Creative youth speak I Rock Color · Erosion

How will creators living in Hong Kong depict Hong Kong in their eyes? This issue of Creative Youth will focus on two works created by Xu Zhilin, a fifth generation student of Creative 100 from Hong Kong and a master's student at Jinan University. The first work is "Hong Kong Charm and Colors", in which Xu Zhilin attempts to combine traditional rock color painting materials with her unique observation of Hong Kong to depict her view of Hong Kong. The screen is mainly composed of Hong Kong's architectural complexes and cross sea bridges, with a blue-green tone symbolizing the city's nature and vitality. The orange and green accents echo the neon lights of the street market and the vitality of the countryside, while the collage of gold and silver foil forms a dialogue between tradition and modernity - the brilliance of gold foil showcases the prosperous scenery of the financial center, while silver foil outlines the modernity and alienation of the urban steel forest with a cold luster. And when we get closer to the painting, we can see that the image is not flat, but has uneven and grainy texture, which is exactly the special feature of rock painting. Rock color, as the name suggests, is a painting made by grinding natural minerals into powder and blending them with resin. It has rich colors and natural materials, and is one of the oldest painting methods of human beings, dating back to the painted pottery of the Banpo period. Through the heavy texture of rock colors and the experimental use of composite materials, Xu Zhilin not only presents the unique visual characteristics of Hong Kong, but also attempts to express her complex emotions towards Hong Kong: she not only reminisces about the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong's urban life, but also reinterprets the city's diverse landscape from a detached perspective.

The second piece of work, 'Etch Between', is a sculptural jewelry piece. Xu Zhilin's inspiration comes from "ocean tides eroding shells", using "natural erosion" as a metaphor for the growth of life. She uses copper as the base material and the stability of copper to maintain the durability of the jewelry design; Then coat the surface with silver to simulate the pearl like appearance of shells. Xu Zhilin believes that everyone is like a mollusk in the sea. The hardships and encounters in life are like sand grains and tides constantly washing away. But these hardships are not a bad thing, just like shells slowly wrap the invading sand particles into pearls, and the scars in growth can also be transformed into pearls in the soul.

Whether it's painting rock colors or making sculpture jewelry, Xu Zhilin is doing the same thing: using ancient language to speak the voice of modern people. For her, rock colors are not just pigments, they are codes passed down from ancient times; Copper and silver are not just metals, they are carriers for recording traces of life.

The Cultural Heritage and Creative Industry Research Institute of Jinan University has launched a video program called "Creative Youth Talks", which will officially open in 2025. Through the first perspective of designers and inheritors, this article explores the cultural context and creative thinking behind the work, and explores the transformation path of traditional craftsmanship in contemporary contexts. Welcome to the "folk art heritage" official account for subscription. More exciting content is being updated continuously.