Through the Years, To Touch You (TTY2)

2026 Systems & Structures Award Finalist

Jul 24

Artist namARtrio (Tristan Braud, Brian Lau, Dominie Chan and Christopher Chan)e

Artwork Description:

‘Through The Tears, To Touch You’ (TTY2) is a site-specific physical-digital installation built on the ruins of the old pier of Yim Tin Tsai, a centuries-old Hakka island village in Hong Kong abandoned between the 1960s and 1980s. Combining contemporary land art with augmented reality, the project tells the stories of departure and reunion at the island’s historic gateway. It was presented at the Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival 2026. The artwork features a large bamboo moongate, crafted by a fourth-generation scaffolding master. It draws on the Chinese cultural symbolism of the full circle, representing unity, reunion, and harmony. Resting on the pier’s ruins, the structure appears to float with the rising tide, creating a symbolic threshold between modern urban life and a return to ancestral roots. This moongate sets the stage for a live performance during which a performer “paints” a three-dimensional digital poem in mid-air using the custom-developed 'ARt' system. The performance is accompanied by an original soundscape featuring villagers' oral histories, creating a multi-sensory connection to the site's emotional heritage. Following the performance, the space transitions from a stage to a long-lasting artwork. The AR strokes remain anchored to the physical moongate, becoming an interactive physical-digital sculpture. Visitors can engage with the artwork on-site via a TV screen overlaying the digital components onto a live video of the site, a custom iPad augmented reality app, or immersively through extended reality headsets. Project page: https://artrio.org/TTY2/ Performance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ic7vRbF-hw