Failures
Birch has initiated a number of projects that have failed to reach exhibition. While some were only proposals, others were developed close to completion. The reasons for failure are many but ostensibly money, time, and, in particular for Hong Kong, space are the leading problems.
It offers interesting insight into what could have been and perhaps, what may come in the future….
The Meteor
The Meteor is to be a 30,000sq ft, temporary structure, that houses a large, multi screened video installation. The film continues to be developed under the ‘Parasite project’ banner.
The project was proposed for the vacant land at West Kowloon, site of the future cultural district project for Hong Kong but was turned down by the West Kowloon Cultural District authority, specifically the team building the M+ modern art museum, and we continue to look for an empty piece of land where it might be built.
The Tiger
Originally proposed for the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The tiger was to be an installation comprising of a live tiger that would stalk the exhibition rooms of the museum, with its movements cleverly restricted by a hidden system. The tiger would never truly be in reach of the audience.
The Museum turned the project down due to health and safety concerns.
A compromise was proposed by replacing it with a horse. Also turned down for the same reasons.
A further compromise was offered by exhibiting all the parts necessary to make a tiger using skin, bones, etc from dead tigers. Refused on same grounds.
And the final proposal was to simply film the tiger and have it projected on the blank exterior walls of the museum at night. This was refused due to rules governing the display of materials on the exterior of the museum that were not generated by the museum.
Death drives a German car
Birch attempted to start a project where vehicles in his possession and of others were given a series of license plates with cryptic words. A new scheme in Hong Kong allowed vehicle owners to choose their own letters and numbers rather than the previous standard 2 letters and 4 random numbers.
Many cars have appeared in the city since then with words such as ‘HAPPY’, ‘BANANA’, ‘SUCCESS’. Etc
Birch began applying for perhaps more provocative words, ‘DEATH’, ‘HORROR’, ‘CANCER’, etc. All were turned down on the grounds of being offensive.
Death in an Italian Car
Birch purchased a 1980 Ferrari Mondial with the intention of driving the car and crashing it at high speed, in the darkness. Hoping to have the car roll numerous times, the car would be prepared with explosives to force a violent end.
The project would have culminated in a multi screen video installation of the vehicle moving through space and being destroyed in super slow motion. The wreckage would have been displayed as sculpture also.
Authorities refused to allow the crash to happen on public roads and while an alternative was explored, it was discovered that another artist, Dirk Skreber, had already produced a similar installation.
This project will hopefully proceed with some conceptual and presentation re-approach.
The 14th Factory
A guerilla project worked out in an abandoned building in Yau Tong in Kowloon, Hong Kong. This large old shipping warehouse was to be divided into various installations, 14 rooms over 3 floors. The project discussed British colonial history at the time of the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the formation of Hong Kong itself. The title refers to the 13 factories, a trade district in Guangzhou in the mid 19th century.
The project was developed and a group of enthusiastic volunteers were ready for action as materials were prepared. It was to be installed over a number of days in secret, to be advertised covertly and anonymously.
Sadly, only days before the project was to be initiated, developers tore the building down.
The project sleeps until another suitable venue is found.
The Ironman
Originally a major part of the Hope and Glory, The Ironman was a film and performance and documentary all in one. A man, Brian Downes of Hawaii, was employed to train for 6 months to compete and finish an Ironman race, consisting of running, cycling and swimming a huge distance. Mr Downes kept a daily video record of his activity and was directed by Birch as he monitored progress. Mr Downes would have then been exhibited at Hope and Glory where he would continue his work by allowing the audience to instruct him to perform physical feats of their choice (sprinting around the show, push ups, etc).
Though the film exists it was sadly cut short after many months after Mr Downes sustained a serious injury while training and almost broke his neck. His race dream sadly came to an end but we are happy to say he has since made a full recovery.
Nike Olympics
Simon was approached by Nike to build a large art installation at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in the style of his previous projects, with multiple rooms and media. It was to be an art installation of multiple parts that all related to sport. Nike decided not to go ahead with any such project.
Japan China
In 2007 Birch planned a group show to combine installation artists from both Japan and China. With so much volatility between the two countries over hundreds of years, such a show could go in many directions. Some artists were expected to collaborate, others to show side by side, all responding to the theme of their complex, intertwined histories.
The project was shelved due to financial restrictions.
Denim
Birch was commissioned by a denim brand to produce a complex multimedia art exhibition that would respond to the brand. Birch collaborated with noted photographer Wing Shya. Birch took large quantities of the brand’s denim and distressed it in most unusual ways. It was laid down entire streets and modified Japanese cars were allowed to race and spin on its surface. It was rolled around boulders that were pushed off cliffs. It carpeted the artist’s studio while paint splattered upon it daily. It was hung on city walls where urban artists covered it with graffiti. It was shot at with various guns, even once while the artist wore it over a bullet proof vest. A few more bizarre treatments were shot by Wing with Birch art directing. The damaged denim was then to be turned into pairs of jeans that could be displayed alongside photo documentation of the process that created them.
Sadly the brand encountered management shake up and budget cuts and the project, with some dozen further treatments, was never completed.
Parasite
Birch proposed to build a temporary structure attached to the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Science. A bulbous, alien looking organism, it would also appear on other specific buildings around Hong Kong, as if a virus had landed from outer space and was spreading around the city.
Sadly the heritage nature of the site would not allow the lightweight sculpture to be attached, especially in a city beset by regular typhoons.
Commissioned installation
A large property developer commissioned Birch to propose a number of sculptures and installations to be placed around a new shopping mall development.
A number of concepts were presented including huge handguns made from toys, a large black monolith with embedded screens that showed complex films all shot on the streets of Hong Kong, a hanging star made from a specific type of LED sign making material that showed constant poetic sentences, a walk in infinity mirror environment which allowed the viewer to see themselves from all angles, repeated endlessly into the distance, and many more.
All were rejected as the developer chose a designer whos interior decoration was more subtle.
Venice Biennale
Birch has applied to represent Hong Kong at Venice 3 times. First with a complex installation project that became Azhanti High Lightning, second with a reworking of Hope and Glory and lastly with the Parasite project original planned for the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Science. All were rejected, no reason given.