《 LIFE (CYCLE) OF THE HONG KONG NEWT 》

策展人語

《一生螈命》是香港瘰螈一生的故事。

「清明時節雨紛紛，迷霧閉鎖飛鵝山，那夜凌晨，行車道上竟滿佈香港瘰螈的屍體。」那是沉重的一晚。

香港瘰螈（音:裸原），是原生於香港的一種兩棲類動物，是蛙的近親。整段生命水陸兩棲：首先是夾在溪流植物間的卵，及後破殼而出是有金黃色外鰓的幼體，成體兩棲於溪流及林地，習慣夏季棲於陸上，冬季棲於溪流，徒步往返而行。

萬萬想不到，香港瘰螈徒步路經樹林邊緣的馬路時，紛紛被車輾斃。這更不是個別事件，年復年，受害者眾。

「我在霧中前行，但我總是低著頭數算著有多少瘰螈的屍體，還想看看哪裡還有倖存者。」受法例保護的香港瘰螈集體死於路上，路邊仍有倖存者，趕緊將牠移離馬路。

香港是個毗鄰郊野卻高度城市化的地方，我們很容易忽略野生動物的存在，忽略了怎樣與牠們相處。展覽團隊構想了一場屬於香港瘰螈的展覽，我們以畫作、攝影、紀錄短片及裝置藝術，探索香港瘰螈非凡的生命歷程，窺探牠的日常生活，經歷牠所處的險境，並回應相關的保育議題。

Curator’s Word

This is the story of the Hong Kong Newt's entire life.

“In the midst of a drizzling Qingming season, with mist enveloping Kowloon Peak, an unfortunate night unfolded where the road became littered with lifeless bodies of Hong Kong Newts.”

The Hong Kong Newt is a native amphibian species found in Hong Kong, closely related to frogs. Their life cycle encompasses both aquatic and terrestrial stages. They begin as eggs nestled among stream vegetation, hatch into larvae with distinctive golden external gills, and eventually mature into adults that inhabit both streams and forests. In summer, they stay on land, while in winter, they retreat into the streams, traversing their habitats on their tiny little feet.

Unexpectedly, as the newts cross the roads cutting through our forests, they fall victim to cars. This is not an isolated incident; year after year, numerous individuals suffer the same fate.

“As I ventured forward through the mist, my gaze fixed downward, meticulously counting the newt carcasses strewn about, hoping to spot any survivors.” Despite legal protection, the collective demise of these Hong Kong Newts on the roads is striking, while a few fortunate ones still cling to life on the roadside, necessitating their swift relocation away from vehicular traffic.

Hong Kong, a place where urbanisation coexists with nature, often leads us to overlook the presence of wildlife and how to harmoniously coexist with them. Our exhibition team has conceived a unique showcase dedicated to the Hong Kong Newt. Through the mediums of paintings, photography, short film, and installation art, we aim to explore the extraordinary life journey of these newts, offering insight into their daily existence, the perils they encounter, and addressing pertinent conservation concerns.

Click image below directing to the crowdfunding page!

一生螈命 - 生態影像藝術展

Life (cycle) of the Hong Kong Newt