10:44am @ Beach

10:44am at Beach is a collage that merges fragments of life—both material and emotional—into a unified visual experience. Inspired by a still, sunlit morning on a sweltering summer day at a beach in Hong Kong, it captures the quiet pleasure of simply being present. I remember sitting by the shore, the air heavy and windless, a cold drink sweating on the table, sunlight casting delicate shadows across my vintage watch—its face marking 10:44am. Before me, waves shifted over sand, reflecting an ever-changing spectrum of colors.

To preserve not just the image but the essence of that moment, I combined traditional collage with a tactile element: the actual watch embedded within the work. This approach required a deliberate orchestration of composition, material integration, and spatial layering—melding the precision of craftsmanship with conceptual exploration. The meeting of two-dimensional imagery and a three-dimensional object introduces a subtle yet distinctive dimensional shift, inviting viewers to perceive the scene from both a literal and an imaginative vantage point. By expanding collage into physical space, the work offers a fresh perspective on the medium—one where paper, pattern, object, texture, layers, and form engage in dialogue to enrich both the creative process and the audience’s experience.

Viewed as a whole, 10:44am at Beach is a meditation on overlooked moments that hold deep emotional weight. It invites viewers to pause, reflect, and perhaps rediscover their own fragments of quiet joy.