Lighting up Hong Kong: Art Basel’s largest installation towers over Victoria Harbour, counting down to death
Meet the artist behind the massive light installation as part of this year’s Art Basel
For the duration of this year’s Art Basel, Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima presents a light installation called Time Waterfall on the façade of the International Commerce Centre at Kowloon Station. In the evenings, viewers can see a cascade of digital numbers falling down the tower, from nine to one.
“My numbers count nine to one without showing zero. It means the timing of life, counting is life, as zero means death,” he explains. “It’s about counting down to death, life and death, the meaning of life.
The numbers fall at different speeds, he continues, “like a waterfall. So it’s like time that never comes again”. Miyajima snaps his fingers and says, “Just now, it’s life like that.” He describes the installation as about living in the now.
Miyajima embraced the challenge. He felt that since Hong Kong is a city teeming with energy and life, the Time Waterfall would dovetail with his theme of life and death.
