As we countdown the final days to The Conscious Festival Hong Kong, take a look through the artist lineup we’ve curated for an idea of what the music and art accompaniment will be like while you talk, shop, eat, drink, learn and play your way through the weekend.
We’ve so far delivered to you a lineup of talks, workshops, and activities as well as a list of all the shopping you can do at the event – but after all, we’re a festival and we have music too! The artists that come to The Conscious Festival Hong Kong are all impassioned, hugely talented and beloved contributors to the Green is the New Black mission – get to know them all, music and beyond, below.
ART
KATIE VAJDA
Vajda is an Australian artist who has lived and worked in Hong Kong for 10 years. Her fine art practice blends photography, performance, and observation to redefine and challenge where the human body fits within the lived paradigm while referencing and subverting current visual culture. Her Body Domestic series was conceived in 2015 and looks at socialisation and the transformation of female bodies into a location for, and expression of, politics within the domestic space. Moving through many iterations, this new work ‘Body Domestic – Plastic’ looks at plastics glossy promise versus the looming environmental crisis and the endemic nature of the material in daily life as it makes its way into the human body. This dystopian view makes visible certain fears for the future, with a heavy nod to advertising culture and some visual references to the 1950s which brought in the dawn of throw away living – planned obsolescence. It is a collaborative work with HK environmental activist and friend Cristina McLauchlan.
JO FARRELL
Since 2005, Jo Farrell has been working on a long-term project of documenting and celebrating the lives of the last remaining women with bound feet in China. In 2015, Jo first traveled to Myanmar and has returned a dozen times to capture on film the women of the Chin and Kayan tribes in remote areas of this wonderful, spiritual land and through her work, she looks at traditions that have been alive for centuries that are now deemed unacceptable. The award-winning black and white photographer and cultural anthropologist has captured the last remaining women with bound feet, the Chin women with tattooed faces and the Kayan women with brass coils around their necks, legs, and arms. Her work embodies anthropology—interviews into the women’s lives, video of them talking about the details of their beauty practice and black & white photographs showing the intensely personal details of their body modifications. They bare witness to their own stories as an anthology of women who have been through these traditions, humanizing these traditions and creating a historical account for generations to come.
TANJA WESSELS
Journalist, activist, and artist Tanja Wessels writes for a number of publications on art, lifestyle, and sustainability and specializes in eco-anxiety, a chronic concern over environmental issues. A founder of Circular Community Hong Kong and creator of social media platform, All In – Asia, Tanja’s artistic collaboration with photographer Alex Macro started a year ago. Alex Macro is an award-winning photographer whose work has appeared on Walls, in galleries, magazines, and billboards. He uses his experience with big brands to campaign for the environment and the people who struggle to live in it. At the festival, they will be showcasing a series of images entitled called Eco Atrophy that highlights the plight of waste with a high art approach, everything from Hong Kong’s backstreets to studios serve to bring the two worlds together.
VERONIQUE KATHRINA JONASSEN
Veronique Kathrina Jonassen is a French-Norwegian artist based in Hong Kong. She was born on the west coast of Norway, raised in Togo, educated in France and in the US, and now been living and working in Asia for more than ten years. Veronique has explored many countries and cultures, which are her source of inspiration. Fascinated by the icy cold Northern landscapes, she is also passionate about dancing and colorful ethnic patterns, all visible in her art. With a focus on movement, light, and nature, her work reflects her belief that painting is this incredible and colorful place where there are no rules to follow and no limits to how far our imagination can travel.
ALEXANDRE TESSLER
Alexandre Tessler is a Brazilian photographer specializing in wedding and family photography. With his documentary photo style, Alexandre has received several international awards and became an important artist in Brazil concerning wedding and family photography. He is always traveling around the world looking for different histories and cultures to learn more about and shoot them. Telling stories is the main goals of his photographs and the ‘Your Eyes’ project that he will be presenting at the festival was born of an idea to eternize in photos the routine of families, as they are constituted by parents, grandparents, friends or any other relationship that can have true love. In addition to having environmental awareness behavior, educating children is also important so that they will
have respect with our planet.
MUSIC
AFTER AFTER PARTY
Are you finding it difficult to find nice friends? Are you actively looking to get laid? Frustrated by Hong Kongʼs taxi drivers? Trying very hard to take a good selfie? If so, After-After-Party may just be the soundtrack to your life. Formed by Yanyan Pang, Cory Pearce and Jaedyn Yu, these three slightly bent individuals love loud music and cheap laughs. Get ready for a comic power punch straight across your face.
Catch After After Party on Saturday at 1:15pm
AMEYOM & MAT LUI
This duo is made up of Genevieve (ameyom) who has studied music from Veracruz, Brazil, and Ghana, among other places, since her youth and Mat Lui, a Hong Kong-based bass player and composer who has a degree in jazz from Berklee (US). Genevieve is known for fusing cultures and rhythms into jazz and folk on the violin and vocals and Mat for adding a jazzy expertise to their tracks.
Watch the Ameyom & Mat Lui on Saturday at 2:15pm
THE CHATURANG PROJECT
Organized by Dr. Andre Elias, a faculty member of the HKBU Music Department, The Chaturang Project is a Hong Kong-based collective specializing in Indian classical music and other improvisatory forms. The purpose is to bring these complex and creative musical styles to a broad Hong Kong audience and build connections to other improvisatory genres both traditional and modern.
Catch The Chaturang Project on Saturday at 3:15pm
THE FOSSIL FOOLS
The Fossil Fools was formed especially for the Conscious Festival and features Geoff King Luk on the guitar, Roz on the Cajon and Jo leading vocals. Specializing in folk songs and ballads, their songs are carefully chosen in hopes of echoing the eco-friendly theme of this festival.
Watch The Fossil Fools on Saturday at 4.15pm
KEVIN
Kevin is from Panama and brings with him music to tickle your taste buds.
See Kevin on Saturday at 5.15pm
HAKK
HAKK (aka Hakgwai) is a multi-instrumentalist from Hong-Kong who loves life and love to share life. His mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum.
See Hakk on Saturday at 6.15pm
MARIA + SHAFIN
Maria and Shafin met last year and have so far just watched each other perform but are joining hands together for the first time at The Conscious Festival. Actor and singer, Shafin is a vocalist for Hong Kong bands The852 and MKD2 and has been performing in musical theater and film in Hong Kong since 2009. Maria Lavergne is a French Lebanese vocalist. Her passion for singing started early on when she created the band MASK with her friends and then took a long break to fulfill her career in jewelry designing. Currently, she performs both solo and collaborates with bands and artists.
Don’t miss Maria + Shafin on Sunday at 1.15pm
ARIZTON AND KAREN
Arizton and Karen became friends over similar musical tastes a few years back. Since then, they’ve been performing laid back pop and R’n’B covers at local events regularly. You can likely catch them hanging around Aftermath bar and Peel Fresco.
Catch Arizton and Karen on Sunday at 2.15pm
DARREN TERRY
Light acoustic pop covers of John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams and more.
Watch Darren Terry on Sunday at 3.15pm
FIDELA AND IRIS
Fidela and Iris are a dynamic acoustic duo that formed in 2012. They first began playing acoustic covers together and soon began to take advantage of each other’s musical talents to create music of their own. With themes that relate to daily life, the environment, and society, their soothing harmonic melodies make great easy listening folk-pop tunes.
Fidela and Iris perform on Sunday at 4.15pm
CLOVER LEI
Clover Lei writes songs anytime, anywhere – whether she’s waiting on the platform for the metro, shopping for snacks, or hiking alongside Peru’s breath-taking Machu-Picchu, inspiration hits her without notice and she always answers its call. Through music, Clover invites you into her unique universe where she is alternately sassy diva and sarcastic cynic. For her, legends like Amy Winehouse, Tom Waits, and Erykah Badu inspire and motivate her, as she writes, riffs, and remixes.
Clover Lei hits the stage on Sunday 5.15pm
The Conscious Festival by Green Is The New Black takes place on Saturday 13th April & Sunday 14th April 2019 at the Kerry Hotel 38 號 Hung Luen Rd, Hung Hom Bay, Hong Kong. Find more information on talks, speakers, and the festival schedule here. Don’t forget to register for free entry to the festival here and pick up tickets for TALKS here.
