Rhythm of Nature 04. Digital photography, inkjet print. 2009.
Where were you born?
I was born in Shen-Yang city, northern China.
What is your major at AAU?
My major is Web Design and New Media.
How would you describe your work to someone?
My work celebrates our landscape and our relationship with nature. I want my audiences to deeply feel the energy within nature, as well as the influence of the art of Chinese calligraphy in my work. The art of Chinese calligraphy emphasizes the relationship between your body and each Chinese letter on the paper. I want to involve myself in my work by using my camera with body movement. The strong movements and energy incorporated into my work is truly my love and appreciation of nature. I believe my earnest love of nature could encourage my audience to appreciate what we already have on this beautiful earth!
Who or what influences your work?
It is my father. My father is a Chinese painter and calligrapher. Actually, my father and I both graduated from the same art university in my hometown, Shen-Yang city. My father’s major was Lithography and his minor was Chinese painting. He has his own studio at home, and I remember always visiting my father in his studio when I was a kid to watch how he created his artwork by using different tools. For the printing process, he handcrafted or etched the stone and then transferred the image to the paper by using the hand press. Whenever he drew calligraphy, I watched how he used the brush on the rice paper and how he would mix pigment with water at that moment. He took great effort to select the appropriate brush, but more important, I remember that it was how he moved his body and the hand gestures that he would use to finish the calligraphy work. It was a fun place for me at that time.
What is your process for creating work and what materials do you prefer?
I used a Nikon D300 Digital SLR camera to finish this series of photographic work. When I took the pictures, I chose to shoot mostly around sunset because the lighting is softer and nicer at that time. Another reason is that it can allow me to use a longer shutter exposure. I can swing, shake and tilt my camera to get the movement shown in my work. To allow enough time for these body movements, I used a neutral density filter 0.9, 1.2 or 1.8 on my lens. After I finished the shoot, I used Photoshop software to increase the contrast and color saturation a little bit for better printing results. For the printing process, I used the digital Cambric photo paper because it has a rough texture and the feeling of a fine art drawing. In this exhibition, I used the Mohawk Cambric Matte Paper for inkjet printing.
What is next? Upcoming exhibitions, trips, graduation, etc.
I am fascinated with new technology, especially since starting the Web Design and New Media program at AAU. I am planning to make more interactive photographic works in my future career, especially combining Web technology and UI/UX study. I really like to involve my audience into my work, and let them really interact with my work in order to get good feedback. That is my ultimate goal for my studies at AAU. As a photographer and a Web designer, I want to share my own perspective of the world, but also help educate and support people in achieving their own goals in life.
The 6-on-6 Artist Interview series consists of 6 questions for student artists asked by the Library staff on the 6th floor.
Hong Liu’s interview was conducted by Abby Dansiger, Visual Resources Librarian, in January 2013.
