing their own unique experiences of the pandemic.
Visitors who visit the Dorsett booth can watch the performance using an iPad – if they sign up as a Dorsett – Your Rewards member on-site, they will automatically be rewarded 10 points equivalent to USD10 to put towards their next holiday!
Behind the scenes: Yuh Egami with HKAPA dancers doing motion capture
The performance:
1. “AWAKE”
Synopsis: Caught up in ourselves, we took ‘ordinary’ and ‘usual’ for granted until that was all gone. We went through confusion and frustration, which ultimately led to self-reflection. Once we opened our heart to connect to the world again and feel others around us, we realise we are not alone.
Joseph Ellul: “I’ve tried to stay true to my artistic style by using complex and precise 2D elements to create a pattern that wraps around various parts of the virtual dancer’s body. Utilizing some organic, flowing designs that symbolize how cells in living things are interconnected. Black, dark blue, light blue, and white are four contrasting hues that I used to make my design bold and make certain parts of it stand out”
Bao: “The epidemic is like a journey for me to travel inside myself, from the initial helplessness and anxiety to slowly calming down and settling, and then experiencing self-reflection. Many different feelings and many aspects of me are intertwined. Just like the traditional Chinese saying: “hair is threads of trouble. The black flowers represent different emotions. They keep blooming, withering, and blooming again. The epidemic has made me observe this. It does not mean that the problem will just disappear, but at least I can accept and embrace myself.”
2. “PROGRESS”
Synopsis: During the pandemic, our perspective has widened and knowledge has grown. With this growing consciousness and hope, we all progress and thrive as a whole.
Jay Foster: “As we face the pandemic, I witness a growing global awareness of our incredible immune systems. This invisible and highly sophisticated inner world reveals itself through scientific literature and lived experience: informing my arts practise towards the creation of biomorphic forms. Rendered as a skin upon the avatar, I wish the audience to consider their miraculous and life-sustaining inner world, in the hope that we may reframe the pandemic as an opportunity for individual growth and prosperity.”
Zoie Lam: “In recent years, the entire world has been affected by the epidemic. Everyone cannot go out and travel to different places, this also limits the distance and communication between people, creating a huge missing gap. I hope that after the epidemic, everyone can resume travel as soon as possible and continue to experience the world with your soul. In this work, I painted some attractions of famous places around the world in my zlism architectural world, hoping to connect all parts of the world into one. Everyone can communicate in their own languages in the same place without any language barriers.”
Instagram-activated artwork: House of Joy and House of Dreams
When one door closes, another door opens. Dorsett Hospitality International’s booth, will also showcase House of Joy by Katrina Chuang and House of Dreams by Sunny Sun – two physical artworks on canvas which come to life through an AR Instagram Filter.
House of Joy by Katrina Chuang
House of Joy is an artwork of happy moments with a door representing limitless opportunities. Artist Katrina Chuang: “I took up a new habit in crocheting. When I’m just focused on crochet, it makes me forget the loneliness under the epidemic and my confusion about the future, allowing me to just fully enjoy the present moment.”
House of Dreams was inspired by artist Sunny Sun’s own personal experience: “During the epidemic, I immigrated to Taiwan on my own. I didn’t how difficult it would be to go back to visit and how far away it would seem! I often looked at the balcony of my home and dreamed that if Piggy (my cat) can come to me through this door to visit me, how great would this be.”
House of Dreams by Sunny Sun
Prints of these two art pieces will also be available for visitors to take home to colour and draw their own dreams before activating their own art piece using the Instagram filter!
The Way We Share AR Calendar
A series of 14 mini AR dance performances will be featured as part of Dorsett’s The Way We Share AR Advent Calendar created to celebrate the return of travel with Dorsett Hospitality International’s guests across the world.
In Hong Kong, where there is still a 7-day quarantine for travellers, the AR Advent Calendar will act as a companion to our guests during their quarantine with two surprise dance performances to be revealed every day. If anything, the pandemic has made us realise we are all connected. Thanks to technology, our guests will be able to enjoy this performance up-close no matter where they are in the world.
Each moment opens to reveal a QR code which will take our guests to the performance on Instagram where they can engage and interact with the dancers virtually.
About Dorsett Hospitality International
Dorsett Hospitality International is one of Asia’s fastest-growing hotel groups. As a Hong Kong hospitality brand, we are proud to have an international footprint in 25 major cities worldwide with a total of 54 properties with our strategic partners TWH and AGORA Hospitality, including Dorsett Hospitality International’s 4 core brands: Dorsett Hotels, Dao by Dorsett, d.Collection, and Silka, each with their own distinct identity and offerings to cater to diverse travel needs. Since the group’s establishment in Hong Kong in January 2007, we have grown by leaps and bounds with hotels across China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Continental Europe; more properties are planned in the development pipeline.
For more information on Dorsett Hospitality International, visit: www.dorsett.com
About Affordable Art Fair
The Affordable Art Fair has revolutionised and democratised the art market with its fun and accessible approach, bringing art under HK$100,000 to Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, as well as an online shop. Every fair offers something different, with a diverse range of local, national, and international galleries showcasing art in an array of styles. Pieces by household names sit alongside the latest emerging talent. The concept has become a global phenomenon with 13 fairs in 10 cities across several continents.
Discuss in Kanban. Scan the QR-code and join ArtThat Elites Club, then re-create with artists and take silk-screen handwork home!
