藝術不能一下子為社區帶來改變，但藝術可以觸發個體改變想法，方法在於改變個人的視點：通過不同藝術經驗，擴闊看待社區的視野、透過認識社區的整體，調節觀看社區的視點，正如觀賞中式卷軸畫，視點往往不單止得一個。把古語「見山是山」應用到理解社區當中，是要破除對社區的固有觀念。而是次計劃以「見山不是山」為主軸，透過不同的藝術經驗，提供另一層面的閱讀，重新理解和感受事物，從而擴闊過往的單一觀念。
想像未來，打開選擇的空間
參與藝術創作是一種對未來的寄望。作品不一定表達愉悅美好的一面，但在不同程度上，都潛藏著期盼，為未來帶來改- 變。創作人有如社會的放大鏡，他們敏銳的觸覺，總會在日常中找到不尋常的景像、現象，通過藝術，引領公眾觀察、發現及重新思考，從而在公眾的生命中留下註腳。
計劃藉不同的藝術媒介、形式的體驗活動介入，讓公眾看見創作人及參與者對未來社區的想像，讓公眾認知想像的可能、生活的可能、生命的可能…… 種種的可能性都是為了開闊公眾的選項。
選擇，不一定會帶來翻天覆地的改變，藝術微妙之處，在於打開意識跟感官。心態一旦改變，便會看到不一樣的景觀。
不同社群參與方式及藝術經驗，透現不同理想
有很多社區藝術項目針對不同「需要」的社群或社區而設，然而社區並不一定「有問題」，藝術也並不一定是「解決」問題的工具。社區藝術項目也可以是多元的，以不同的策略，透視不同的理想。
社區藝術項目可以是純粹的美感經驗啟發及探索：重新發現尋常生活環境、習慣中的微妙之處，有如打開不被留意的隙縫，看到別有洞天的風景，帶來詩意的美感體驗；亦可以提出干擾與反思：稍稍改變一些慣常的操作，讓大眾反思對某些生活模式的必然性；還有較常見的提升認同感，成為充權與展現：鼓勵及提供機會讓某特定社群去展現未被看到的獨特之處及能力。
當然策略與理想還有很多未被發掘的可能，有待未來更多藝術家的參與，亦同時有待不同評論人的論述討論。就此，感謝六位藝術家的參與，藉他/她們不同的專長、關注、視點、媒介，構思了六種不同的藝術經驗。亦非常感謝三位接受邀請的評論人：張薇、阿三及黃嘉瀛，擔任這次計劃的「觀察員」，透過他們的視點，將為社區藝術項目打開另一層次的閱讀及思考。
Art cannot change the community overnight, but it can trigger people’s change of mind. The magic happens when one’s perspective shifts. Art can enhance your experience of life in a community. Such experience will give you a more holistic perception of the community. It works just like how multiple perspectives an ancient Chinese handscroll can provide. The intention to use the old saying “A mountain seen is a mountain being” from Zen Buddhism into understanding community, is to break down the conformation defining it. Under the umbrella of “mountain no mountain”, different art experiences will provide a whole new level of reading, understanding and feeling things, thus unfold the many different points of view about a community that was monotonous.
Imagining the future, making space for choices
Art creation is about imagining the future. Artworks don’t always project fantasies, but they do present hope underneath. The hope for bringing changes for the future. Artists/creators act like magnifiers for the society, they bear acute sensitivity, they can always discover unusual or unexpected scenery/phenomena in daily life. Art encourages the public to depart from the norm. The observation, discovery and reflection induced may perhaps annotate at some point in their life chapter.
The project adopted different art mediums/forms to provide various participatory experiences. The public will see how the artists/creators and participants envision what their good-old community could become. People will be able to acknowledge the possibilities to think out of the box and choices to live life are up for us to make.
Choices may not lead to drastic changes inside out, but the nuance of art is how it can touch your consciousness and senses. Once the mindset is changed, one would be able to see things differently.
Diverse ways of participation and art experiences present diversified ideals
There are many community art projects tailored for specific “needy” groups of people or areas, but not all communities carry “problems”. Art is not necessarily a tool for “problem-solving”. There are many more approaches to present more diverse ideals for the future.
Community arts could simply bring aesthetic experience by rediscovering the intriguing parts of the mundane surroundings and routines that people are so used to. It is like a glimpse of a brand new world enhancing daily life with a poetic touch. Community arts could also bring interference and reflection. A little change in some usual practices could let the public aware of what they have taken for granted in their way of living. Community arts could often hoist a sense of coherence: Empower specific group of people by uncovering their special quality and ability.
There are lots more to be discovered about approaches and ideals of community arts. We look forward to more participation from other artists and comments from different critics. Finally, we would like to thank the six participating artists for creating six different art experiences originated from their very own specialities. We would also like to thank the three invited critics, Cheung Mei, Chan Sai-lok and Ky Wong, as the “observers” for this project. Their unique views will unfold a whole new level of understanding about community arts.
策劃人 Curators
方韻芝 Vangi Fong
浸會大學視覺藝術院首屆畢業生，副修人文學。從事設計統籌、藝術教育、公眾參與等策劃工作，關心社區、城市發展及土地議題，擅長讓年青人及公眾體驗藝術創造的各種可能。2019年參與自然學校舉辦的教師培訓課程，展開與年青人向自然扣問的旅程。
2012年組織「油麻地花王」，試圖以城市種植作為基進的抵抗示範,計劃包括「剩食圖鑑」、「拾德好」年宵拾物活動，計劃引起NGO的回應，改變公眾對剩食、年宵剩物的處理態度；2014年社區藝術空間「活化廳」未能續約，與同伴組成「活化廳」繼續做工作組，同年「蘇波榮」合作社成立，以共享經濟形式運作社區廚房，亦引起公眾就消費及飲食習慣的思考。
其他合作策劃項目，以公眾參與為主，包括：MaD@西九(2011)、自由嘢(2012-13)及伙伴創意市集@文化中心：自由市場 (2014-16)；2015年開始參與由聖雅各福群會營運的「We嘩藍屋」項目，推動文化保育、社區教育及公共空間文化等工作；2019-2020年共同策劃項目「還原頁」，於油街實現試驗藝術作為每日修練的形式，讓公眾體驗藝術與生活結合的可能性。
Graduate from HKBU Academy of Visual Arts and minor in Humanity; Vangi works for design coordination, art education and public participatory projects, focusing on the issue of community, development and land. She is good at guiding young people and public to experience possibilities of art creation. In 2019, she attend Teacher Orientation Course organized by RTC Gaia School and start questioning the nature with the youth.In 2012 co-found Yaumatei Gardener that tried resisted city development via gardening, initiated projects included 'Yaumatei Gardener', 'Yaumatei Leftover Guide' & 'Pick It Good', all related to leftover cycle in urban city. She was also a member of Wooferten (community/art space) and So Boring (Community Kitchen) based in Yau Ma Tei. Other co-curated project focused on public participation including 'MaD@Westkowloon', 'FreespaceFest-Collaborative Programmes 2012', ''FreespaceFest- Construction in Progress 2013' and 'Creative Market in Partnership- The Free Marketeers (2014-2016)'. From 2015-2018, Vangi was team leader of education program of Blue House, curated programs about community education, cultural conservation as well as public open space workshops. Co-curate “A Page A Wish” at Oi! in 2019-2020, let the public experience the possibility of combining art into daily life. Another exhibition “The Practice of Every day Life” questions the feasibility of embedding environmental-friendliness into our daily practices.
黎蘊賢 Orlean Lai
成立 orleanlaiproject (www.orleanlaiproject.net)，強調「混雜協作」的跨域合作，探索不同展現方式的混種可能，模糊藝術類型框框、媒界的分野。
2014年獲邀於「油街實現」策劃了「像是動物園」展覽，嘗試以展場作為歷程、敘述、跨越展覽與表演的實驗場域。2018年策劃的新版《像是動物園2》於新視野藝術節2018上演，在香港醫學博物館重新打開「珍奇屋」奇觀之旅。以跨界協作班底 －區華欣、許敖山、馮程程、伍韶勁、吳子昆、文美桃、洪忠傑等，為觀眾帶來一趟跨越演與展的社會實驗歷程，從第一回的藏品展示，到第二回把焦點放在「人」的展示上，尋找現代處境底下的「奇人」。
此外，2018年初製作了《肖像曲》，串連 Nerve與卓翔將「紀錄」從影片延伸到劇場，化為混種歌劇，從中探視崑曲、能劇與西方歌劇表演者的創作生平。2017年策動了多頻道演出《親密 Claustrophobia》與創作人馮程程、譚偉平及袁卓華共同實驗了一次裝置聲域平行敘事演出。
2018及2019年，獲香港藝術發展局委約，為賽馬會藝壇新勢力策劃了兩個跨媒介演出系列，分別為「風平草動」－ 於中環大館的監獄操場內進行的場域回應式演出系列，及「游山行」系列－ 於中上環一帶的古蹟歷驗演出之旅。
2019年成立另一機構 No Discipline Limited，希望發展更多跨領域的合作計劃及文化交流。並嘗試邀請不同文化藝術工作者參與，聯合策劃不同項目，以更寬闊視點、模式及討論，去探索對當代藝術/演出的理解與實驗。
Orlean 為2016年為亞洲文化協會年度獎助金得主。
Orlean Lai founded her production unit – orleanlaiproject (www.orleanlaiproject.net), focuses on curating hybrid collaborations across performing art and visual art, in exploring new possibility of presentation formats and fuse the boundary of art forms and mediums.
Orlean has curated Zoo as Metaphor (2014 at Oi!), which has attempted to adopt exhibition space for an experiential journey of narrative and performance; while the new edition of Zoo as Metaphor 2 (2018 at New Vision Arts Festival) has evolved from a crossed form of exhibition and performance into an experiential journey of social experiment.
Other collaborative projects include: Songs of Portrait (2018) with Nerve and Cheuk Cheung expanded the medium of documentary beyond the screen to live performance on stage, illustrating the lives and practices of performers from the traditions of Kunqu, Noh and Italian opera. In 2017, orleanlaiproject also featured the intermedia collaborative performance, Claustrophobia with Vee Leong, Tam Wai-ping and Yuen Cheuk-wa, which experimented with integrating installation, sonic writing, and soundscape into a parallel narrative performance.
In 2018 & 2019, orleanlaiproject was commissioned by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council to curate the Finale programme series for the Jockey Club New Arts Power. The projects were: Swim Walking (2018) – a series of art journeys held in the Central / Sheung Wan district; and Wild is the Grass (2019) – a series of site-responsive performances held at the heritage site of Tai Kwun.
In 2019, she founded another organisation – No Discipline Limited, aims to foster more intermedia experiment and cross-cultural collaboration. NDL tries to invite other cultural/arts practitioners to share the curatorial, with widening the perspectives in mind, practices and discussion on contemporary arts/performance.
Orlean was Asia Cultural Council Fellowship recipient of 2016.