Legible City-Hong Kong

2024 | M+, Hong Kong

Legible City Hong Kong
Legible City Hong Kong
Legible City Hong Kong
Legible City Hong Kong

Project Overview
Legible City Hong Kong represents the latest evolution of Jeffrey Shaw's seminal media artwork Legible City (1989–1991), developed in collaboration with Hong Kong fiction writer Dung Kai-cheung. Installed at the M+ museum, this iteration invites visitors to ride a stationary bicycle connected to a large screen that displays a digital representation of Hong Kong. Participants freely navigate this virtual environment, with the M+ Facade livestreaming their interactive cycling journeys in real-time on Friday nights, while pre-recorded versions are shown on other nights.

Technical Narrative
The visual framework draws upon cartographic principles, with the bicycle equipped with an iPad that displays the real cityscape alongside the routes being explored. Unlike previous versions with flat terrains, the intricate topography of Hong Kong introduced significant technical and creative challenges. The modified system now enables users to control direction, simulate cycling on varied slopes by adjusting elevation, and experience resistance, adding authenticity to the interaction. This enhances both the visual dynamics of the virtual environment and deepens the cycling experience, creating a more immersive and interactive engagement for the participants.

第一部分:項目概述

《可讀城市香港》是 Jeffrey Shaw 開創性的媒體藝術作品《可讀城市》(1989-1991)的最新演進版本,並與香港作家董啟章合作完成。該作品安裝於 M+ 博物館,邀請參觀者騎著一台與大螢幕相連的固定自行車,在大螢幕上顯示出香港的數位景觀。參觀者可以自由探索這個虛擬環境,每週五晚間,M+ 的外牆螢幕會同步直播他們的騎行互動過程,其他晚上則播放預先錄製的內容。

在這個版本中,Shaw 將都市景觀替換為三維的中文字,就像早期版本中將建築物替換為文字一樣。這些文字取材於董啟章的小說,並以精心重新排列的 3D 字體呈現,讓參與者可以在騎行過程中「閱讀」這座城市。每條路徑提供了不同的詮釋方式,突顯了文本與空間導航之間的關係。

第二部分:技術敘述

視覺框架借鑑了地圖製圖的原理,自行車上配備了一台 iPad,顯示真實的城市景觀以及探索中的路線。與先前平坦地形的版本不同,香港複雜的地貌為技術和創意帶來了顯著的挑戰。經過調整的系統現在允許用戶控制方向,模擬在不同坡度上的騎行,並通過調整高度來體驗阻力,從而增強了互動的真實感。這不僅豐富了虛擬環境的視覺動態,也深化了騎行體驗,使參與者能夠享受到更為沉浸且互動的參觀體驗。

Principal Investigator: Jeffrey SHAW

Collaborator: Dung Kai-cheung (Writer)

Partner: 

Date: 2024

Team: Cheong Tai Leong, Leoson (Application software), Kachi Chan (Hong Kong Type 3D font modelling), Dung Kai-cheung (Literary research), Jeffrey SHAW and Osage Art Foundation (Co-producers)

Hardware: Raspberry Pi, Bicycle (Elite Rizer, Elite Justo), Mac Studio, LED wall, iPad

Software: Data collection application on Raspberry Pi, Unity3D real-time interactive application

2024.07.19 - 10.06
M+ Found Space, Hong Kong, China

2024.07.19 - 10.27
M+ Façade, Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong Baptist University

Behind the Façade: Jeffrey Shaw’s ‘Legible City Hong Kong’. (2024, September 26). M Plus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0bvoDF2zpk

麥, 安. (2024年9月25日). 可讀城市與香港「字」. 信報財經月刊.
https://monthly.hkej.com/.../可讀城市與香港「字」

黃, 桂桂. (2024年9月23日). 當文字變成風景:M+互動媒體藝術作品《可讀城市 香港》重現香港字. 虛詞.文藝 Follow Me.
https://p-articles.com/one_take/4789.html

麥, 安. (2024年9月19日). 可讀城市與香港「字」. 藝術當下,跨媒體藝術.
https://bit.ly/3TB4COR

Tsui, E. (2024, July 29). Video game art on M+ facade sees players ‘cycle’ around Hong Kong in love letter to city. South China Morning Post.
https://www.scmp.com/.../video-game-art-m-facade-sees-players-cycle-around-hong-kong-love-letter-city

李, 相怡. (2024年7月15日). M+將呈獻互動媒體藝術作品《可讀城市 香港》邀觀眾重返19世紀香港. 橙新聞.
https://www.orangenews.hk/artanddesign/1231019

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