Michael Lau – Ten Years, Ten Questions (Part Two)

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[In July Vinyl Pulse had the rare opportunity to interview HK vinyl pioneer Michael Lau at his studio in Quarry Bay.  In celebration of the 10th anniversary of his signature Gardener series,  I asked him ten questions with  the assistance of invaluable interpretation by Florance Yip.  On the eve of his historic Gardener 10th show which opens with a private VIP event tomorrow, 9.29, we bring you the final part of our interview.  If you missed  part one, go check it out and then come right back].

6. Word has it that you will be unveiling three new gardeners for the G10 anniversary show in Los Angeles.  Can you tell us more about the additions?

107 is M, 108 is D, and 109 is Young. M.D. Young (laughs). [ed: MD Young is the Co-Founder of MINDstyle]. I can’t tell you exactly, but all three are from America. It wasn’t intentional. 107 and 108 were designed a few years ago. 109 was inspired by things happening around me and the world in the past year or so. The timing is really good, since this is my first exhibition in America.

7. Mini-figures are one of the growing genres in art toys today.  Do you have any plans to create a new mini-fig line?

Yes, I want to do it. It won’t be ready for the exhibition, but in the future.

8. Over the past decade you've worked on so many memorable projects and mediums.  Taking a step away from reality for a minute, what's your dream ignoring cost and practicality?

I would really like to do an animation using my own characters. Currently my development goes from 2D to 3D as a figure. I would like to turn my characters into an animation where it tells a story. I can’t do it by myself and really want to explore doing it and working with other creative talents.

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9. What can fans expect from your upcoming 10th Anniversary Gardener Exhibition (G10) in Los Angeles?

It will be the first time most Americans will be able to see all of the 12” Gardeners in person rather than in photos. They will also be able to see my paintings including some new ones. Also some behind the scenes info from the Gardeners creation so that they will understand the process. And the debut of M, D, and Young – #’s107 -109 (laughs).

10. Finally, we know you’re an avid football enthusiast, what is your favorite team and who is your favorite player?

I really liked Barcelona when they were at their peak. I think Real Madrid might become my favorite team because Cristiano Ronaldo is there and I think they have a bright future. In terms of players, I like Ronaldinho a lot. Although he’s not playing as well right now, I think he’s really talented and I like his cheerful attitude and personality.

[Thanks to Michael Lau for taking time out of his hectic schedule for the interview and to Florance Yip for her gracious language interpretation].

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