The man who attends to the times

看管時間的人

這是由 29本手造書組成的系列，書中有兩條時間線：

​1971年 – 2000年：追溯當了29年看管員的父親與工作的地方 – 政府物料供應處（藝術空間油街實現的前身）的故事，透過訪問前同事和現場考察，為幾乎沒有留下歷史檔案的港英政府的倉庫重組歷史碎片，以尋找政府公物上「↑」符號的意義 。
2018年 – 2046年：我承襲父親走路上班的傳說，沿路拍攝。我也化身看管員，每年按當時的觀看方式，把影像製成貼紙更新書下半部的人事風景，像年度的儀式， 以個人的視覺檔案，紀錄回歸後城市的變化，建構歷史一面。

攝影在這裡不只是影像，它是一個行動，孤本的書藉代表了對一個父親與看管員的時間紀念碑。這也是一個時間的實驗，我可以做到29年的看管員嗎？

The man who attends to the times

This is a series of 29 artist books. The books are composed with two timelines:

1971-2000: Firstly, I untrace the story behind my father’s workplace. For 29 years, my father worked as a caretaker at the Government Supplies Department (the predecessor of Oil Street Art Space, which also occupied the vacant site for 2 years in the late-1990s). Through interviewing ex-colleagues and making site visits, I recollect the history of this colonial government warehouse, which was virtually undocumented previously. I uncover the meaning of the ↑ symbol found on many government supplies to connect the whole story. 

2018 – 2046: I follow in my father’s footsteps on his daily commute from home in Chai Wan to his workplace in Fortress Hill. I use this journey as a basis for new stories and tales to compose the remainder of the book, which is a continuing project until 2046. I document the journey, using photographs and photo-stickers to represent a yearly observation to annually update one book. The ceremonial act of producing annual records creates a visual history of the city since the 1997 return of Hong Kong to the mainland. The insertion of such personal documents gives a reinterpretation of the two timelines of history. Photography is not just images but becomes an action; the unique-edition book represents a monument to my father, both as a father and as a caretaker. This is also a personal experiment about time: can I be a caretaker for 29 years?​

At present, the 2018, 2019, 2020 versions have been completed.