If the wind lingers

Mario Wong

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
I have been working on a project titled If The Wind Lingers, which explores the interior self in an era defined by hyper-connectivity and social acceleration. By deliberately abandoning sharp focus, I aim to mirror the fluidity of time, using motion and the unseen wind as a brush to paint with light, shadow, texture, and atmosphere. As colors blend and light sweeps across the frame, the scenes transform into something closer to a lingering memory than a physical reality, capturing not just what a place looks like, but what it feels like to be there.

What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on it?
Conceptually, I am learning the quiet act of living in the present. This project serves as a visual refuge for the interior self: a practice of slowing down to accept the transient beauty we are destined to let go of. Technically, I have been exploring ways to create pictorial, painterly photography that evokes a deeply poetic and nostalgic sensibility.

What words, ideas or emotions were running through your head?
Quietness, rhythm, harmony, tranquility, and serenity. I was also deeply focused on the concepts of temporality and impermanence throughout the creative process.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
Yes, quite a few. In literature, Hartmut Rosa’s Social Acceleration: A New Theory of Modernity and Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle are highly relevant to my work. Cinematically, I am always inspired by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai, especially Chungking Express, which beautifully explores themes of time, memory, temporality, and human connection. I also drew inspiration recently from Japanese manga artist Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back.

What’s been the most difficult thing you’ve faced recently in your creative process?
I’ve been struggling a bit with my choice of subject matter. I am currently trying to find the right balance, deciding whether to focus more on floral elements, human figures, or explore entirely new subjects to best convey my concepts.

What is your favorite coffee shop and why do you like going there?
My favourite coffee shop is called Kubrick, located inside the Broadway Cinematheque in Hong Kong, which is my favourite movie theater. It’s much more than just a café; it is also a vibrant cultural hub that brings together books, indie films, vinyl records, and an art gallery. It’s a wonderful space dedicated to cultural promotion and creative inspiration.

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
I’d title it ETA2824-2, named after the mechanical movement of a watch I bought to reward and encourage myself before relocating to Australia.

Life is much like a mechanical watch, with its constant ticking that can sometimes make you feel anxious about the passage of time. However, that same rhythm can also be incredibly calming, peaceful, and meditative. I gained a stronger sense of this as I experienced more ups and downs this month.

For the soundtrack, it would be amazing to be scored by Sigur Rós or Explosions in the Sky, my favourite post-rock bands known for their atmospheric music.

Which studios, laboratories, or workshops have you collaborated with recently or would you like to collaborate with in the future?
I haven’t recently, but I would be more than happy to collaborate in the future. I am open to working with other studios, labs, or creatives.

Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
I draw a lot of inspiration from photographers like Masao Yamamoto, Saul Leiter, and Thaddäus, as well as painters like Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and József Rippl-Rónai.

What I love about their work is their masterful use of atmosphere and emotion. Whether through a painterly approach to color like Leiter, or the delicate, poetic quietness of Yamamoto, they all capture the essence and feeling of a moment rather than just its literal reality.