Prison Architect takes inspiration from the somber histories of the Victoria Prison, located in the earliest penal structure complex built in Hong Kong under British colonial rule. The work was filmed on the site of the original prison, which today houses an important part of the Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts, opened in June 2018 after ten years of restoration work.
The two protagonists – an architect and a prisoner living in parallel realities in the present time and an ambiguous distanced past, respectively – conjure up imaginations and experiences of imprisonment. In their dialogue across space and time they debate the relations between humans, the world, and freedom. They talk of visible and invisible imprisonment, existentialism as a means of self-redemption, and at the same time question the relationship of humans to the space around them. An attempt at reconciliation with the world and human nature.
Prison Architect is inspired by “The Comfort of Captivity”, a short story by Hu Fang.
by
Cao Fei
Hong Kong, China / People’s Republic of China 2018
Cantonese, English
59’ · Colour
Valerie Chow Kar Ling (Architect)Kwan Sheung Chi (Poet)Wong Ting Kong (Junior Prison Officer)Cheung Ho Kit (Prison Officer)Wong Ting Pong (Prisoner)Tsui Ka Lok (Prisoner)Lo Ka Chun (Prisoner)Wong Hei Nam (Prisoner)Andrew Kwok (Prisoner)Lee Wai Shing (Prisoner)Wong Hing Kok (Prisoner)Chung Chee Ching (Conductor)
Cao Fei, born in Guangzhou, China in 1978 is an artist currently living in Beijing. Her films and installations have been showcased at a number of international biennials and triennials and major museums.
Filmography (selection)2006 Whose Utopia; 20 min. 2007 i.Mirror; 28 min. 2013 Haze and Fog; 60 min. 2018 Asia One; video installation 2019 Prison Architect
Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2019
Tai Kwun Contemporary
Vitamin Creative Space