M+ Cinema: The dust and rebirth of light and shadow memories

Film and fashion are often indissociable, and sometimes they are muses.

The brand history of fashion luxury brand CHANEL has always been quite related to the art of film. From the Golden Age of Hollywood to the French New Wave and later avant-garde films, Ms. Gabrielle Chanel's life has seen the film industry evolve. And she herself not only established long-term friendships with the avant-garde directors of the 1960s, but also created classic looks on the screen and in life for many female stars at that time, achieving their personal style. Today, CHANEL continues the heritage of the brand's founder in artistic sponsorship, continues to promote innovation and exchange in the field of culture and art, and has brought a series of new art and cultural projects to the film field in recent years.

In July, M+ Hong Kong's Museum of Contemporary Visual Culture announced a three-year partnership with CHANEL. The collaboration includes the title support for the position of "M+ CHANEL Moving Image Lead Curator," currently held by Silke Schmickl, who will lead the development of the museum's moving image collection, commissioned works, films and curatorial programming, and curate the activities of the M+ Moving Image Center. At the same time, CHANEL will support M+ Cinema's two existing select shows in the next three years, "Hook and Pearl" and "Afterimage Photo". Both shows are permanent series of M+ Cinemas, the former focusing on re-screening of restored classics and forgotten masterpieces, while the latter is a selection of film masterpieces and experimental works that cross the boundaries of form and concept.

In addition, the collaboration will add two important projects: the "M+ Restored" project, which aims to preserve Hong Kong's rich film culture and history, and the "Asian Avant-Garde Film Circulation Library", which recognizes and celebrates Asia's pioneering film artists, so as to deepen the public's interest and understanding of film culture and inspire the next generation of artists. and driving the development of moving images in Asia and around the world.

More than a year after the opening of M+ Cinema, how has M+ CHANEL Mobile Image Chief Curator Su Xiaoqi led this "cinema in a museum" to the audience in the past year? For the ambitious partnership plan in the next three years, how does she plan to lead the team to inherit this rich film legacy and once again stimulate the new energy of Asian cinema? A few days ago, on the above issues, Su Xiaoqi accepted an exclusive interview with the 21st Century Business Herald.

A "theater" that does not play commercial cards

The 80s and 90s were the golden years of Hong Kong cinema that people are most familiar with. At that time, the Hong Kong film industry had an annual output of more than 300 films and more than 20,000 film employees, and its influence swept Asia and even the world, which can be called "Hollywood of the East". Whether it is Bruce Lee's kung fu films, Jackie Chan's action movies, or Stephen Chow's comedies, countless movie stars and their classic scenes are deeply imprinted in the memories of that generation of audiences, achieving an enduring Hong Kong film feeling.

In Su's view, Hong Kong's unique urban topography and vibrant creative energy have inspired countless classic screen stories and made many directors and actors have a huge impact around the world. "There is no doubt that Hong Kong is one of the most iconic film cities in the world," she said. Working at M+, a museum home to the work of important local moving image artists, gave me the opportunity to screen and delve into Hong Kong cinema, which was an unparalleled experience. ”

M+ Cinemas officially opened to the public on June 8, 2022, but the schedule of this "cinema" has been different from ordinary commercial cinemas since its debut. In addition to screening experimental films and moving video works, M+ Cinema will also screen restored classic Hong Kong films and video works echoing the M+ exhibition and collection series.

"As a cinema in a museum, M+ is interested in the history and latest developments in Hong Kong cinema, so we have screened a large number of different types of Hong Kong films during the film season to reflect these elements. From iconic classic Hong Kong films such as "Infernal Affairs", to feature films by veteran filmmakers such as Hui Anhua and Wong Kar-wai, to some ongoing emerging artist commissions. Su Xiaoqi also said that as an institution focusing on visual culture and art collection, the close cooperation between artists and filmmakers can not only broaden people's perspective and understanding of visual cultural creative practices, but also jump out of the traditional framework of the industry to create new works, and narrow the connection between different art categories.

Film restoration became the new trend

In recent years, the trend of restoring Hong Kong films has gradually flourished. There are also more and more people who realize that the social value of classic art films is far greater than their commercial value. Therefore, whether in some large-scale international film festivals or film-themed exhibitions at home and abroad, more and more units focusing on the restoration of old films are set up.

Su Xiaoqi pointed out: "Film restoration is indeed an important work beyond the material preservation of film film. It is important to keep the film legacy alive so that future generations can appreciate and learn about their city's past. No other medium conveys the spirit of the times as intuitively as moving images. As an art museum, we can mobilize our own collection and archival resources to provide more context for these video works. We collect small objects such as movie posters and photographic sets and display them alongside the film. Preserving these classic films also allows us to see the evolution of filmmaking and make this evolution tangible and concrete. Every time you turn on the projector, the work comes back to life again, just as it did when it was first created. ”

However, although there are many people who pay attention to film restoration, due to the huge film restoration project and the use of professional restoration technology, most of the well-known commercial film works that can be restored are usually restored. However, Su Xiaoqi told reporters that in this newly launched "M+ Restoration" plan, they will give priority to the target of restoration on Hong Kong films that do not necessarily enjoy high popularity, but have high artistic value. She said: "For the Hong Kong Film Restoration Project, we are in continuous in-depth communication with our colleagues responsible for the collection and preservation of Hong Kong films to draw up the list of selected works. We focus on films that have high artistic value and importance in the history of Hong Kong cinema, especially those that were not produced by major studios – films that are more vulnerable to loss if they are not properly restored. ”

Su Xiaoqi told reporters that a professional team composed of M+ curators and film conservation staff is currently developing a practical "M+ Restoration" plan roadmap, which will cover different restoration theory schools and restoration traditions to determine whether the involvement of new technologies will be added throughout the "M+ Restoration" plan. "It is important for us to work closely with the International Film Restoration Laboratory to determine whether new technologies and new means will be used to carry out basic restoration work to achieve the best restoration quality, that is, to be faithful to the look and feel of the original, based on their recommendations, the specifics of the film and the opinions of the filmmakers or their representatives," she said. ”

She also revealed that the scheme will also invite other institutions such as the Hong Kong Film Archive that have been working for many years to preserve Hong Kong's iconic film heritage. "As a museum, we can provide expertise in the preservation of film material and provide a framework for research and curatorial to give these restored films a new lease of life outside of the usual channels of film distribution." In the future, the restored films will also be part of M+'s own programmes and off-site screenings or exhibitions, and they plan to share the research and stories behind the restored films with audiences in public programs and online "M+ Magazine".

Break through traditional lens experimentation

Usually, people have a relatively simple understanding and concept of "movie", that is, a film and television clip that tells the cause and effect of something over a period of time. But for artists, the form and content of the film can completely subvert the imagination, or be bolder and more "avant-garde".

Famous American artist Andy Warhol has produced hundreds of experimental video works in his underground studio. These experimental works often consist of loose, improvised scenes, such as his production of Sleep (1964), which captures the sleeping posture of his poet John Giorno in a super long shot of 5 hours and 20 minutes. This type of experimental footage and avant-garde film has greatly broadened people's imagination of film, but there is still no systematic research and collection program in Asia. Another new project cooperated by CHANEL and M+, "Asian Avant-garde Film Exchange Library", can make up for the gap of Asian avant-garde films to a certain extent.

Su Xiaoqi pointed out: "The definition of avant-garde film is very broad, and the experimental films, video art, documentaries, performance films and animation that we are working on are all counted in this list. We are interested in moving images that formally and conceptually challenge the classic moving images, often produced outside the framework of the mature film industry, and that respond to pressing social issues of the moment. Creating outside the frame requires creativity, courage, and collaboration, qualities common to most avant-garde films. She emphasized that as an important collection building program, the "Asian Avant-garde Film Exchange Library" can not only strengthen the M+ collection, but also contribute to the preservation and research of Asian films, and create more new opportunities for future scholarship and curatorial exhibitions.

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