Goodnight, tin hau

Between 2016 and ’20, I had the privilege of working in Hong Kong, as an examiner for one of the various universities. During my visits, which always lasted around a week, I stayed in the Causeway Bay area of the city where, jet-lagged and unable to sleep, I would spend hours wandering the balmy, midnight streets. Disorientated and exhausted, I witnessed something unforgettable — the moment when the Hong Kong day collapses into night. Although the humidity lingers well into the early hours, this moment produces something of a pause… a breath… a gathering of forces… This moment was never silent, however. The city crackled, as if an electrical charge arced through the sweaty streets.</p><br /><br /><br /><br />
<p>Goodnight, Tin Hau uses recordings from my visits, along with an arch-form, in an attempt to re-live that moment. As I composed, however, I became increasingly aware of the changing political situation in Hong Kong, and I now reflect on those four years as part of a much more serious pause… a collapse… a gathering of forces…