Metis and Emancipation — “Asia Seed” and Hok Hok Zaap at Rooftop Institute

The writer is one of the founders of Rooftop Institute. This essay starts by introducing the “Metis” concept by Professor Frank Vigneron when discussing art education: a cunning, prudent power of intelligence that makes ingenious responses and actions according to variable and non-predictable situations. The writer elaborates how Rooftop Institute adopts this concept in two art education projects – “Asia Seed” and “Hok Hok Zaap.” Spanning two years, Asia Seed invites Asian and local artists to lead students aged between fourteen and eighteen to workshops and overseas trips. The result of one of the cycles has been organized into an exhibition at Tai Kwun Contemporary, titled “Our Everyday – Our Borders.” Hok Hok Zaap is a learning collective comprising of fifteen Hong Kong artists and organizations. It aims to create a series of “learning materials” for art education carried out in the community. The writer points out that any large-scale attempt to develop a “generally applicable” art education model is bound to fail. The way to promote Metis is to put learners in a non-project situation. The keys to realize emancipation in education are decentralization, localization, and sufficient geographical mobility.