Add Oil Machine wins human rights artwork award

February 25, 2015 12:04

Add Oil Machine projected on the Lennon Wall in Admiralty messages posted by protesters during the Occupy movement. Photo: Facebook

Stand By You: Add Oil Machine, an image projector set up by two Hongkongers to support the Occupy protesters last year, has won the top 2015 Freedom Flowers Foundation Award.

The Geneva-based human rights organization said Sampson Wong and Jason Lam won first prize in the awards, which aim to recognize human rights work by artists.

The runner-up prizes went to Bethlehem-born Alexandra Handal’s project (click here) and Dutch artist Sander van Bussel's project (click here)

The foundation said the works were rated by a six member jury based on their relevance to human rights, the quality/originality of the artwork and the ability of the work to spread the message of human rights.

The awards ceremony will take place on March 8 in Geneva.

The creators of Add Oil Machine wrote on Facebook that the award "reminds us how much we miss everyone from the occupied zone, and we really should move on and prepare for the next fight".

"Add oil", which means "keep it up" in Chinese, is a common term of encouragement in Hong Kong.

Messages from protesters were displayed to the public using the Add Oil Machine on the Lennon Wall in front of government headquarters in Admiralty during the 79-day pro-democracy campaign.

[Go to Freedom Flowers Foundation's Facebook account]

[Go to the Add Oil Machine's Facebook account]

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