Miracle Horse

Freeman Lau (Hong Kong, China)

Born in 1958 in Hong Kong, Freeman Lau was graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic, the current Hong Kong Polytechnic University which has a high reputation on design education. He started his career by joining SS Design & Production and became the Art Director in 1985. In 1988, he joined Kan Tai-keung Design & Associates Ltd. He has become the Partner of "Kan & Lau Design Consultants" ever since 1996.

Freeman has won numerous design awards which prove his international success. To name a few, these awards include Silver Award in International Book Design Exhibition, Leipzig Germany (89); Bronze Award in Typodirectionim Tokyo (93); Outstanding Graphic Designer – the Louis Cartier Award of Excellence (95); Porsche Design ‘Creative Energy' Award (98); Golden Bee Awards, Moscow (00); Singapore Design Award (00); The Mayor of Nagahama Prize, Japan Poster Grandprix (00); First Prize in poster design competition of ‘Beijing's Bid for the 2008 Olympic Games' (01); Best Sport Poster, Lahti Poster Biennale, Finland (01) and etc. His remarkable achievement is fully recognized by the society while he was awarded Ten Outstanding Young Persons (97) and Outstanding PolyU Alumni Awards (01).

In 2004, Freeman achieved another milestone by designing the Watson's Water Bottle awarded the international "Bottlewaterworld Design Awards" (04). He has created a model of symbiosis between art, culture, design and business acumen; which significantly increased the brand's share of market. It is also regarded as a contribution to the local cultural movement while creative talents from different sectors were invited to design iconic labels for the bottle. Many local citizens got to know these talents through the daily products. His design of Watson's Water Bottle awarded Outstanding Greater China Design Awards, Hong Kong Communication Art Centre (06). His contribution to design is appreciated and awarded Lifelong Design and Art Achievement Award in the 3rd (jiajun) International Exhibition of Design and Art in China (08).

Freeman's contribution to the society is not limited to his own designs. He devoted himself to many public services such as being the chairman of Hong Kong Design Association (HKDA) and co-founding ‘Design: Hong Kong' in 1990's. The major research report by ‘Design: Hong Kong' has statistically proved the huge labor force of design sectors in Hong Kong and marked the potentials of Hong Kong Design industry. It is not too much to claim that design practitioners have gained greater respect from the government after the release of the report.

Freeman also concerns about the development of design education in Hong Kong. He chaired the Advisory Committee on Design (2004-07), as well as being the adjunct professor of School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is frequently invited by local and overseas institutions such as the 1st World Logo Design Biennial in Belgium for guest lectures.

He often provides professional services to NGOs such as Friend of The Earth, World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong and World Vision-30 Hour Famine. Ms. Mei Ng, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Friends of The Earth's, has once said that ‘Freeman is truly a Friend of the Planet Earth'. In 2008, he is a Trustee Member of the WWF Hong Kong.

Currently, Freeman is the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hong Kong Design Centre. The annual event ‘Business of Design Week' (BODW) held by the organization is regarded as one of the most successful ones in Asia. Freeman's contribution in enhancing the identity of Hong Kong design and in promoting design education is recognized by the Hong Kong government and he was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2006. Since 2007, Freeman has become the director of Beijing Creative Centre. It is expected that his vision and experience will be valuable to the development of China's Creative Industries.

Besides, Freeman exerts genuine assertiveness in Fine Arts. He sculptural works and public art pieces are especially remarkable. He has been awarded the Fine Prize in Sculpture Section, Philippe Charriol's Modern Art Competition (92); Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennale Award (94); Urban Council Sculpture Design Award (94); Artist of the Year, Hong Kong Artists Guild (97); Winner of International Fellowship and Residency Program (97-98) and etc. He has been commissioned for creating artwork for public spaces like Hong Kong Central Library, Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Yat Tung Estate, Tung Chung Area. His works have been exhibited and collected internationally such as Arezzo – Museum of Contemporary Gold Jewellery Art in Italy; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the University of Hawaii Art Gallery.

‘Chairplay' series is the most representative of his creations. His conceptual approach to chair design has altered one's perception about the daily objects. The series of works has been exhibited in Hong Kong, Japan, Beijing, Taipei, DDD Gallery in Osaka and Shizuoka University of Art and Culture. In 2004, Freeman's chair was awarded "Chair of the Year" in the Chair Design Competition of Barrie Ho Collections. His chairs were awarded Gold Award, HKDA (05, 07).

Freeman has participated actively in events related to Art and Design. He has given speech in China, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and India etc. He was a curator and speaker in the 2007 Shanghai International Creative Industry Week (07). He has been invited to be a speaker in the Phoenix International Design Festival (08); the 3rd (jiajun) International Exhibition of Design and Art in China (08); the 4th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) (08); Creative HK in London (08) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (08).

Design Synopsis of the Miracle Horse

The relationship of Hong Kong and horses are believed to begin through horse racing. The Hong Kong Jockey club was established at 1884, having a history of 124 years. The Hong Kong Jockey Club's contribution to Hong Kong social welfare is well known. For the past 10 years, the average offering reaches as high as a billion Hong Kong dollars. Schools, charities, hospitals and places for performances are found everywhere in Hong Kong. For years, horse racing news is learned from the media. Each race's betting amount and admitting population seem to have become the economic index of Hong Kong.

In the 1980s, the deceased horse commenter Tung Biu's image is deeply built in the public's minds. He was extraordinarily attractive, thus even people who did not bet on horse racing enjoyed watching horse racing on television and greatly appreciated his personal style in horse commenting. He even turned into a film and television entertainer and became a legend character in Hong Kong.

Many people in Hong Kong are influenced by parents' interest in horse racing, television and media, thus would bet on horse racing. However, there are some who have never seen a real horse or stepped in the jockey course.

He remember that when he was young, he walked in a narrow lane in Happy Valley while a horse suddenly in front of him, it was brought from the horse stable in the mountain to the jockey course for practice, the "giant animal" seemed like it fell off from the sky. He suddenly felt like he just woke up from a dream.

He realized that horse is such a one of a kind animal. Various visions appeared in his mind, the horses' morning practices on television, results of horse races, the colorful patterns on the jockey's clothes in newspapers, the feeling of imitating a cowboy on the dining chairs kept appearing in his mind. He could still remember that a horse's name is Miracle Horse, thus he named this sculpture under its name.

Information provided by Sun Hung Kai Properties Charitable Fund Limited.

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