Climbing Mt Snowdon 100 times

A performative photographic art project

Snowdon 100 –  by Simon Wan

Starting from April 13th, I will climb Mount Snowdon in Wales 100 times in one single push, and take one picture every time I summit.

My name is Simon Wan; I am an artist from Hong Kong. It is a performative art project, addressing the role of fate in photography and in life, and also the value and ownership of artwork.

You might be thinking, climbing the same mountain 100 times sounds repetitive, and indeed, so does taking 100 pictures from the same spot. But no one can step into the same river twice. The static appearance of a mountain is deceptive; you see a different one every time you look.

But Simon, you say, anyone can get to the top of Snowdon by taking the train; and anyone can take the very same photo as you. Wouldn’t that make it a pointless exercise? Well, is a life’s meaningfulness measured by the ends, or can it also be measured through the means?

Natural Inaction

Photographers waits with their finger on the shutter, but we cannot “create” but only “capture” images; it is ultimately a passive medium. The very action of pressing the shutter is an act of faith; I am at the mercy of my subject. In accepting the natural passivity of photography, I surrender myself to the natural Way of things.

A meal for a print

I am asking for your (British Chinese, Chinese who spend some part of their life in the UK) help to buy me a meal during the course of this project; in exchange for HK$200 / 20 pounds (per meal), you will get and name one of the 100 prints I make of the photographs of the summit. This print, which will be named after you, will later be archived in the permanent collection of a museum.

Growing up in colonial Hong Kong was a unique experience; not only did local and British culture mix, some moved from Hong Kong to the UK for the sake of a better life, an effort to change their fate. I was one of them.

Because I too gave up parts of my culture to grow up under the auspices of the waning British empire, the participation of fellow British-Chinese in “Mt Snowdon” (the project and the mountain) by buying me a meal and symbolically breaking bread together makes us closer than just sharing a cultural label. When you name the print, the collective memory is made physical. This print, along with the 99 others, will be archived later, a tangible reminder of a time that doesn’t exist anymore.

If you are British Chinese, or you spend some time living in the UK, if you interested in being part for the project, places pick your number and contact us asap !!

Email: [email protected]

Contact : +852 6136 5800 HK mobile
0758 874 9624 UK mobile

今年的四月十三號， 我將會到英國威爾士北部，連續攀爬「斯諾丹山 Mt Snowdon」100次！ 而每次登頂將會拍一張照片。

我是《香港》藝術家尹子聰，是次視覺x行為藝術創作，旨在帶出攝影與命運及其意義的微妙關係，並以大眾參與的方式，對藝術品的價值與擁有以另一個角度呈現。

華人飄洋過海，從十九世紀的商貿船運水手開始、到晚清民初年幼學子放洋到英國希望能學成歸來改變國家的命運。

到戰後的五、六十年代， 香港新界鄉間的原居民，離鄉別井。到英國尋找工作機會。在隨後的數十年，香港的經濟開始改善亦因着華人公務員子弟的福利優惠，為數不少的年青男女赴英留學。

到異鄉希望尋找更好的生活，希望改變命運。有選擇留低的、有選擇回來的、有的只是過客，生命的一部份在這異鄕中渡過。

現在我誠意徵集在英華人，或曾在英國居住的你，成為這作品的一部份！以一餐飯的價錢（港幣$200 / 20 英鎊 ）資助我，而我會把100張 Mt Snowdon 作品的其中一張送贈給你以示謝意。而該作品更會以你命名。如果你不介意， 希望你能分享你在英國的故事。

曾為英國殖民地的香港，造就了港人赴英改變命運的歲月。土生土長的我，帶着100個名字，登英國Mt Snowdon 100次 。

如果你是英國華僑或曾在英國生活的，而又有興趣資助的，請揀取你的心水號碼 （1 至100） 盡快聯絡我們！

電郵: [email protected]

+852 6136 5800 HK mobile 

0758 874 9624   UK mobile