my fascination with neon continues. why i am drawn like a moth to these gaseous tubes of brilliance? these past couple days in HK alone have been a much needed respite. i am not so much a fan of group mentality, and spending a month as part of a group was trying. i can do it, i can play the part. but i have to separate myself and go wandering alone. it’s been suggested that i’m anti-social. hardly. i just refuse to place myself within a herd. moo. i think not.

 

spent a very nice afternoon wandering around the HK museum of art. not only was it a frigid slice of air conditioned heaven, the exhibits were some of the best i’ve seen. the traveling exhibit was relics of the etruscan period. breathtaking. was unable to photograph inside, but the images are emblazoned on my memory. the contemporary galleries blew my mind. a  ming dynasty meeting hall was recreated using human hair. the walls and ceiling had been constructed from gum arabic and human hair that had been collected over a decade, from all over the world. a very bizarre room to enter. the placard states: “ Hair is inseparable from our lives. Even when it is detached from the body, it still carries numerous memories that simply cannot be severed. Hair commands special symbolic meanings in many ethnicities. In the Chinese society, hair represents a respect for blood relation, and thus the saying, “Body, hair and skin are endowments from one’s parents.” when i walked into this hall made of hair, my skin got goose-pimply and i started breathing rapidly. the hair, the embodiment of so many people, living people, hanging over my head, surrounding me, at all angles, was almost too overpowering. plus, the hair had been used to create words, in all languages, on the ceiling and walls, calling out for universal love and understanding. i had to swallow my own throat over and over again as the gallery attendant slowly ushered me into the gallery. i was the only person in the room. alone, and surrounded by all these people. i choke up a little now as i write this. IT MOVED ME. this is what art is meant to do. evoke emotion and thought. i will never forget that room. ever.

 

then i got a swim in, then a nap, then a shower.

i love today.

 

tonight i pack and get my ass home in the morning.

 

see you soon, babe!!