Hong Kong pulls plug on subversive light show counting down to the end of 'one country, two systems

Cleverly intermixed with Hong Kong's famous (and underwhelming) nightly light show, two artists' secret political message for the city has been unceremoniously and unsurprisingly snuffed out.

Last week, the facade of Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper, the ICC building, was lit up for nine minutes a night with a seemingly innocent string of nine random digits, as well as various other seemingly apolitical messages.



However, once the shows were underway, the artists revealed the true meaning of their work. The numbers represented a clock counting down by the second to July 1, 2047 -- the date that China's 50-year agreement to govern Hong Kong by the "one country, two systems" principle expires.

Dubbed the "Countdown Machine," the installation was the work of two local artists, Sampson Wong Yu-hin and Jason Lam Chi-fai, and was part of a larger public media art exhibition called "Human Vibrations" that was commissioned by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC).

However, on Sunday, the HKADC issued a statement, charging that the artists had changed both the title and statement of their work without first consulting them. The council said that this unsanctioned move was "jeopardizing our profession and put at risk any future possibility to work further in the public space." Therefore, while it was scheduled to run until June 22nd, the work has been cancelled.

http://shanghaiist.com/2016/05/24/hong_kong_countdown_cancelled.php