Although we swapped out the fleece pajama bottoms for a lighter equivalent back in March, this picture by Kristi sums up our life outside the office quite well. This is particularly true as of late, when it has been unusual to find us outside the office without a laptop on our lap. We know where to get wifi and where the power outlets are at our favorite bars and cafés (and plan accordingly). Three more weeks and we’ll be rewarded with a day of sightseeing in Barcelona!

As of late, we have been traveling back and forth to Shenzhen quite a bit. In fact, we’ve been there 3 times in the last week. Not sure how many trips through the border it took for us to notice this sign, but it struck us as funny! Not once have we actually left the country using a lift :]. The process has become a little more complicated as of late with the the additional health declaration forms, but we can usually get from our apartment across the border in under an hour even during peak travel times.

We are collaborating with a workshop in Shenzhen to make a new prototype of Autom™.  For me, the whole process is exciting and nerve racking at the same time. The goal is to show off the new and improved version at the HiT Barcelona World Innovation Summit in June.  Our company, Intuitive Automata, has been chosen as one of the Global Entrepreneurship Competition finalists and we will be competing against other start-ups from around the world for a top prize of 50 thousand Euros.  Wish us luck!

Saturday morning we got ourselves out of bed bright and early to take a tour of the Fotan Artists’ Studios, an event organized for the Art HK 09 show. Fotan is an industrial neighborhood off the East Rail line in the New Territories where some small factories are still located. Cory and I had heard about this artist community soon after we moved to Hong Kong, but while wondered the area for a couple hours one afternoon we had no luck finding anything. It is definitely helpful to go with a guide!

Many studios are located in the Wah Luen Industrial Centre, an old gritty building about 15 minutes walking distance from the Fotan train station. It is a maze of blocks and hallways, where each floor has a distinct smell and the elevators require experience to navigate. You constantly hear the slamming of metal against metal as workers roll carts of raw materials and finished goods in and out of the elevators and through the gates.

In my opinion, the highlight of the tour was visiting the studio of sculptor Lee Chin Fai. He is work is visible in public spaces throughout Hong Kong, and it was a great to see his enthusiasm for art first-hand. In general, it was great to see the artists’ space and get a sense of what inspires them. The studios open their doors to the public once a year in January and you can learn more about it at the site Fotanian. We also added some pictures to our gallery here.

We just got back from our first Art HK 09 events. Cory and I were able to preview the show and enjoy the pieces without the crowds, which was such a treat! We even caught a glimpse of Martina Navratilova and the famous Chinese performance artist Zhang Huan (although we didn’t know it at the time). The show had a mix of international art, but it was clear that the focus was on Asia. I am new to Chinese contemporary art, but I find a number of the pieces (particularly the photography) very compelling. Here are several of the artists whose work we enjoyed:

• Chen Shaoxiong : Collective Memory - Interesting Asian cityscapes
• Julian Opie - Playful LED screens of people dancing and walking
• Rachel Rillo : Manila - A very graphic series of photographs of power lines
• Wong Qingsong : Follow Me - One of many fantastic prints available for sale to support the UCCA
• Tim Walker : Floating Drive-In - Cory really enjoyed his colorful, large scale images

Over the next 4 days there are an overwhelming number of events organized and I’m hoping to take advantage of the opportunity and attend as many as possible! Of particular interest are the Fotan artists’ studio tours, Michael Young’s ‘Industrial Art’ installation, and several “backroom conversations”. I am sure there will be more to share once I’ve been able to take more of it in!

Summer in Hong Kong means boat parties and we went to our first one on Sunday! Our friends Billy and Brian organized a fantastic day of great people, food, drinks and sun. The boat picked us up at Pier 9 in Central in the morning and we made our way out to the outlying islands around Sai Kung. We spent the day near Bluff Island(?) sipping, sunning, and swimming :]. I could tell you how great it was, but I’ll just let the pictures do the talking. Check them out here!