My portfolio, musings, amusing(s - that a word? No? K.) and more. Photoshoots over the years, behind the scenes anecdotes, some awesome celebrity encounters (some horrific ones too!). 21 years+ as a journalist in Hong Kong - that's a lot of verbal diarr... um... discourse!
A remarkable showcase offering an immersive exploration of the dualities of human experience, ‘Eros/Thanatos’ delves into the intricate dance between desire (Eros) and death (Thanatos) through diverse artistic mediums. A sequel to the recent success of ‘Corpus - Three Millennia of the Human Body’, which captivated audiences, this exhibition positions Sotheby’s Maison (@sothebys) as the talk of the town, an epicentre of cultural engagement in the region.
Friday Flashback: This was once the most read interview and feature with Tom Purves, who served as the chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd from July 2008 until 2010, after a long career leading BMW operation in North America. I flew to Singapore to conduct the interview during the car launch and flew back. Glory days when media had... budget!
Why today? I was at the dentist and rifling through a magazine and found this article.... and the interview was by me!! He was great chat. I've stated this several times, my features are as good as the subject and person I'm interviewing. I always credit the speaker more than my... typing.
Just before I walked into a private business conference room to meet one of the most powerful and certainly most enigmatic figures in the automotive world — even before the other gathered VIPs — I caught a sneak peek of the new Rolls-Royce 200EX. In a grand ballroom, images of the new wonder car were being hoisted by four men carrying huge canvases bearing beautiful photographs of the sleek new machine. They were taking them to the room prior to the event and grunted, huffed and puffed their way across the Capella resort in Singapore, adding the finishing touches to the venue in the private rooms that would later be revealed to the media and the teeming car dealers. Seeing that briefly put into perspective the grand efforts that have gone on behind the scenes to launch a new car.
The new Rolls-Royce succeeds the Phantom Coupé, which did great business and was well received by the finest collectors and automotive media scribes. So when most people in the industry received invitations to see an even newer model within months, we cocked an eyebrow in surprise. We were told repeatedly that it is not a better or newer version, merely a sister car, part of the family of Rolls-Royce models.
Even before the unveiling, it was safe to say the car would be great. Rolls-Royce’s legend is bigger than the car itself, and rightfully so. But it was the timing that raised questions. Since last November, even the wealthiest people in the world have tightened their belts and purse strings as the words “economic downturn”, “Madoff”, “recession” and “depression” have become part of everyday vernacular. Let us not forget that a Rolls-Royce, whatever the model, shape, size or vintage, does not come cheap. As Jerry Garrett of The New York Times once said of one of Rolls-Royce’s previous, younger, less expensive models: “Money talks, and ‘Drophead Coupé’ is a US$407,000 way to say ‘convertible’.”
Unlike other luxury cars such as a Porsche, BMW, Bentley or the stretch limousines that litter Hollywood, a Rolls-Royce is for the collector of collectors, the über-wealthy, the truly famous and fortunate — certainly not for the nouveau riche. No matter how new the model or how techno-savvy, sinewy and sophisticated it may be, Rolls-Royce is patronised by classic, old-moneyed people with a refinement and sophistication that comes from heritage, lineage and, perhaps most notably, power.
So how will this car be received in China? As we go to press we do not yet know, as the 200EX, the latest experimental car from Rolls-Royce, was presented at the Auto Shanghai show on 20 April 2009. It is a contemporary four-door saloon that indicates the direction for the RR4, a new model series from Rolls-Royce due for production in 2010.
According to the press release: “RR4 will be powered by a brand-new 6.6-litre turbocharged V12 engine unique to Rolls-Royce. The engine will be combined with an eight-speed automatic ZF gearbox. This new drivetrain will significantly improve fuel and CO₂ efficiency over the already class-leading Phantom series of cars. Engine power will be upwards of 500 bhp.”
Prior to that event in mainland China, correspondents from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Japan and Hong Kong were invited to Singapore to preview the 200EX. Given its significance, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ CEO Tom Purves and the chief exterior designer Marc Michael Markefka flew in to host the event.
As we sit down for a chat, I ask the newly appointed CEO Tom Purves (previously Chairman and CEO of BMW (US) Holding Corp. and President of BMW of North America, LLC) about the challenges of launching a new luxury car in this market, and whether any dramatic changes were made or budgets reconsidered.
He says: “The fact of the matter is, a project like designing a new model for Rolls-Royce has been in the making for years. The design, the execution and the construction have been progressing for much longer than the current economic climate, so the short answer is no. No changes. We went ahead as planned.”
Experimental models have always played a significant role in the history of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, from the first — 1EX, built in 1919 — to the most recent — 101EX, built in 2006. Unlike a concept car, the experimental models developed by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars have always been fully functioning vehicles, residing in a tangible world of wood, leather and metals rather than clay and foam. EX cars offer designers and engineers the opportunity for real-world innovation and have been used to showcase new components and engineering techniques as well as exterior and interior designs.
“Modern automotive engineering is a balance of creativity, innovation and application. 200EX is an opportunity to assess these new ideas,” explains Helmut Riedl, Director of Engineering. Tom Purves adds: “We have more in common with aircraft and shipbuilding than we do with other cars. The fact is, we’re in the luxury business; we build aspirational products and, by the nature of that, they become very expensive.”
Leaning back into his chair, he continues: “We also know that our customers who buy our cars are influenced by everything going on around them, including style and luxury, which are heavily influenced by things outside the auto business. Customers also need to be understood. The Rolls-Royce customer has a different style and motivation from most other car customers. If you’re a Ferrari customer, for example, you are probably 90 per cent sure to be a car fan, because you would have to be a car fan to want to own a Ferrari!”
But isn’t that true of a Rolls-Royce customer too?
“Yes, but there’s also more,” agrees Purves. “Our customers come from a wide range of professions. Beyond that, they are from all walks of life. We have a large number of entrepreneurial business people — self-made ones — many heads of state, royalty, film stars, pop stars and athletic stars. Success is a common thread.”
There are many expensive cars on the market, but Rolls-Royce has become a status symbol more than perhaps any of its competitors. Has the car always been a status symbol?
“Historically, if you go back to the beginning, when Mr Henry Royce bought a French car, he was very disappointed with it. He said, ‘I could make a better car,’” says Purves with a little chuckle. “He set about doing it. His aspiration was to build a better car. Whether he wanted to build the best car in the world is unknown; he wanted to build a better car. He was a brilliant engineer. Having built a few cars in the past, he knew that a certain size and structure would probably be everything that people wanted at that time. It eventually became known as the ‘Silver Ghost’. Until about 1924 it was pretty much unchanged for decades because it was so good. It established Rolls-Royce as the pre-eminent luxury car. And at the time it was definitely the best, aiming to be the best of all. From about 1906 it had set the tone for Rolls-Royce: to be the best.”
Indeed. However, when it comes to experimental cars we do not need to turn the dial back too far. 100EX was the first experimental car unveiled after Rolls-Royce Motor Cars was relaunched under BMW Group ownership in 2003. Revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2004, the two-door, four-seat convertible was built to mark 100 years of Rolls-Royce motor-car design and engineering. Just two years later, 101EX was presented, exploring modern coupé design.
Following on from this success, the same group of designers and engineers has created 200EX, itself pointing the way to RR4, a new Rolls-Royce model scheduled for production in 2010.
The brief for 200EX was to create a modern, lithe and dynamic Rolls-Royce that bears all the hallmarks of the great cars that have gone before it: effortless performance, unparalleled refinement, exquisite quality and confident design.
As the limelight fell upon the car for the select crowd in Singapore and again at the auto show in Shanghai, you could literally tick off each aspect of the car’s shiny ambitions: it had the refinement, quality and design all present and correct. The exterior design is dominated by large, uninterrupted surfaces, while finely sculptured horizontal lines add definition and geometric precision. In combination, the upward-sweeping sill line and low-cut roof create a powerful profile. The tapered rear is enhanced by powerful shoulders and flanks that draw in sharply, narrowing as they flow from the rear wings to the taillights.
“Unlike other cars, Rolls-Royce only sells a certain number of cars — not for any shortage of demand, but of supply,” says Purves. “We are in close contact with nearly all our customers and rely on their feedback and comments,” adds a company representative. This is clearly not a mass-produced product for mass consumption, but a classy one.
Short of time, as Mr Purves has been pulled into multiple interviews during his brief stint in Asia, it boils down to a rapid Q&A.
Q: What would Rolls-Royce represent in this modern age?
A: Refinement, success, elegance, style, glamour.
Q: But style and fashion are so transient and temporary. I thought Rolls-Royce has always set out to become timeless.
A: Let’s use a fashion brand as an example: Hermès. Hermès has always been in style, and yet it is an old brand. Some fashion brands actually have to be consistent — consistently good, of consistent high quality. By consistently delivering, they become more than a fashion brand; they become a promise that builds over time, and then they become timeless.
Why would you say champagne is used even more today as a celebration of success than it was 100 years ago? Because young people today love champagne; it has been passed from generation to generation. Of course there has been some clever marketing, but again that consistency of product quality is terribly, terribly important.
For a car that has to deal with the rough and tumble of the road, quality is even more important.
There’s no car company that has succeeded with purely marketing.
Q: How important is the China market this year, especially on the heels of the Western economic recession?
A: China is an important market no matter what the year. 2009 is a year of transition for us and, in the economic environment, China will play an important role, but it is a country that is as important as anywhere else. I don’t expect the greatest results and great growth overnight, but if I look ahead five years, China will become an increasingly important market. There’s no question about it. In fact, it has already done so in many ways.
Last year, in Beijing, Rolls-Royce had the third-largest single dealership in the world, ahead of Beverly Hills and London. I think we could have sold more if we could have supplied more. Yes, China is very important.
Q: There has been a lot of mumbling in the press that taxation on car ownership will go down considerably in China over the coming year. Would something like that affect you?
A: Any time you have a substantial change in areas like that, it does make a difference. Perhaps a bit less for a car like a Rolls-Royce than for other cars, but there is an effect. If the taxes go up and people have to pay a bit more, it has a sort of sticker-shock effect. But after a little while that goes away.
Q: Does the infrastructure of a city make a difference to selling a quality car like a Rolls-Royce? In capital cities with poor infrastructure, I assume that Rolls-Royce is not even available.
A: That’s a really interesting point you’ve made. I think it would be less of a problem for Rolls-Royce than it would be for some of the other expensive brands, such as an Aston Martin or a Lamborghini, that would need smooth roads.
Rolls-Royce is a good car in terms of ride quality and its ability to deal with less-than-wonderful roads. But maybe the other aspect is that people don’t want to own a car unless there’s a nice road to drive it on.
I remember years and years ago I was trying to sell cars in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and I was stunned at the lack of response. At the airport I was sitting there with a long face — there weren’t many Europeans there at the time — and this chap came up to me and said, “What’s your problem?” I explained to him. He then said, “Ah, you’ll never sell a single car here until they open a hotel. As soon as they open a luxurious hotel, you’ll sell as many cars as you need.” Do you know, he was right?! As soon as the InterContinental hotel opened in Riyadh, we started selling cars. Customers wanted a destination. It wasn’t just enough to own the car — many there could afford to do so — but you needed to take it somewhere.
My customers from Riyadh already had Rolls-Royces in London or Paris, but they had an SUV or a Jeep or something in Riyadh at the time. You need a good theatre for the car. You need an ambience for it.
And, finally, what is the common link between a Rolls-Royce customer in the West and one in the East?
"There are two common strings among Rolls-Royce collectors: the desire to have the best,” concludes Purves, “and the ability to acquire it.”
For Louis Vuitton’s bicentennial "Louis 200" celebration, Hong Kong-based actress, curator, and artist Karena Lam was invited alongside 200 global creative visionaries to reimagine the maison's iconic 50×50×100 cm trunk as a canvas.
At the Hong Kong viewing, many could see a handful of curated trunks in full display often with the artist in tow. Lam’s creation stands out for its serene blending of fine art, local cultural tribute, and tactile ceramic craftsmanship: she adorned the white trunk with a vibrant sky-blue, hand-painted floral window motif prominently featuring "HONG KONG" emblazed in all cap lettering and topped the piece with dozens of hand-thrown, unglazed white ceramic bowls stacked across its top surface. This juxtaposition transforms the traditional travel vessel into an intimate sculpture that pays homage to her artistic roots, ceramic practice, and connection to Hong Kong's intrinsic cultural identity.
When the opportunity came to interview her exclusively for the magazine, it was an easy yes. Lam wears so many hats so beautifully - actress, mother, wife, artist, sculptor - yet when we meet during the eight-day exhibition at H Zentre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Karena Lam is focused on the trunk she has designed with Louis Vuitton.
The former Prestige magazine cover girl moves easily between multiple roles, but here, on this fine day, the artist leads. Her latest piece for the house’s 200th anniversary continues a thread that began years earlier: work drawn directly from dreams and the subconscious.
“The common area is that they’re both derived from my dreams and subconscious,” she says of her collaborations with Louis Vuitton. The first involved a magnetron and other images she paired with Lubicon painter Charlotte. This year she returned to Charlotte again.
“I told her I had this other dream. She’s like, you’re always dreaming. Like I know but isn’t this great?! You can dream about it and then you can actually put it into action. I think that’s one of the best parts about my job.”
As an actress she knows the script by heart long before the cameras roll, but when starting her sculpture or ceramic, she has no idea what the final end result will be. “You read the script like a million times. You go to the set, you’re like, I’ve seen this before, I’ve said these words before and I know this person I'm about to portray... and everything just feels right because your subconscious is so strong.” That same force shaped the new trunk. She chose the Bauhinia flower - Hong Kong’s own bloom - because the piece would travel the world and eventually sit in the house museum in Asnières, France.
“I really wanted, amongst the two hundred trunks, you can just see this from afar and know it is from Hong Kong.”
She also made two hundred rice bowls. A practising potter, Lam created every single one herself. Louis Vuitton gave her seven days; she stretched it to nine. “It was a killer, because there was one day that I did, I was pulling bowls for twenty hours.” The finished bowls travelled to France while she remained in the city she calls home. The choice of form was deliberate.
“Rice is something very humbling because you know, to actually grow rice and harvest rice is not easy - it requires patience. I participated in a six-month rice workshop. I grew rice! Oh my god, the labour! All that work - for one bowl of rice is four thousands of those grains. It is so much time and effort - but now every time I have rice, I find it really is precious, not to be taken for granted.”
She cleaned her bowls carefully, each by hand. The shape itself mattered. “The reason why I decided to stick with the form of a rice bowl is because it’s two hands pressed together, so as to give and to receive. It is a very humbling, very simple, very basic gesture. So, I really want to show my gratitude to Louis Vuitton because of their heritage and the craftsmanship and also this is also to show my gratitude to Hong Kong. I call it a love letter to Hong Kong,” she says as we circle around her prized piece.
The ceramics themselves demand absolute presence. People in the pottery community called her crazy for even attempting two hundred bowls in such a short period of time. She worked twenty-hour days, four days of creating, then the rest of the week trimming, glazing and firing every piece by hand. “When I’m making ceramics, I don’t think about my kids, I don’t think about my husband, I don’t think about what I’m going to do after. I’m there. That’s why in my studio I don’t put a clock. I don’t have music on. My phone is off. And I’m just there. I just feel if you don’t have that kind of dedication, then just don’t do it. I really force myself, but I really enjoy it. I’m not stressed.”
The deadline, instead of being the Sword of Damocles hanging over her head, only sharpened the care. “Although it is rushed, each bowl was handled and trimmed and glazed and fired by me. I feel that this is precious because taking one’s time is precious.”
Her pieces kept growing by the hour, day by day, it came to form and fruition slowly - but steadily. “My works are getting bigger and bigger and I find it really interesting because I’m wondering why is it getting bigger? Why am I not making, small, delicate pieces? I just feel like once you’re toiling on bigger works, it’s like your body, it’s like going with my heartbeat, coiling around. And I don’t know when to stop. Because your heartbeat is so confident, you keep going at it and you’ve got this momentum, which is just taking you further - so I don’t have to think anymore, just do. No stressful thoughts, just action."
Acting and clay remain equal parts, central to her occupation and interest. “For me they’re both the same, because it is self-expression. You’re still creating things that didn't exist before, and you’re learning about people, the humanity of life. And you see a lot inwardly."
"Clay has memory. So whatever emotion you bring into the studio that day, that clay, it sucks it up. That’s what I find really interesting in the process.” She never studied pottery at school. The medium found her only during the pandemic.
“I’m surprised that I didn’t pick it up in school. It was because of COVID, I took up this hobby - and now, I really like this medium.” The physical cost amuses her. “Sooner or later, I’m giving up the hand model job [she laughs]. I don't know if I'll be using my hands when acting - all my expressions are now molded in clay."
As we stroll around the room and meet LV's other guests, and gander about the lot looking at other trunk inspired work, Lam narrates how the work came about. Her relationship with the brand deepened after she saw the work behind the monogram.
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“I’ve always known of Louis Vuitton - I mean, who in Hong Kong doesn't know the brand? When you’re younger you can’t afford the items, you would buy what's accessible like the perfume, then accessories, then the bag - its a growing relationship.”
Later, during the time-capsule project around 2018, she visited the house museum and the ateliers in Italy where the trunks are made. “I saw that in each department; they still use their hands. So, you realise, why some of the items are so expensive, it’s not because of the logo or branding or advertising, it is the effort and artistry. It is because of the stories, it’s connected to people, it’s the heritage. It’s how they still put it all together, they are still very firm about making it with hands, not machines. Seeing that tour of the trunks I was just so overwhelmed by it, the people behind the work.”
At cocktail, as celebrities, socialites, artists swan in and around, we would be remiss to not discuss style. Fashion, for her, is quieter than red-carpet expectation. On the day we meet she wears an oversized Louis Vuitton ensemble she chose for herself. “I liked the fact that they had these lifts, because I’m not very tall, I like it looking vintage. Even though I’ve worn it, it could belong to my dad. It’s so voluminous.”
On the red carpet her priorities are clear. “Hide all my flaws! You’re not getting any younger. Basically, don’t try to be sixteen on the red carpet. I like to portray my own age. I think beauty comes from acceptance. I’m not going to go back to sixteen by some miracle, so I’m not dressing that way; I want to dress my age.”
She notes that Asian skin often ages kindly. “Because we don’t go in the sun - we are clever people! We’re always shaded. When I went to Phuket in Thailand and I'm told, 'You’re all covered up, enjoy the weather!' I’m like, nah, ten years down the road, I'll look like a bag!” She laughs when people react to her age. “I love telling people my real age - and they’re like, wow! Asian skin - no sun!”
We titter unbecomingly for a posh event and find a corner, far from the madding crowd. When it comes to travel - we are celebrating the traveling trunk with LV after all - she says museums and galleries remain her preferred form of adventure. “I love going to museums in every country I visit. I’m a big fan of the arts. I feel museums or galleries are like therapy groups for me. It’s like you learn a lot from other artists, you observe a lot, you’re inspired by the work, knowing that they’ve struggled in different times, lived in different eras, all their work is a reflection of their time on earth.”
One thing she hasn't cared for is tech in sacred spaces. Digital viewing leaves her cold. “How can you just buy art just from zoom? For me it takes time, I need to see it with my own eyes, feel it, I just need to be there, to be witness to great art.”
When Louis Vuitton offered a digital option for the anniversary trunk she refused. “They said do you want the digital form or the physical? I wanted the real!"
"I know what NFT is - but I didn’t think that, if I was to sign digitally, and create something in the ether... that wouldn't be me. I said No! so quickly. I need the physical trunk. For me the physicality of making things, to touch these, plays a really important role. So, for me I’m still a very old-fashioned kind of girl when it comes to physical sculptures and great art. They have to be real... not surreal."
Here are the translations tailored for both Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong) and Simplified Chinese (Mainland China) readers. Standard system fonts are used so you can directly copy and paste the text into Blogspot without formatting issues.
從夢境與飯碗，到寫給香港的情書，這位由演員轉型為陶藝家的藝術家，將感恩、記憶與工藝注入她與 Louis Vuitton 的合作中。P.Ramakrishnan 獨家專訪。
為了慶祝 Louis Vuitton 創辦人二百週年誕辰的「Louis 200」紀念企劃，總部設於香港的演員、策展人兼藝術家林嘉欣，獲邀與全球 200 位創意先驅一同將品牌標誌性的 50×50×100 厘米硬箱轉化為創作畫布。
在香港展覽現場，不少訪客都能親眼目睹數款精選硬箱，並常常能看到藝術家本人的身影。林嘉欣的作品憑藉純純藝術、在地文化致敬與溫潤手感的陶藝工藝之寧靜融合脫穎而出：她在白色硬箱上繪上了色彩鮮艷的天藍色手繪花卉窗芒，並以大寫字母醒目地印上「HONG KONG」字樣，頂部則堆疊了數十個由她親手拉坯、未上釉的白色陶瓷碗。這種對比將傳統的旅行載體昇華為一件親密無間的雕塑作品，向她的藝術根基、陶藝實踐以及與香港內在文化身份的連結致敬。
當有機會為雜誌對她進行獨家專訪時，答案自然是毫不猶豫的「Yes」。林嘉欣完美地身兼數職——演員、母親、妻子、藝術家、雕塑家——然而，當我們在尖沙咀 H Zentre 為期八天的展覽期間見面時，林嘉欣正全神貫注於她與 Louis Vuitton 共同設計的這款硬箱。
這位前《Prestige》封面女郎在多重身份之間游刃有餘，但在這個明媚的日子裡，藝術家才是主角。她為品牌 200 週年創作的最新作品，延續了多年前就已開啟的創作脈絡：直接取材於夢境與潛意識的作品。
「共通點在於，它們都源自我的夢境和潛意識，」她在談到與 Louis Vuitton 的合作時說道。第一次合作涉及磁控管以及她與 Lubicon 畫家 Charlotte 搭配的其他意象。今年，她再次與 Charlotte 合作。
「我告訴她我又做了這個夢。她說，你總是在做夢。我說我知道，但這難道不是很棒嗎？！你可以夢到它，然後真正把它付諸行動。我覺得這是我工作中最棒的部分之一。」
作為一名演員，她在開機前就早已將劇本背得爛熟，但在開始創作雕塑或陶瓷時，她完全不知道最終的結果會是什麼。「你看劇本看了成千上萬遍。你來到片場，會覺得，我以前見過這個，我以前說過這些話，我認識我即將塑造的這個人……一切都感覺剛剛好，因為你的潛意識太強大了。」同樣的力量塑造了這款新硬箱。她選擇了洋紫荊——香港自家的花卉——因為這件作品將環遊世界，並最終陳列於法國阿斯涅爾（Asnières）的品牌故居博物館中。
「我真的很希望，在兩百個硬箱之中，大家能從遠處一眼看到它，就知道它來自香港。」
她還製作了二百個飯碗。作為一名實踐中的陶藝家，林嘉欣親手製作了每一個碗。Louis Vuitton 給了她七天的時間；她將其延長到了九天。「這簡直是種折磨，因為有幾天我连续拉坯拉了二十個小時。」完成後的碗飛往了法國，而她則留在了這座她稱之為家的城市。對形狀的選擇是經過深思熟慮的。
「米飯是非常謙遜的東西，因為你知道，真正種植稻米和收穫稻米並不容易——這需要耐心。我參加了一個為期六個月的種米工作坊。我親手種了米！天哪，那種辛苦！所有的努力——一碗米飯背後是四千粒稻谷。這需要花費大量的時間和心血——所以現在每次吃米飯，我都覺得它真的很珍貴，絕不能視為理所當然。」
她仔細地清洗著自己的碗，每一個都是手洗。形狀本身就很重要。「我決定堅持使用飯碗形狀的原因，是因為它就像雙手合十，既是給予，也是接受。這是一個非常謙遜、非常簡單、非常基本的姿態。所以，我真的很想向 Louis Vuitton 表達我的感激之情，感謝他們的傳統和工藝，同時這也是為了向香港表達我的感激。我稱之為寫給香港的情書，」當我們繞著她珍愛的作品走動時，她說道。
陶藝本身需要全神貫注的投入。陶藝界的人都說她瘋了，居然敢嘗試在這麼短的時間內製作二百個碗。她每天工作二十個小時，用四天時間創作，然後在一周剩餘的時間裡親手修坯、上釉和燒製每一件作品。「當我在做陶瓷時，我不去想我的孩子，不去想我的丈夫，不去想之後要做什麼。我就在那裡。這就是為什麼在我的工作室裡我不放鐘。我不放音樂。我的手機是關掉的。我就只是在那裡。我只是覺得如果你沒有那種專注，那就乾脆不要做。我真的很逼自己，但我真的很享受。我沒有壓力。」
截止日期並沒有成為懸在她頭頂的達摩克利斯之劍，反而讓這份用心更加銳利。「雖然很趕，但每個碗都是由我親自處理、修坯、上釉和燒製的。我覺得這很珍貴，因為花時間本身就是珍貴的。」
她的作品隨著時間推移不斷長大，日復一日，慢慢地——但堅定地——走向成形和圓滿。「我的作品變得越來越大，我覺得這很有趣，因為我在想為什麼它會變得越來越大？為什麼我不做些小巧精緻的作品？我只是覺得，一旦你在大型作品上辛勤耕耘，它就像你的身體一樣，就像隨著我的心跳一起盤築延伸。我不知道什麼時候該停下來。因為你的心血是如此自信，你一直保持著這種勢頭，它帶你走得更遠——所以我不需要再去思考，做就對了。沒有壓力的想法，只有行動。」
表演和泥土依然平分秋色，都是她職業和興趣的核心。「對我來說，它們是一樣的，因為這都是自我表達。你依然在創造以前不存在的東西，你在了解人，了解生活的考驗。而且你能向內看到很多東西。」
「泥土是有記憶的。所以無論你那天帶什麼情緒進工作室，泥土都會把它吸收進去。這就是我覺得這個過程中非常有趣的地方。」她從未在學校學過陶藝。這種介質是在疫情期間才找到她的。
「我很驚訝自己在學校時沒有接觸它。是因為 COVID，我才拾起這個興趣——而現在，我真的很喜歡這種介質。」身體上的代價讓她感到有趣。「遲早我要放棄手模這份工作了［她笑了］。我不知道演戲時還能不能用手——我所有的表情現在都用泥土塑造出來了。」
當我們在房間裡散步，結識 LV 的其他賓客，並到處看看其他受硬箱啟發的作品時，林嘉欣講述了這件作品是如何誕生的。在看到了 Monogram 背後的工藝後，她與該品牌的關係進一步深化了。
「我一直都知道 Louis Vuitton——我是說，在香港有誰不知道這個品牌？當你年輕的時候，你買不起這些商品，你會買一些負擔得起的東西，比如香水，然後是配飾，然後是手袋——這是一個不斷發展的關係。」
後來，在 2018 年左右的 Time Capsule 時空樞紐展覽企劃期間，她參觀了品牌故居博物館以及製作硬箱的意大利工坊。「我看到在每個部門，他們依然在使用雙手。所以，你意識到，為什麼有些商品如此昂貴，這不是因為 Logo、品牌推廣或廣告，而是因為投入的心血和藝術性。是因為背後的故事，它與人連結在一起，是那種傳承。是他們如何依然將這一切整合在一起，他們依然非常堅持用手而不是機器來製作。看到硬箱的參觀過程，我完全被震撼到了，被作品背後的人們所打動。」
在酒會上，當明星、名流和藝術家們如天鵝般優雅地穿梭往來時，如果不討論時尚，我們就太失策了。對她來說，時尚比紅毯上的期許要安靜得多。在我們見面的這一天，她穿了一套自己挑選的 Oversized 歐美風 Louis Vuitton 套裝。「我喜歡它們有厚底設計，因為我不是很高，我喜歡它看起來帶有復古感。即使是我穿著它，它看起來也可以屬於我爸爸。它是如此有廓形感。」
在紅毯上，她的優先事項非常明確。「遮住我所有的缺點！你不會越來越年輕。基本上，不要試圖在紅毯上裝十六歲。我喜歡展現我自己的年齡。我覺得美源於接受。我不可能通過某種奇蹟回到十六歲，所以我不會那樣穿著；我想穿出符合我年齡的樣子。」
她注意到亞洲人的皮膚往往老得比較慢。「因為我們曬不到太陽——我們是很聰明的人！我們總是在遮陰處。當我去泰國布吉島時，有人跟我說：『你都包裹得嚴嚴實實的，享受這天氣吧！』我說，不，十年後，我看起來會像個皮包！」當人們對她的真實年齡做出反應時，她笑了。「我喜歡告訴別人我的真實年齡——他們會驚呼，哇！亞洲肌膚——曬不到太陽！」
我們在一個豪華的場合裡發出了與環境不甚相符的咯咯笑聲，並找到了一個遠離吵雜人群的角落。談到旅行——畢竟我們是在與 LV 一起慶祝旅行硬箱——她說博物館和畫廊依然是她最喜歡冒險形式。「我喜歡去我訪問的每一個國家的博物館。我是藝術的忠實粉絲。我覺得博物館或畫廊對我來說就像心理治療小組。就好像你可以從其他藝術家身上學到很多東西，你觀察很多，你被作品所啟發，知道他們在不同的時代掙扎過，生活在不同的時代，他們所有的作品都是他們留在地球上的時間的反映。」
有一件事是她在神聖空間裡不太在意的，那就是科技。數字觀展讓她感到冷淡。「你怎麼能僅憑 Zoom 就買藝術品呢？對我來說這需要時間，我需要親眼看到它，感受它，我只需要在那裡，去親眼見證偉大的藝術。」
當 Louis Vuitton 為這款週年硬箱提供數字選項時，她拒絕了。「他們問你要數字形式還是實體形式？我想要真實的！」
「我知道什麼是 NFT——但我並不認為，如果我要進行數字簽名，並在虛無中創造一些東西……那不會是我。我非常迅速地說了不！我需要實體的硬箱。對我來說，製作物品的實體感，觸摸這些東西，扮演著非常重要的角色。所以，對我來說，在實體雕塑和偉大藝術方面，我仍然是一個非常傳統的女孩。它們必須是真實的……而不是超現實的。」
梦境视界：林嘉欣的潜意识艺术碰撞路易威登（Louis Vuitton）二百周年纪念硬箱
从梦境与饭碗，到写给香港的情书，这位由演员转型为陶艺家的艺术家，将感恩、记忆与工艺注入她与 Louis Vuitton 的合作中。P.Ramakrishnan 独家专访。
为了庆祝 Louis Vuitton 创始人二百周年诞辰的“Louis 200”纪念企划，总部设于香港的演员、策展人兼艺术家林嘉欣，获邀与全球 200 位创意先驱一同将品牌标志性的 50×50×100 厘米硬箱转化为创作画布。
在香港展览现场，不少访客都能亲眼目睹数款精选硬箱，并常常能看到艺术家本人的身影。林嘉欣的作品凭借纯艺术、在地文化致敬与温润手感的陶艺工艺之宁静融合脱颖而出：她在白色硬箱上绘制上了色彩鲜艳的天蓝色手绘花卉窗格，并以大写字母醒目地印上“HONG KONG”字样，顶部则堆叠了数十个由她亲手拉坯、未上釉的白色陶瓷碗。这种对比将传统的旅行载体升华为一件亲密无间的雕塑作品，向她的艺术根基、陶艺实践以及与香港内在文化身份的链接致敬。
当有机会为杂志对她进行独家专访时，答案自然是毫不犹豫的“Yes”。林嘉欣完美地身兼数职——演员、母亲、妻子、艺术家、雕塑家——然而，当我们在尖沙咀 H Zentre 为期八天的展览期间见面时，林嘉欣正全神贯注于她与 Louis Vuitton 共同设计的这款硬箱。
这位前《Prestige》封面女郎在多重身份之间游刃有余，但在这明媚的一天，艺术家才是主角。她为品牌 200 周年创作的最新作品，延续了多年前就已开启的创作脉络：直接取材于梦境与潜意识的作品。
“共通点在于，它们都源自我的梦境和潜意识，”她在谈到与 Louis Vuitton 的合作时说道。第一次合作涉及磁控管以及她与 Lubicon 画家 Charlotte 搭配的其他意象。今年，她再次与 Charlotte 合作。
“我告诉她我又做了这个梦。她说，你总是在做梦。我说我知道，但这难道不是很棒吗？！你可以梦到它，然后真正把它付诸行动。我觉得这是我工作中最好的部分之一。”
作为一名演员，她在开机前就早已将剧本背得烂熟，但在开始创作雕塑或陶瓷时，她完全不知道最终的结果会是什么。“你看剧本看了成千上万遍。你来到片场，会觉得，我以前见过这个，我以前说过这些话，我认识我即将塑造的这个人……一切都感觉刚刚好，因为你的潜意识太强大了。”同样的力量塑造了这款新硬箱。她选择了洋紫荆——香港自家的花卉——因为这件作品将环游世界，并最终陈列于法国阿斯涅尔（Asnières）的品牌故居博物馆中。
“我真的很希望，在两百个硬箱之中，大家能从远处一眼看到它，就知道它来自香港。”
她还制作了二百个饭碗。作为一名实践中的陶艺家，林嘉欣亲手制作了每一个碗。Louis Vuitton 给了她七天的时间；她将其延长到了九天。“这简直是种折磨，因为有几天我连续拉坯拉了二十个小时。”完成后的碗飞往了法国，而她则留在了这座她称之为家的城市。对形状的选择是经过深思熟虑的。
“米饭是非常谦逊的东西，因为你知道，真正种植稻米和收获稻米并不容易——这需要耐心。我参加了一个为期六个月的种米工作坊。我亲手种了米！天哪，那种辛苦！所有的努力——一碗米饭背后是四千粒稻谷。这需要花费大量的时间和心血——所以现在每次吃米饭，我都觉得它真的很珍贵，绝不能视为理所当然。”
她仔细地清洗着自己的碗，每一个都是手洗。形状本身就很重要。“我决定坚持使用饭碗形状的原因，是因为它就像双手合十，既是给予，也是接受。这是一个非常谦逊、非常简单、非常基本的姿态。所以，我真的很想向 Louis Vuitton 表达我的感激之情，感谢他们的传统和工艺，同时这也是为了向香港表达我的感激。我称之为写给香港的情书，”当我们绕着她珍爱的作品走动时，她说。
陶艺本身需要全神贯注的投入。陶艺界的人都说她疯了，居然敢尝试在这么短的时间内制作二百个碗。她每天工作二十个小时，用四天时间创作，然后在一周剩余的时间里亲手修坯、上釉和烧制每一件作品。“当我在做陶瓷时，我不去想我的孩子，不去想我的丈夫，不去想之后要做什么。就在那里。这就是为什么在我的工作室里我不放钟。我不放音乐。我的手机是关掉的。我就只是在那里。我只是觉得如果你没有那种专注，那就干脆不要做。我真的很逼自己，但我真的很享受。我没有压力。”
截止日期并没有成为悬在她头顶的达摩克利斯之剑，反而让这份用心更加锐利。“虽然很赶，但每个碗都是由我亲自处理、修坯、上釉和烧制的。我觉得这很珍贵，因为花时间本身就是珍贵。”
她的作品随着时间推移不断长大，日复一日，慢慢地——但坚定地——走向成形和圆满。“我的作品变得越来越大，我觉得这很有趣，因为我在想为什么它会变得越来越大？为什么我不做些小巧精致的作品？我只是觉得，一旦你在大型作品上辛勤耕耘，它就像你的身体一样，就像随着我的心跳一起盘筑延伸。我不知道什么时候该停下来。因为你的心血是如此自信，你一直保持着这种势头，它带你走得更远——所以我不需要再去思考，做就对了。没有压力的想法，只有行动。”
表演和泥土依然平分秋色，都是她职业和兴趣的核心。“对我来说，它们是一样的，因为这都是自我表达。你依然在创造以前不存在的东西，你在了解人，了解生活的考验。而且你能向内看到很多东西。”
“泥土是有记忆的。所以无论你那天带什么情绪进工作室，泥土都会把它吸收进去。这就是我觉得这个过程中非常有趣的地方。”她从未在学校学过陶艺。这种介质是在疫情期间才找到她的。
“我很惊讶自己在学校时没有接触它。是因为 COVID，我才拾起这个兴趣——而现在，我真的很喜欢这种介质。”身体上的代价让她感到有趣。“迟早我要放弃手模这份工作了［她笑了］。我不知道演戏时还能不能用手——我所有的表情现在都用泥土塑造出来了。”
当我们在房间里散步，结识 LV 的其他宾客，并到处看看其他受硬箱启发的作品时，林嘉欣讲述了这件作品是如何诞生的。在看到了 Monogram 背后的工艺后，她与该品牌的关系进一步深化了。
“我一直都知道 Louis Vuitton——我是说，在香港有谁不知道这个品牌？当你年轻的时候，你买不起这些商品，你会买一些负担得起的东西，比如香水，然后是配饰，然后是手袋——这是一个不断发展的关系。”
后来，在 2018 年左右的 Time Capsule 时空枢纽展览企划期间，她参观了品牌故居博物馆以及制作硬箱的意大利工坊。“我看到在每个部门，他们依然在使用双手。所以，你意识到，为什么有些商品如此昂贵，这不是因为 Logo、品牌推广或广告，而是因为投入的心血和艺术性。是因为背后的故事，它与人链接在一起，是那种传承。是他们如何依然将这一切整合在一起，他们依然非常坚持用手而不是机器来制作。看到硬箱的参观过程，我完全被震撼到了，被作品背后的人们所打动。”
在酒会上，当明星、名流和艺术家们如天鹅般优雅地穿梭往来时，如果不讨论时尚，我们就太失策了。对她来说，时尚比红毯上的期许要安静得多。在我们见面的这一天，她穿了一套自己挑选的 Oversized 欧美风 Louis Vuitton 套装。“我喜欢它们有厚底设计，因为我不是很高，我喜欢它看起来带有复古感。即使是我穿着它，它看起来也可以属于我爸爸。它是如此有廓形感。”
在红毯上，她的优先事项非常明确。“遮住我所有的缺点！你不会越来越年轻。基本上，不要试图在红毯上装十六岁。我喜欢展现我自己现在的年龄。我觉得美源于接受。我不可能通过某种奇迹回到十六岁，所以我不会那样穿着；我想穿出符合我年龄的样子。”
她注意到亚洲人的皮肤往往老得比较慢。“因为我们晒不到太阳——我们是很聪明的人！我们总是在遮阴处。当我去泰国普吉岛时，有人跟我说：‘你都包裹得严严实实的，享受这天气吧！’我说，不，十年后，我看起来会像个皮包！”当人们对她的真实年龄做出反应时，她笑了。“我喜欢告诉别人我的真实年龄——他们会惊叹，哇！亚洲肌肤——晒不到太阳！”
缓和了奢华场合的严肃氛围，我们在远离嘈杂人群的地方找到了一个角落。谈到旅行——毕竟我们是在与 LV 一起庆祝旅行硬箱——她说博物馆和画廊依然是她最喜欢的冒险形式。“我喜欢去我访问的每一个国家的博物馆。我是艺术的忠实粉丝。我觉得博物馆或画廊对我来说就像心理治疗小组。就好像你可以从其他艺术家身上学到很多东西，你观察很多，你被作品所启发，知道他们在不同的时代挣扎过，生活在不同的时代，他们所有的作品都是他们留在地球上的时间的反映。”
有一件事是她在神圣空间里不太在意的，那就是科技。数字观展让她感到冷漠。“你怎么能仅凭 Zoom 就买艺术品呢？对我来说这需要时间，我需要亲眼看到它，感受它，我只需要在那里，去亲眼见证伟大的艺术。”
当 Louis Vuitton 为这款周年硬箱提供数字选项时，她拒绝了。“他们问你要数字形式还是实体形式？我想要真实的！”
“我知道什么是 NFT——但我并不认为，如果我要进行数字签名，并在虚无中创造一些东西……那不会是我。我非常迅速地说了不！我需要实体的硬箱。对我来说，制作物品的实体感，触摸这些东西，扮演着非常重要的角色。所以，对我来说，在实体雕塑和伟大艺术方面，我仍然是一个非常传统的女孩。它们必须是真实的……而不是超现实的。”
