#ddHK: A tour of Hong Kong's art

HONG KONG. Artwork on 7 Mallory Street by Florence Traissac. (Courtesy of Design District Hong Kong)
HONG KONG. Artwork on 7 Mallory Street by Florence Traissac. (Courtesy of Design District Hong Kong)

WHEN traveling to a foreign place for the first time, I've always thought that the best way to explore its nook and crannies is to have a walking tour of the city, perhaps accompanied by a local. This way, traveling would also be immersing with the everyday sights and dip into the daily experiences of the locals while they commute to and from work. In Hong Kong, we weren't only taken on a tour on the streets of Wan Chai district, we were also introduced to the vibrancy of street art in the area.

Murals and other street arts that promote Hong Kong's cultural heritage of designs and crafts were put in strategic locations in the city for the locals and tourists to see and enjoy.

In partnership with international and local visual artists, Design District Hong Kong (#ddHK) released six brand new #ddPlace ideas in Wan Chai district with the objective of exploring local history and designs in Wan Chai.

#ddHK is a three-year project in close collaboration with Tourism Commission and Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), with the Hong Kong Comics & Animation Federation as the Strategic Partner. All in all, the #ddHK has over 50 designs and artworks spread throughout Wan Chai district.

Walk with me through the streets of Wan Chai district, through alleys between skyscrapers and together we will discover that Hong Kong is more than just a shopping and a business city -- local art is thriving here!

#ddSnap

This portion of the #ddHK highlights the urbanscape of Wan Chai while also capturing the stories of the community. It is meant to understand old and the new Wan Chai in a fresh perspective.

#ddSnap was led by award-winning photographer Jeremy Cheung. He was the same photographer awarded the National Geographic Wheelock Youth Competition in 2017.

The architectural beauty in Wan Chai is what is mostly highlighted in this portion of the walking tour. Through the old local buildings and old streets that have contributed to the history of Wan Chai, participants will be introduced to the neighborhood of the district. The tour passes by the Wan Chai Market, Lee Tung Avenue (where you can buy wedding invitation cards), Blue House Cluster, Mallory Street tenement buildings, and Hopewell Centre.

#ddWalker

We were also taken by the HKDC team to O'Brien Road Footbridge, one of the busiest footbridges in the city. To bring more color and character to the footbridge, designers painted local plant and animal species on the ceiling of the footbridge. These plants and animals include the Black-faced Spoonbill, Silver Eared Mesia, Bauhinia, and Hong Kong Azalea to name a few. We were told that because the footbridge was always busy, the designers only worked during midnights when there was less foot traffic. They worked for a week, two hours every night until they were able to complete the marvelous artwork on the ceiling. They wish to cause a relief to the eyes for the passers-by in the middle of their busy day.

#ddStory

This tour gives the participants a glimpse of the cultural heritage of Wan Chai district through the tangible designs and crafts that well depict the history.

The Kong Wan Fire Station is a sight to behold. Who would have thought that even their very steel shutters have an interesting story to tell? Local typography designers Adonian Chan, Calvin Kwok, Choi King Hung, Renatus Wu, and Mak Kai Hang were tapped by HKDC to come up with their best East meets West bilingual fonts to be painted on the five steel shutters. This artwork was done to pay homage for the Hong Kong firemen.

HKACT! ACT 1 BeHere

This special concept is an interactive design created by Japanese new media artist Masaki Fujihata. To enjoy this, download the app. In the designated locations, you will find the BeHere billboard where the location ID marker is. Scan. Once you see the purple-filled square, the app is good to go. Augmented Reality images and 3D virtual characters of 1940s to 1970s Hong Kong will appear. You can take a photo with these characters and perhaps act like you're one with them -- eating, drinking, or laughing with them. This concept was done to show the younger generation and the tourists how old Hong Kong looked like.

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph