Public utility company CEM said in a statement yesterday that it recently worked with students from the private Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) to decorate transformer boxes in the “Electricity x Culture and Creativity – Transformer Box Revitalisation with Art” activity.
This was the second time CEM and MUST cooperated in the activity, with the first time in 2020, according to the statement.
The statement noted that 14 students from the university have “transformed the low-voltage transformer boxes into artworks” in Macau and Taipa under the supervision of teachers. The artworks focus on Macau, with themes such as historical sites and short stories. For an introduction of the artworks, members of the public can scan a QR code on the decorated transformer box.
To learn more about the activity and the artwork, the public can also visit www.cem-macau.com. Moreover, the statement pointed out that the transformer boxes and customer substations should not be touched as “these pieces of energised equipment come with certain risks”. Participants were briefed about precautions and had safety measures prepared prior to starting the activity, the statement said.
CEM Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Communications Office Director Cecilia Nip Lai Peng was quoted in the statement as thanking participants for taking part in the activity, noting that “the themes of the paintings resonate with nearby historical monuments or neighbourhoods, which will help boost the city’s image”.
MUST Faculty of Humanities and Arts Vice Dean Samantha Chiang Siu Ling was quoted in the statement as saying that with public art being characterised by “public accessibility, community engagement and participation, the faculty has put special emphasis on whether the artworks can be integrated with the public living spaces”
This has become the criteria of how they choose artworks with “distinctive urban cultural and artistic features” to be painted on the transformer boxes in the city, the statement underlined.
Chiang was also quoted in the statement as saying that the transformer boxes were painted on the spot, and with the aim to provide citizens with “rich visual experiences, the harmony of neighbourhood culture and contents of the drawings” were taking into account.
This undated handout photo provided by CEM yesterday shows one of the decorated transformer box in Calçada de Santo Agostinho.
