Macau, 5 June 2022

Following the first cooperation in 2020, Companhia de Electricidade de Macau - CEM, S.A. (CEM) and Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) once again organized “Electricity x Culture and Creativity - Pillar Box Revitalization with Art” activity. Under the supervision of the teachers, 14 students have transformed the low-voltage pillar boxes into artworks, which added artistic vibes to the mundane electrical equipment. The students' paintings are centered on "Macau" and the contents include different themes, such as historical sites, landscapes, short stories and thoughts. The pillar boxes are located in the hustle and bustle streets of Macau Peninsula and Taipa. Passerby can scan the QR code on the pillar boxes for the introduction of the artworks when you see these pillar boxes.

Students participating in the activity included (stroke order of Chinese surname): Shen Yueran, Fang Yongshan, Ling Lijia, Xu Zongyi, Xu Yuqing, Weng Hongyu, Ma Sio Teng, Cui Zhining, Zhang Xiyue, Chen Yueming, Chen Shiyang, Cai Zhuoton, Wei Yihe and Dai Jiamei.

Samantha Chiang, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts of MUST, said that the Faculty teamed up with CEM again to organize the Pillar Box Revitalization with Artactivity. The Faculty has been committed to cultivating creative talents who can serve the community in full and push forward the city's development of humanities and arts, strive to provide them a good environment as well as diversified opportunities to apply their skills. As public art is characterized 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, which has become the criteria of how the Faculty select artworks with distinctive urban cultural and artistic features to be painted on the pillar boxes on the streets of Macau. In this activity, the pillar boxes were painted on the spot. With an aim of providing the public with rich visual experiences, harmony of neighborhood cultural and contents of the drawings were taken into account.

Cecilia Nip, Director of CEM Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Communications Office, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the teachers and students of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts of MUST for their support for the “Pillar Box Revitalization with Art” activity. Through their rich imagination and sophisticated painting skills, the students have transformed the mundane pillar boxes into artworks with vibrant colors. Moreover, the themes of the paintings resonate with nearby historical monuments or neighborhood, which will help boost the city’s image. Nip suggested passerby to spend some time to enjoy the artworks on the pillar boxes and learn about the stories behind them.

Besides scanning the QR code on the pillar boxes, citizens can visit CEM website www.cem-macau.com for details of the activity and introductions of the artworks. CEM advises citizens not to touch or paint the pillar boxes and customer substations by themselves as these pieces of energized equipment come with certain risks. CEM has prepared safety measurements and briefed the participants about the precautious measures before the “Electricity x Culture and Creativity - Pillar Box Revitalization with Art” activity.