Modern Day Rapunzel
Duration
06:19
Venue
Tai Kwun Prison Wall & F-Hall Studio
Modern Day Rapunzel explores a Hong Kong boy’s story to rediscover himself in the turbulence of modern life. Trapped behind the towering windows of F-Hall Studio, he embodies the invisible chains that bind young hearts—social expectations, family traditions, and rigid norms that stifle self-expression. These pressures pull us away from our true selves, diverting us from the lives we yearn to live.
The work captures the moment of choice: whether to stay bound or to break free in pursuit of true happiness. Between two walls unfolds a dialogue of duality — the boy inhabiting the external world of reality, while his alter ego dwells within the inner world of self. Their reunion represents the harmony of body and mind, a reconciliation that restores our capacity to live freely, truthfully, and with joy.
Animation director:
- Jerry Loo
Background Artist:
- Alison Mak
Composer and Sound Design:
- Bryan Leung
- Kyle Li
Jerry Loo
Animation Director
Jerry Loo is a rising young artist from Hong Kong, specializing in neon art, animation, interactive installations, and visual storytelling. He graduated with First Class Honours in Illustration and Visual Media from the University of the Arts London. Loo’s practice spans international festivals and public exhibitions.
He was a concept artist and 3D animator for déTour (2024), showcased at the Annecy International Film Festival in France. Same year, Loo won the InnerGlow Searchlight open call for young artists. He served as team leader and animation director for Jailhouse Follies at Tai Kwun’s InnerGlow 2024 programme, which drew over 30,000 visitors. He also designed key visuals for the Lee Gardens Skateboard Festival 2023.
In 2025, Loo debuted his first public exhibition "Neon Heroes: Illuminated Dreams" at PMQ, created in collaboration with his grandfather, Master Wong, one of Hong Kong’s most senior neon craftsmen. Featuring seven neon sculptures and the animation Neon Waltz, the exhibition attracted over 35,000 visitors and received coverage from more than 100 media outlets, including South China Morning Post, China Daily, RTHK, TimeOut, and Lifestyle Asia.
Most recently, Loo was a featured artist in "Luminous Neon" at the Hong Kong Design Centre, presenting Neon Throttle and Harbor Crossing Lights at the DX design hub.
His work continues to explore the intersection of heritage and innovation, positioning neon as a vital contemporary art form while advancing storytelling through light and motion.
Byran Leung
Composer and Sound Design
Bryan Leung (artist name: Jax O) is a Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter, composer, and sound designer. He harnesses music and sound as powerful narrative instruments, creating immersive sonic worlds—through both deeply personal projects and dynamic collaborations—that explore resilience amid despair, the theatrics of normality, and the fragile nuances of human experience.
His notable collaborations include piercing experimental noise that heightens entrapment in PEER (2022); playful, old cartoon-inspired scoring for the animation Jailhouse Follies (2024, Tai Kwun InnerGlow); and nostalgic orchestral layers that infuse warmth and whimsy into Neon Waltz (2025, PMQ Neon Heroes).
His personal works include the dystopian concept album Aren (2023) and the haunting Sugarbowl EP (2026), both fusing electronic rock, alternative pop, and experimental ballad to delve into hope, loss, and inner collapse.
Rooted in Hong Kong’s neon-drenched urban rhythm, Leung crafts sound as cinematic storytelling: a mirror to shadows and, sometimes, a lantern toward hope.
Kyle Li
Composer and Sound Design
Kyle Li Ka Shing graduated from the School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts with a specialization in Music Production at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He creates captivating, conceptual works that explore the intersection of technology, identity, and the meditative qualities of audio.
His sound installation React investigates ceramic bowls and water resonance, creating a meditative space to explore the resonance between people, while his multimedia exhibition PEER examines self-expression and surroundings through CCTV, sound, and visual effects. Both projects were created during his time as a student in 2022 and 2023.