“HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards” Exhibition at PMQ

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

 

It would be fair to say Hong Kong’s design industry has come a long way in the last two decades. Once upon a time, Hong Kong design was regarded as ‘copycat’ with little originality and creativity. Before the handover, Hong Kong design was highly influenced by Japanese design; lacking its own identity, it was either too Japanese or too kitsch. Yet things started to change after the handover. Perhaps the struggle to find its own identity has made the designers in Hong Kong reflect and explore deeper – instead of looking outwards, they began to look inwards, and the results are revealed in their design works.

 

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

 

Established in 1972, the Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA) is the first of its kind in Hong Kong for practising designers and design administrators, HKDA Global Design Awards (GDA) is a biennial design competition organised by HKDA since 1975. The competition included 4 main design categories including Digital, Graphics, Product and Spatial.

The exhibition at PMQ’s Qube showcased the high quality competition entries across the four categories. By embracing its unqiue ‘East meets West’ heritage, Hong Kong design has found a new and confident voice – one that is different from other East Asian countries. Yet this voice is also a global one, which transcends language and culture. The designs no longer scream out ‘Made or designed in Hong Kong’, because we live in a globalised world today, and good designs should be global, not local.

I look forward to seeing more interesting work in the future.

 

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

Product design

 

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

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Packaging

 

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

Typography

 

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Exhibition

 

 

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

img_4121-min  HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

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HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition  HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition  HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 Awards Exhibition

Posters

Kevin Cheung’s design studio visit at Blue House, Hong Kong

blue house

 

I have been writing a lot about Hong Kong’s heritage lately, and coincidentally when I contacted Kevin Cheung, a local upcycling designer, he invited me to meet him at his home studio, which is also located inside a heritage building: the Grade I listed Blue House in Wan Chai.

The Blue House Cluster consists of three interconnected buildings: Blue House, Yellow House, and Orange House. The revitalisation project was part of a HK$100 million plan by the Government to preserve nine Chinese-style buildings in Wan Chai built during the 1920s. Conservation architect CM Lee and LWK & Partners Architects were commissioned to renovate the Blue House. Unlike other heritage projects in Hong Kong, this people-led heritage conservation project focuses on revitalising community relationships and developing a community-oriented and sustainable economy. Former residents were also invited to move back in. Opened in 2016, the project was rewarded the Award of Excellence in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2017.

 

blue house hk

blue house hk  blue house hk

Before the renovation

 

The Blue House is a four-storey Lingnan-style house built in 1922 with a mixture of Chinese and Western architectural features. The distinctive blue colour was not a deliberate aesthetic decision — the decorators only had blue paint, so a blue house it became. In the 1950s and 1960s, kung fu master Wong Fei-hung’s student Lam Sai-wing and his nephew launched their kung fu studio here.

 

blue house

blue house  blue house 

blue house  blue house

 

The ground floor shop now houses the Hong Kong House of Stories, which aims to preserve the neighbourhood’s heritage and promote local culture through community art and activities. Free guided tours of the Blue House are also available on Saturdays.

 

blue house

blue house  blue house

 

At the Blue House, a co-living membership scheme ‘Good Neighbour’ was launched to create a sustainable community and preserve the lifestyle of the traditional Tong Lau (where community spirit was key). Out of the 32 units, 11 flats are available for rental provided the tenants are willing to contribue towards building a community, sharing their life experiences and skills, and collaborate with their neighbours to create a supportive and responsible environment for all. To be honest, I was very surprised to learn that this type of co-living scheme exists in Hong Kong – I applaud the implementers for this forward-thinking plan.

 

kevin cheung's studio  kevin cheung's studio

kevin cheung's studio

kevin cheung's studio  kevin cheung's studio

 

Kevin‘s home studio is located on the 2nd floor at the back of the Blue House complex. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by his friendly parrot. His studio is bright with big colonial-style windows and high ceiling where he has hung a few rows of illuminated bottles made from waste PET bottles. When I looked around his studio, I could see all sorts of upcycled products including another set of LED lighing made from old bicycle rims, speaker systems and guitar made from waste plastic containers, document bags made from leftover felt carpets collected from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and wallets made from wallpaper samples etc.

 

kevin cheung's studio  kevin cheung's studio 

kevin cheung's studio

kevin cheung's studio  kevin cheung's studio

 

Kevin is a very open and friendly guy, and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to him. Although we agreed that it is almost impossible to be completely waste-free and carbon-free, but we can still strive towards that goal. For years, Kevin has been experimenting with waste materials and has collaborated with different NGOs and traditional craftsmen to produce upcycled products locally. He also spent one month staying at Japan’s zero-waste village, Kamikatsu, to learn from the villagers on how to recycle, and eliminate the use of landfills and incinerators. As his contribution to the building’s ‘good neighbour scheme’, he volunteered to take over the recycling scheme at the Blue House, and runs upcycling workshops for residents and the public to tackle the waste issue in Hong Kong.

 

kevin cheung

rice bells

rice bell  kevin cheung's studio

 

Like Kevin, I firmly believe that designers, manufacturers and shop owners have the responsibility to create positive changes and change the world for the better. A consumption-driven society is not sustainable, and we have to be more aware of our actions.

I think Kevin‘s works are creative, interesting and fun; I particularly like his upcycled rice bells that are made out of aluminium waste from discarded rice cookers. Since rice cooker is a ubiquitous household appliance in Hong Kong, I doubt he will ever run out of material. Working with a local metal craftsman, the rice bowl is flattened first, and then pressed into dome shapes, followed by trimming, assembling and coating. Each bell is unique and has different patterns/colours/characteristics.

His first upcycled design, Boombottle is a speaker system made from a waste plastic container. The plastic bottle is air sealed, waterproof and rugged, yet has a large internal volume, making it a nice speaker enclosure. The speaker is also portable, and glows in the dark due to the LED light inside. I bought a smaller boombottle lite, which I think would work well with my computer as a desk speaker. It is not Bose, but at least I know that I am supporting a good cause, which is important to me.

 

kevin cheung's speaker

Boombottle Lite speaker

 

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The Mills (Part 2): Art, design & retail

the mill tseun wan

 

One of The Mill’s main attractions is CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) – a space dedicated to the past, current, and future of Hong Kong and Asia’s textile industry.

Welcome to the Spinning Factory! is the inaugural exhibition designed by Turner Prize winning U.K. architect collective Assemble and UK/HK design firm HATO. Set within the former cotton spinning mills of Nan Fung Textiles in Tsuen Wan, the exhibition tells the story of the cotton industry and the role it played in shaping Hong Kong’s past, present and future. The interactive exhibition features old machinery, vintage cotton products and archival documents and objects. Visitors can also experience the manual cotton-spinning process using traditional spinning instruments, and design and create cotton labels at the workshop stations.

 

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

The mill

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

‘Welcome to the Spinning Factory!’ exhibition at the The D. H. Chen Foundation Gallery

 

An interesting piece of artwork caught my eye outside of the gallery and it was a long piece of knitted textile on a table titied Fabric of CHAT. It was the work by Hong Kong-based artist/designer Movana Chen. Movana is known for her KNITerature, which combines stories by knitting books from people she encounters during her travels. When she first visited the construction site of The Mills, she discovered stacks of old discarded documents, so she shredded and knitted them into a new art form that contains the history and memories of the factory.

 

Fabric of Chat

  Fabric of ChatFabric of Chat

Fabric of CHAT by Movana Chen

 

CHAT’s inaugural exhibition, Unfolding : Fabric of Our Life, curated by Takahashi Mizuki showcases the works and performances by 17 contemporary Asian artists and collectives who use textile as a testimony to articulate forgotten histories and repressed lives through textile production. The thought-provoking exhibition reveals the region’s colonial capitalist exploitation through the use of fabrics and garments. One work that I found quite powerful is called ‘Day Off Mo?by Filipino artist Alma Quinto, who invited Hong Kong’s Filipino domestic workers to speak out about their experiences through a video and their DIY craft book.

 

Dayanita Singh's 'Time measures', 2016

Dayanita Singh's 'Time measures', 2016

Dayanita Singh’s ‘Time measures’, 2016

 

Norberto Roldan's 'Incantations in the land of virgins, monsters, sorcerers and angry gods', 1999 - 2018

Norberto Roldan's 'Incantations in the land of virgins, monsters, sorcerers and angry gods', 1999 - 2018

Norberto Roldan’s ‘Incantations in the land of virgins, monsters, sorcerers and angry gods’, 1999 – 2018

 

Jakkai Siributr

Jakkai Siributr

Jakkai Siributr’s Fast fashion, 2015/19

 

Reza Afisina, Under Construction as Long as You’re Not Paying Attention, 2018–19

Reza Afisina’s ‘Under Construction as Long as You’re Not Paying Attention’, 2018–19

 

Alma Quinto's 'Day Off Mo?', 2018–19

Alma Quinto, Day Off Mo?, 2018–19

Alma Quinto’s ‘Day Off Mo?’, 2018–19

 

the mill tseun wan  the mill tseun wan

 

I was also intrigued by Vietnamese artist Vo Tran Chau‘s ‘Leaf picking in the ancient forest’, 2018-2019. The name of the artwork is inspired by the title of a monk’s manuscript. Buddha, taking a few leaves in his hand, said to the monks: “All that I have seen and encountered are numerous, just like leaves among the grove, yet my teachings which I have revealed to you are but little, just like this handful of leaves in my palm…”.

The artist collected abandoned clothing from second-hand clothing stores to create her abstract mosaic chamber. Each quilted mosaic references historical photographs of Vietnamese textile factories and reflects the distinct cultural and political climates of North, Central and South Vietnam at different periods of time. The quilts reflect only blurred images as if a metaphor for the fate of the textile factories. Inside the chamber, one sees another side/story in these historical images.

 

Vo Tran Chau's Leaf picking in the ancient forest, 2018-2019

Vo Tran Chau's Leaf picking in the ancient forest, 2018-2019

Vo Tran Chau’s Leaf picking in the ancient forest, 2018-2019

 

One encouraging aspect of The Mills is that the retail outlets here differ vastly from other shopping malls in Hong Kong. Instead of international chained companies, the shops here are mostly independent and with a strong focus on sustainability.

I was glad to see that Book B (which we have worked with previously) has found a new home here. The space is inviting and it also has a nice cafe inside. I think this is one of the best independent book shops in Hong Kong, and I hope it will continue to thrive.

 

KoKo Coffee Roasters

KoKo Coffee Roasters

KoKo Coffee Roasters

 

book b the mill tseun wan

book b the mill tseun wan

book b the mill tseun wan

Book B

 

Another surprise was to see a garment upcycling shop called Alt:, which is a partnership between HKRITA (The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel) and Novetex (a leading textile firm), together with funding from HKSAR government, H&M foundation and The Mills.

A garment-to-Garment (G2G) Recycle System is placed in the shop for the public to learn how old clothes can be upcycled and made into a new ready-made garment in 4 hours, with the aid of the innovation of upcycling technology. The on-site mill can upcycle up to 3 tons of textile waste per day, which hopfully will help to tackle the city’s fashion waste issue.

 

Alt:

Alt:

Alt:

Alt: – the upcycling garment shop that can turn your unwanted clothing into something new

 

 the mill tseun wan

 the mill tseun wan

 the mill tseun wan

 the mill tseun wan

the mill

 

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to The Mills; I think it offer an alternative retail experience (which is much needed in Hong Kong), and the new textile centre is an exciting cultural space that showcases Hong Kong’s textile heritage while looking forward to the future.

 

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Hong Kong heritage: The Mills (Part 1)

tseun wan

tseun wan

Interesting 1950s-60s architecture

 

If you take the MTR in Hong Kong, you are most likely to encounter the name ‘Tsuen Wan’ because one of the main lines is the Tseun Wan line (red) and its station is at the end of the line in the New Territories. Around 100 years ago, this area used to be a village by the bay where pirates would pass through frequently. Then in the 1940s, many Shanghai industrialists from Mainland China moved to Hong Kong and then established textile factories (Hong Kong used to be renowned for its textile and denim industry) to manufacture textiles and garments for export. The area started to change when the Hong Kong Government developed it into a new town, building new housing estates to accommodate the growing population. Sadly, the textile industry started to decline around the 1980s, and the 33 mills gradually shut down; although some factory buildings still remain, the city’s textiles history has long been forgotten.

 

tseun wan

tseun wan

Traditional shops in Tseun Wan

 

One of the prominent factories here was Nan Fung Cotton Mills, established in 1954 by Chen Din Hwa (from Ningbo in China), who was known as the ‘king of cotton yarn’. Six mills were built between the 50s-60s, but Mill 1, 2 and 3 were knocked down in the 80s, and only Mill 4, 5 and 6 survived. In 2008, the mills ceased operation and a revitalisation project was annouced in 2014 to convert the factories into a destination for innovation, culture and learning. The project was initiated by Chen’s granddaughter, Vanessa Cheung, the managing director of Nan Fung, who wanted to preserve the site and its heritage. Four years later, The Mills was born.

I have witness numerous failures with the Government-backed conservations/restorations projects in Hong Kong, so I try not to have high hopes these days. However, since the HK$700 million-plus project was privately funded by the Nan Fung Group (now a major property developer and shipping company), I was slightly more optimistic before my visit. And unlike other heritage sites in Hong Kong, the attraction of this project is not its architecture, but its history and heritage that was tied to Hong Kong’s textiles industry.

I have never been to Tseun Wan before, but I found the walk from the MTR station to the venue utterly fascinating. I had to walk through a neighbourhood full of 1950s architecture including housing estates, schools and tradtional specialist shops selling dried seafood, hardware, stationery and groceries etc. It was really interesting to see elderly and children hanging out in the area; the neighbourhood seemed laidback and authentic.

 

the mills

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan  the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

 

I have read very mixed reviews about the venue before my visit, and they are mostly based on one’s expectations… it would be unfair to summarise or judge this place until you see it for yourself. I was actually quite pleasantly surprised by it, and I think it has exceeded my expectations (but like I said, I had very low expectations beforehand).

The 2,400sqm (260,000sqf) L-shaped site is huge, and it is not easy to nagivate around if you are here for the first time/enter from the side entrance. The company’s in-house architects, Boris Lo and Gary Ng, worked with Billy Tam, the partner at Thomas Chow Architects Ltd (also responisble for transforming PMQ in SoHo) on this project, and they have managed to keep much of the industrial look and architectural details in a respectable manner.

 

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan  the mill tseun wan

4th row: The old gate (with rows of golden cup motifs) of the factory has been preserved and now sits behind the reception area.

 

There are three pillars at The Mills: Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT), The Mills Fabrica (a techstyle incubator) and The Mills Shopfloor (an experiential retail space). CHAT is an exhibition and studio space that focuses on contemporary art, design, science, heritage, community and craftsmanship. There are also regular artist talks and workshops that are related to textiles, craft and design.

 

the mill tseun wan  the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

 

It is difficult to find a spacious, bright and airy venue in Hong Kong, so I particularly liked the spaciousness and relaxing ambience at The Mills. At the Fabrica Atrium, the original columns have been removed and parts of the roof replaced by skylights to create a long and naturally lit space, which I think works very well.

One feature that stands out at the site is the creation of The Park on the rooftop, a formerly vacant concrete space that has been transformed into an urban public space for the neighbourhood. The 4m x 23m wavy weaving wall mural, inspired by Hong Kong’s textile history, was created by Hong Kong artist, Lam Tung Pang and design consultancy Collective. When you look up, you can also see the restored signage of the former factory that says: Nan Fung Textile Co., Ltd.

 

the mill tseun wan  the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

the mill tseun wan

 

To be continued…

 

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Hong Kong’s vintage toy & stationery museum – Silver stationery shop

san po kong

silver stationery shop  silver stationery shop

Top: The entrance of an industrial building in San Po Kong

 

Since I started this business, I was lucky to have met and made friends with many like-minded designers and entrepreneurs in Asia and London. After working with Hong Kong’s ten Design stationery for years, I became friends with their designer Paul Lam. Paul and I met up while I was in town, and he suggested a visit to Silver Stationery shop, a quirky vintage toy and stationery shop museum located inside an industrial building in San Po Kong. Paul is friends with the owner Joel and Ryan, a product designer who works there, so he was keen to show me this one-of-a-kind museum that is not featured in the standard guidebooks.

Paul made an appointment a few days before my departure back to London (all visitors have to make an appointment before visiting), unfortunately, Joel couldn’t be there and so I missed the opportunity meet him. However, I was given a tour by Ryan, a toy designer and founder of Makeitwork Studio who is one of the few designers working there.

 

silver stationery shop

silver stationery shop  silver stationery shop

silver stationery shop

 

Graphic designer and founder of this shop museum, Joel Chung has been preserving Hong Kong’s culture for the last decade or so. Aside from preserving the works of the King of Kowloon (Hong Kong’s famous calligraphic graffiti artist), he has also been preserving and collecting toys and stationery locally for the last 30 years. In 2015, he rented a studio space inside the industrial building and recreated a shop that mimics a vintage 1960s/70s toy and stationery shop that were ubiquitous in Hong Kong at the time. The decline of these local style stationery shops started the 1980s, and now they have become rare finds in the city. The aim of this shop museum is to preserve Hong Kong’s cultural heritage; most of the products featured were donated by local shop owners before the shops’ closures. The shop museum was recreated in a precise manner, every detail was considered to create an authentic shop ambience that would transport the visitors back in time. All the products at the shop museum are for display only and they are not available for sale.

 

silver stationery shop

silver stationery shop  silver stationery shop

silver stationery shop  silver stationery shop

 

As a stationery addict, I was immensely overwhelmed and joyous by what I saw. I picked up a pink pencil case (see above), and it reminded me of the ones I collected when I was a kid. It certainly brought back a lot of childhood memories.

Aside from the shop museum, the studio is also a collaborative space that features works by local designers, as well as selling an array of vintage stationery, toys and games. I was surprised to find that another brand that we work with, Open Quote, has moved from Soho to this new premise.

After Ryan’s interesting tour of the studio, the three of us spent some time chatting and comparing Hong Kong and London’s design industries, and the possibility of collaborating in the future.

 

silver stationery shop

silver stationery shop

silver stationery shop

silver stationery shop

silver stationery shop  silver stationery shop

ten design stationery

silver stationery shop  silver stationery shop

 

It is very encouraging to see that Joel‘s passion and efforts in the preservation and promotion of Hong Kong culture have paid off since the opening of the shop museum. Nowadays, he is frequently interviewed by magazines and newspapers, including foreign ones. The museum shop is also attracting visitors from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, so it may not be a hidden secret soon. If you love toys, stationery and Hong kong culture, then a visit to this shop museum is unmissable!

 

Silver Stationary Shop (銀の文房具)
Address: Room 1B, 1/F, BLK B, Wing Chai Ind Bldg, 27 Ng Fong St., San Po Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 6311 8789 (best to call and make an appointment first)

 

Hong Kong’s streetsigns & urban typography

Sunbeam Theatre

Neon lights and advertising billboards outside of the iconic Sunbeam Theatre in North Point

 

This post is a follow-up of the previous one on Hong Kong’s urban typography… Over the years, I have documented the city’s streetscape and the relationships between visual communications, architecture, and its perpetually changing identity.

Hong Kong has always known for its neon signage, yet since the 1990s, the industry has declined rapidly, as building regulations have tightened due to safety and structural reasons, and the traditional neon signs are now replaced by the cheaper LED ones.

 

sammy's kitchen ltd signage

Sammy’s Kitchen Ltd signage

 

One of the city’s iconic signage was a giant neon cow suspended above a steakhouse in the Western District since 1978. The restaurant’s founder, Sammy Yip, designed the 10-foot-tall and 16-foot-wide neon sign and it was then handcrafted by sifus (masters) who burned and welded the shapes in their studios. Sadly, the city’s Buildings Department decided the sign was unsafe and ordered it removed in 2015. By chance, I took the photograph above (without acknowledging the unfortunate future fate of this signage) before its removal, which subsequently encourages me to continue to document Hong Kong’s ephemeral cityscape.

 

luk yu tea house

neon sign

mido cafe  Neon sign of a pawn shop in Wan Chai

hourly-rate love hotel nathan road

Top row: The facade and neon signage of Luk Yu Tea House in Central; 2nd row: a trendy restaurant in Wai Chai; 3rd left: Mido Cafe in Yau Ma Tei; 3rd right: Neon sign of a pawn shop in Wan Chai; Bottom: An hourly-rate love hotel on Nathan road has three types of signage!

 

The best resources on Hong Kong’s neon signage can be found on the interactive online exhibition website: Mobile M+: NEONSIGNS.HK launched by M+, the new museum for visual culture in the West Kowloon cultural district. It features over 4,000 photos and personal stories of neon signs from members of the public, and it is a fantastic platform that pays tribute to this unique dying art form and traditional craftsmanship. I particularly love the short documentary by cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, on Hong Kong’s neon world. In the film, we can trace Doyle‘s inspirations and how the neon signage has influenced his visual style in films such as Chungking Express and Fallen Angels directed by Hong Kong film director Wong Kar Wai.

 

“Gleam Series” by Alexandre Farto aka Vhils

“Gleam Series” by Alexandre Farto aka Vhils

 

Christopher Doyle: Filming in the Neon World

 

Aside from neon signs, Hong Kong’s cluttered signage is ubiquitous and unique to this city. The overwhelming amount of visual information is in sync with its dense high-rise and chaotic streetscape. Every sign competes with another, and it is impossible to digest all the information at once… hence walking down Nathan Road in Kowloon can be an exhilarating and draining experience for foreign tourists.

 

temple street

central signage

Top: Temple Street; Bottom: Soho from the escalator

 

In the old days, small shop owners used to appoint scholars or renowned calligraphers to inscribe shop names by hand. Unfortunately, the handwritten calligraphy skills have been replaced by computerised print technology since the 1990s. Handwritten calligraphy gradually faded from the main roads of the commercial distrists, resulting in the demise of this unique trade and the loss of calligraphic artisans.

 

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Handwritten calligraphy for shops

 

Traditionally, gilded signboards symbolise the reputation of the shops. The gold-plated or painted gold calligraphic characters are seen as a status symbol for these shops. The characters are carved out of wood as either engraved or embossed by artisans. And the embossing effect is more challenging than engraving because of the Chinese cursive script style. Aside from wood, other materials such as metal and acrylic are also used for shop signage.

 

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central shop  central shop

central shop

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Embossed or engraved calligraphic signage for shops

 

Yet, the best places to spot traditional gold-leaf gilding techniques are at temples, monasteries and shrines. Often you will find two verses of a poem on the sides of the entrance, and if you look at them closely, you will see that every calligrapher has his/her unique writing style. The style can be bold, elegant, robust, refined and subtle… and this style would – hopefully – be synonymous with the identity of the shops or temples.

 

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Temples and shrines often showcase gold-leaf gilded name and a poem on the sides of the entrance

 

This is only a glimpse of what is around us all the time… you don’t need to be a graphic designer or typographer to appreciate the diverse signage that communicates to us daily when we walk down the streets of the city we live in. As much as I love spending time in nature, I also love seeing quirky and wonderful man-made sights that found in vibrant cities. And urban typography-spotting is an activity that all of can enjoy whilst everyone else around you is looking down at their mobile phones. Look up and you can be pleasantly surprised from time to time.

 

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“Typography and the sea of words” exhibition at CACHe HK

TYPOGRAPHY CACHE

CACHE HK  CACHE HK

The building and courtyard of CACHe on Western Street, Sai Yun Pun

 

In recent years, an influx of international art galleries and art fairs has somehow transformed Hong Kong – the infamous cultural desert – into Asia’s glossy art hub. To be honest, I am not sure if this has had much impact on the general public, but at least art is longer seen as totally inaccessible.

Yet these art galleries focus mostly on the commercial aspect and target at wealthy collectors locally or from Mainland China; it is seldom to come across a gallery that dedicates to Hong Kong’s unique heritage, arts and culture.

Luckily, the non-profit conservation group CACHe based in Sai Yun Pun is a here to fill the gap. It is a hidden gem that is rarely mentioned in guidebooks, and not even many locals are aware of its existence.

 

TYPOGRAPHY CACHE

TYPOGRAPHY CACHE

“Typography and the sea of words” exhibition at CACHe’s gallery

 

Located in a Grade II historic building, which is formerly the Western Plague Hospital and Western Public Dispensary, the Conservancy Association Centre for Heritage (CACHe) was established in 2005 to promote the conservation of history, cultures and heritages in Hong Kong. It regularly organises community heritage workshops, thematic talks, excursion to historic architectures, heritage cultural tours, exhibitions and oral history workshops for the public, schools, organisations and corporations.

In the last few years, I have paid several visits to CACHe when I was in the city, and I have always enjoyed their exhibitions that resolve around the local heritage and culture. Their last exhibition “Typography and the Sea of Words – The Study of Hong Kong Urban Landscape” was one of my favourites as it focused on the often neglected aesthetics of the city: urban Chinese typography.

 

TYPOGRAPHY CACHE  TYPOGRAPHY CACHE

TYPOGRAPHY CACHE  TYPOGRAPHY CACHE

Hong Kong’s unique calligraphic signage

 

The exhibition showcased various calligraphic styles that used to dominate the city’s landscape (before the international chained shops and glossy shopping malls took over), and the importance of preserving the techniques and the dying art of handwritten signage.

It also included interviews with several handwriting artisans in the city – from inscribing shop signs, letterpress printing, neon sign making, stencil making, acrylic and wood sign making to computer font design.

 

TYPOGRAPHY CACHE

TYPOGRAPHY CACHE  TYPOGRAPHY CACHE

TYPOGRAPHY CACHE

Interesting typography is all around us if we pay more attention to it

 

There was a free catalogue that accompanied the exhibition, but unfortunately, there was none left by the time I visited. I begged the staff to give me display copy and she was quite reluctant, but later, she went into her office and found me a last copy for me to take home. I think the informative catalogue is priceless as it documents the vanishing art form and heritage of Hong Kong. The loss of an important craftsmanship and city identity saddens me a great deal, but it also makes me become more aware and appreciative of the preserved sights and aesthetics that are still around that make this city special.

 

CACHE HK

CACHE HK  VINTAGE POSTER

CACHE HK

VINTAGE POSTER  VINTAGE POSTER

VINTAGE SCHOOL BOOK  VINTAGE SCHOOL BOOK

CACHE HK 

Another wonderful past exhibition: “Unfinished Old textbook” displaying old textbooks and teaching materials that evoked old classroom memories, and the cultures and values of life advocated by the community.

 

PMQ – Hong Kong’s creative hub

PMQ

PMQ’s Staunton Street entrance

 

Back in 2010, I visited the disused Grade 3 listed former Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters, which was temporarily transformed into an arts and design hub by deTour (part of The Business of design week). Built in 1951 as housing or dormitory for Chinese rank and file police officers, the site was listed as one of eight projects under ‘Conserving Central’ in 2009. Local architectural firm Thomas Chow Architects (TCA) was responsible for the transformation and conservation of the site.

 

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The former Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters back in 2010

 

Finally in 2014, with support from the Government and Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation Ltd., a new design and creative hub PMQ was born. The organisation runs as a self-financing, non-profit-making social enterprise, with a aim to support local artists, designers and entrepreneurs.

 

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Honestly, I think this hub is long overdue. The Government has neglected the local arts and creative industry for decades, and it is only in recent years that new creative hubs have started to emerge. One of the forerunners is the JCCAC (opened in 2008) in Shek Kip Mei (read my previous entry on it here) and InnoCentre (opened in 2006) in Kowloon Tong. Yet both venues are not centrally located, so the main advantage of PMQ is its prime location.

 

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The site is comprised of two main buildings and a large front courtyard, occupying 6000 square metre of land in the SoHo area not far from the mid-Levels escalator.

Wandering around the vast site, it is not hard to see the collective effort that has been put into it. From rooftop garden to signage to each shop’s interior and visual merchandising, it is a far cry from the glossy and soulless shopping malls that dominate all parts of the city today.

 

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Aside from local independent shops and design studios, there are also alternative art galleries, cafes, restaurants and a 600 square metre multifunctional hall available for hire. There are also pop up shops, exhibitions, workshops and marketplace that take place regularly.

Another interesting aspect of the site is the underground archaeological remains of the Central school, which was the original building that occupied the site back in 1862. Visitors can book onto the free daily heritage guided tour or visit the site unguided to learn more about the history of the site.

 

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I initially visited the site on a weekday, and it was fairly quiet, with some tourists, high school students and young locals. And when I spoke to my local friends/ entrepreneurs, I found out from them that the site has somewhat failed to attract regular footfall esp. on weekdays. One of them was in negotiation with the organisation for a shop rental, but despite the reasonable rental cost and thorough application procedure, the deal fell through and she is still seeking for a new shop space.

However, on a more positive note, the venue was jam-packed on my last visit (during the long weekend) because of the opening of Le French May festival. At the front foyer, there were food stalls, live music and performances; and inside the Qube, it is currently hosting French street artist Invader’s new exhibition “Wipe Out” (until 17th May).

 

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Top row: The Qube is often used as an exhibition space, including handmade carpet made by designer Alexandra Kehayoglou for Dries Van Noten SS2015 fashion show (right) and French street artist Invader’s “Wipe out” exhibition (left)

 

I sincerely hope that this venue would continue to evolve and be a success story in Hong Kong. This city desperately needs an alternative shopping space and cultural hub, and I think PMQ does fill the gap in the market. If it proves to be successful, then hopefully, the model will inspire others to follow suit.

 

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Top left: old mail boxes from the former Police married quarters; Top right: an underground latrine from 1918; the rest: Archaeological remains of Central school

 

 

Maison et objet Asia 2014

I did not expect to take so long to write about Shanghai (I envy bloggers who publish daily entries), hence this blog entry on Maison et Objet Asia is much delayed…

Less than a week after my trip to Shanghai, I was off to Singapore to attend the first Maison et Objet show in Asia and Singapore design week. For those who have been to the biannual shows in Paris would know how tiring it is to wander through halls after halls of designer products and furniture. By scale, this Asian edition was much smaller, hence, it didn’t take too long to wander around the 14,000 sq ft of space. 265 brands from 24 countries were featured here and about 30% of them were from Asia.

 

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Top left: Alur Lamp by Ong Cen Kuang; 2nd row: Schema by Kalikasan Crafts; 2nd row left, middle & bottom left: Kenneth Cobonpue & his Trame chair; Bottom right: Vases at Serax

 

One surprise from the show was to see a Filipino section festuring several well-established and young designer brands from The Philippines. Filipino design is probably not as well-known outside of Asia, but its strong craft heritage is one of its strengths that is helping it to become more recognised internationally. And one of the best representative is Kenneth Cobonpue, who was awarded Designer of Year at the show. Cobonpue is known for using nature as his inspiration, he focuses on natural material and uses local craftsmanship to create furniture and products that suit contemporary living. Judging from the long queue of fans wanting to be photographed with the designer, it’s hard not to consider him as a design celebrity!

Schema by Kalikasan Crafts is another Filipino brand that is expanding internationally. The company hired young Thai designer, Anon Pairo to design their new lighting collection inspired by industrial loft. Many of their designs are made from metal wires that have been mold into various patterns through traditional weaving techniques, and they are all handmade by local artisans.

Another interesting lighting and home accessories brand is Ong Cen Kuang from Bali established in 2008. Their handmade lighting collections focus on the combination of tactile materials, infusion of self develop technique and traditional origami.

 

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Thai showcase – Top left: Pana objects; top rigt: Pim Sudhikam; 2nd row right: The pavilon; Bottom left: Ceramic ware from Chiang Mai; 2nd row left: Tom Dixon; 2nd row middle: Ango lighting from Thailand; Bottom right: apaiser bathtub

 

I have always been a fan of Thai designs, yet I have often had issues negotiating with Thai companies… Big companies only want to deal with bulk orders, while small design studios struggle with pricing, and so we are only carrying two brands (Zequenz and Goodjob) from Thailand at the moment. At the Thai showcase pavilion, I spotted a young company that I have previously contacted before… Pana objects, which makes wonderful wooden stationery and objects. Another designer that caught my eye was Pim Sudhikam‘s simple yet distinctive (often with blue underglaze) ceramics. Outside of the pavilion, Ango is an award-winning lighting brand that merges nature with technology, and most of the materials used are natural and sustainable.

 

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Rising Asian talents: Top right & 2nd row left: Mike Mak from Hong Kong; 2nd row middle: Denny R. Priyatna from Thailand; 3rd row: Yu Fen Lo from Taiwan; Bottom: Melvin Ong from Singapore; 2nd row right: Wewood from Portugal 

 

One of the most exciting part of these design or trade shows is the discovery of new talents or products. And at this show, six promising designers from the region were awarded as ‘Rising Asian Talents’ and were given the opportunity to showcase their designs. I spoke to Mike Mak from Hong Kong (whom I have contacted before regarding his rather fun Eyeclock) and he explained to me about his display which featured flibre-glass designs inspired by ancient/traditional Chinese characters or Chinese poems: a fruit holder inspired by the word ‘field’, a ladder inspired by the word ‘moon’ but my favourite is the vases that depict the life cycle of flowers through the presence/ absence of the flowers.

Then I met the young designer from Singapore, Melvin Ong, who used to study and live in London. Melvin is the designer behind Desinere, and I love his Japanese/origami-inspired designs. I then found out that he has collaborated with the well-respected Japanese metal casting craft manufacturer, Nousaku to create a beautiful set of bronze and brass Fouetté facetted paperweight spintops. It is always encouraging to see more young designers collaborating with traditional craftsmen to create new and fresh designs.

Pinyen creative from Taiwan is another company that I have previous spoken to when they exhibited at Tent London 2 years ago. Yu-Fen Lo is the designer behind the brand and their designs are often inspired by nature with functionality and sustainability in mind.

The other three designers were: Denny R. Priyatna from Indonesia, Lilianna Manaham from the Philippines and Sittivhai Ngamhongtong from Thailand.

 

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Top left: Tom Dixon’s talk; top right: Vincent Gregoire from Nelly Rodi giving a talk on trend forecasting; Bottom: Y’A PAS LE FEU AU LAC

 

Last but not least, seminars given by designers, architects and industry insiders are often highlights of the trade events. The key speaker at this show was Tom Dixon (originally it was advertised as Oki Sato from Nendo) and it attracted so many people that it was not even possible to get into the seating area ( as I mentioned earlier, the celebrity culture in the design world is more evident than ever). Yet I was more interested in talks on Asia’s new e-commerce and trend forecasting given by Vincent Gregoire from Nelly Rodi.

There was a lot of information on past and future, and here is a brief summary of some of the key points from his talk:

The decade from 2010 focuses more on the ‘slow’ and back to basics lifestyle, so we have seen slow cooking, fashion and an emphasis on moral values. Developed countries are also moving from consumption to collaboration in businesses and other aspects.

From 2020, it is predicted that ‘fast’ period will return, emphasising on flexibility, multipasses and multimedium.

The four major design trends of 2015 are categorised into 4 categories:

1. Promised land by pioneers ( nomadic, rustic, self-prduction, nomadic pop-up, functional asethetics, down to earth colours)

2. Sacred fire by Conquistadors (passionate, stimulating, energy, truth, whistle blower, feel good, New bling, playful, fire reference colours like gold and ash)

3. Deep dive by Atlanteans ( aquatic, experimental, Baroque, mermaids, organic, jelly, surrealistic, seaweed tones)

4. Air cosmos by Nextplorers (futuristic, experimental, new frontiers, Dyson-think tank, Gravity, Daft punk, Star Wars, astrology, whites, black and yellow)

If you can make sense of the above, then congratulations!

Although I was slightly disappointed with the scale and the numbers of Asian brands that took part, I was glad that the event coincided with the Singapore design week and International furniture fair ( see my next entries) where I managed to spot many new Asian talents. I hope that there will be more Asian participants at the show next year as I believe that Asian designs have yet to reach its full potential in the global market.

 

Hong Kong’s Business of Design Week 2013

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Of all the cities in Asia, I find Hong Kong and Singapore to be the best representations of the term ‘East meets West’, this is partly due to their historical backgrounds and links to the British. Even though in recent years, the world’s focus has turned to Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore still enjoy the advantage of being ‘freer’, more matured and global than other cities. Now the two cities are trying to find their competitive edge in order to compete with the upcoming Chinese cities.

In recent years, design has become more important and recognised in Hong Kong, especially with government initiatives such as CreatHK which supports and funds businesses and organisations in the creative and design industry. The annual Business of Design Week in December (organised by Hong Kong Design Centre since 2002) is one of the key events on Asia’s design calendar. The week-long event will comprise the BODW Forum (for global design trends), concurrent events (covering brands, design, technology, city and the culture, design management and education, business of intellectual property etc.), exhibitions (for the public and trades) and the Detour community programme, aiming to inspire the participants about the power of design in building a better tomorrow.

Every year, the BODW parnters with another country, and Belgium is this year’s focus. I have previously attended BODW 2009 and BODW 2010 and the partner countries were France and Japan, respectively. I found the talks and exhibitions in 2010 particularly useful because I was at the pre-startup stage and was glad to hear established Japanese designers speaking at the forum.

 

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Photos were taken from Detour 2010 at the former Victoria Prison in Central except for the bottom left which was taken at Detour 2009 at the former Police Married Quarters with a temporary bamboo scaffolding structure designed by a well-known local architect William Lim of CL3 Architects

 

Britain has participated in the forum every year since its launch in 2002 and was the partner country in 2006. UK industry professionals have been actively participating in BODW due to the unique position the forum offers to enter the Chinese and Asian market. And Asia’s rapidly growing cities and investments have given international and national architects an opportunity to engage in great project and constructions. Well-known UK architects such as Keith Griffiths, Andrew Grand and Thomas Heatherwick have all designed spectacular buildings in Asia. In the past years, Thomas Heatherwick, Ron Arad, Andrew Grant, and Spencer de Grey have also participated in the forum as speakers. This year, Deyan Sudjic, director of London’s Design Museum will be speaking at the forum.

 

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Main: The stunning Gardens by the Bay designed by Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter; Bottom left: Thomas Heatherwick’s redesign of Pacific Place, a popular shopping mall in Hong Kong; Bottom right: Thomas Heatherwick’s Learning Hub at Nanyang Technology University in Singapore

 

BODW is a forum that serves as a platform linking all forms of design, architecture and art by merging disciplines and exchanging ideas, projects, and concepts, as well as a gateway to China and Asia. As we all know, we are living in a more globalised world, and so collaborations between the East and the West is crucial in shaping our future. At the end of the day, we are all codependent of each other, and hopefully through design and dialogues between organisations, businesses and people, we can create a better and more harmonious world.

 

Business of Design Week 2013 will take place in Hong Kong from 2nd – 7th December at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.