Co-created by the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo and Ishikawa Ongakudo
A theatrical journey through our human experience with music and perfume bottle
Time in a Bottle is a unique theatrical experience combining visual art, theatre, music and scent to tell the story of our human existence. The event features a collection of precious perfume bottles as the backdrop and characters in a series of miniature stage sets.
The exhibition is divided into twelve scenes, each one a self-contained diorama depicting a pivotal moment in history - from the creation myth to humanity's greatest triumphs and struggles. The audience is invited to walk through a scented tapestry of our shared past.
Each bottle is carefully selected for its own artistry. Once commercially available to the world guarding their precious fragrances, most of these containers were discarded after use or lost to history. They are the true survivors of time.
Accompanying the visual experience is a musical score performed by an oboe, piano, and string quartet. At designated times, live musicians will perform the composition, synchronizing it with projections of the scenes around the space. This layered approach allows the audience to engage with the exhibition from multiple sensory angles, fostering a deeper understanding of the themes explored.
Curated, written and composed by Leon Ko, Time in a Bottle also presents perfume bottles from the collection of Ko.
Visitors can enjoy the exhibition at their own pace during designated hours with a recorded soundtrack. Alternatively, there are scheduled 1-hour live performances with no audience seating.
| Date & Time | Sessions |
|---|---|
| 14th October (Mon) | |
| 14:00 – 15:00 | Performance (For General Public Only) |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Exhibition |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Exhibition |
| 19:30 – 20:30 | Performance (Exclusive for Holders of HKPAX Full Pass) |
| 15th - 17th October (Tue - Thur) | |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Exhibition |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Exhibition |
| 15:30 – 16:30 | Performance |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Exhibition |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | Exhibition |
| 20:00 – 21:00 | Performance |
Leon Ko
Artistic Director and Composer
Leon received a Master’s degree in Musical Theatre Writing from New York University. He is the composer of the musicals Heading East (Richard Rodgers Development Award in the US), Takeaway (London), I Am What I Am (Guangzhou). He has received ten Hong Kong Drama Awards for his musicals in Hong Kong — The Good Person of Szechwan, The Legend of the White Snake, Field of Dreams, The Passage Beyond, Our Immortal Cantata, Sing Out, The Woman in Kenzo and The Impossible Trial. He was the musical director of pop legend Jacky Cheung’s mandarin edition of the musical Snow. Wolf. Lake.
For his film music, Ko won a Golden Horse Award, a Hong Kong Film Award, an Asia-Pacific Film Festival award and a Golden Bauhinia Award for the movie Perhaps Love. His theme song for The Last Tycoon also earned him another Hong Kong Film Award. He was nominated for another Golden Horse Award and a Hong Kong Film Award for his work in the movie The Warlords. He received an ASCAP Screen Music Award in the US for Monster Hunt 2.
Other works include new music for the Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin Charitable Foundation Chinese opera productions such as the classic Princess Chang-ping, and music for the plays The Liaisons and Tonnochy. Leon collaborated with Ms. Yip Wing-sie and Hong Kong Sinfonietta on The Passage Beyond In Concert, The Amazing Filmphony and was the Sinfonietta’s Artist Associate from 2018-2019. He organised and musical directed The Originals, a concert to celebrate the original musicals of Hong Kong. He was artistic and musical director of Le French May’s Cities of Light in 2022.
Besides music, he launched Time in a Bottle, the first-ever perfume bottle exhibition in Hong Kong in 2010, showcasing the artistry of vintage bottles in the context of theatre.
Hiroko Matsuo
Set Designer
Hiroko completed her BA in theatre design at Osaka University of Art and joined Shiki Theatre Company. In 2009, she moved to the UK and studied at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and she assisted Antony McDonald and Simon Holdsworth for many opera productions including Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Royal Welsh Opara.
After her return to Japan in 2015, Hiroko began her career as a freelance set designer. She has designed over three hundred theatrical productions such as musical, play, opera, ballet, and concert. Hiroko won awards including Kisaku Ito Memorial Award.
Her set designs include Musical SPY×FAMILY (Imperial Theater), Lucia di Lammermoor (Nissei Theater), Madama Butterfly (Hitaru), The Marriage of Figaro (Nikikai Nagoya), Der Freischütz (Nikikai Kansai), ZEN (Kanazawa Kagekiza), The Nutcracker (Hitaru Ballet project), Hamlet, The Moon Cinema (PARCO Theatre).
While HKPAX Full Pass holders can reserve complimentary tickets for International Showcases and Expo Programmes through their online account, our shows are also open to HKPAX Day Pass/Student Pass holders and members of the public via ticket sales. Tickets for these performances are now available at the link below.
- Approximately 60 minutes in duration.
- You are recommended to arrive 15 minutes before the event starts. No admission for latecomers.
- Programmes are subject to change without prior notice. HKPAX reserves the right to make the final decision regarding the arrangements.
- A smartphone is needed for scanning QR code to listen to recorded music while viewing the exhibition. Please ensure your phone is charged and bring along your personal earphones;
- The recommended viewing time for the exhibition is around 1 hour. Please arrive on time to enjoy;
- While viewing the exhibition, audiences could walk freely in the exhibition space. Please do not touch the exhibits;
- Photo-taking is allowed while flash is prohibited in the exhibition;
- Latecomers will not be admitted in the last 15 minutes of each session.
- Programmes are subject to change without prior notice. HKPAX reserves the right to make the final decision regarding the arrangements.
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