Six years on: Peng Chau revisited

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Toothpicker

After my trip to Japan was cancelled due to COVID19, I was stuck in Hong Kong for many months… and like many locals, I felt rather claustrophobic after spending days on end indoor. Luckily, unlike the U.K. and many Western countries, there was no lockdown in the city, hence it was still possible to roam around town – at your own risk.

When the covid cases dropped and the hot summer was over ( I found it hard to cope with Hong Kong’s humid summers), I was able to do more outdoor activities again. I decided to revisit Peng Chau after a six-year gap (see my earlier blog entry here), as I thoroughly enjoyed the island’s tranquil and unspoilt environment. Has the island changed over the last six years? Yes, certainly, but currently it is still less ‘developed’ than other islands such as Cheung Chau and Lamma Island.

One notable difference from my last visit was that there were considerable more visitors due to the global travel restrictions. Stuck within the small city, many lcoals are starting to appreciate nature and fresh air, and they are desperate to get out of the urban jungle – who can blame them? In the past, Peng Chau was probably the least visited Outlying Islands in Hong Kong as it is the smallest and the least commercial. However, the pandemic changed everything, and even Peng Chau has become a hot spot for local tourists.

When I visited six years ago, the island’s eateries were divided into two categories: big seafood restaurants or small cha cheng tengs. Western-style cafes were almost non-existent, let alone bars… now there are a few more cafes including a cosy Island Table Grocer Cafe (9 Peng Chau Wing Hing St) and a tiny Japanese tea room, Daruma Chaya (38 Wing On Street).

There was not much to see at the dilapidated Grade III listed former leather factory six years ago aside from a plaque commermorating the island’s once booming manufacturing industry. But over the past few years, a local resident, Sherry Lau, rented the 4000 square metres factory and began to convert it into an art hub filled with junk collected from the island. An alleyway off the Wing On Street would lead you to ‘My secret garden’, featuring some interesting junk art, street art murals, and an antique shop (also an Airbnb). It is very unusual to see junk yards like this in Hong Kong, and I am glad that Ms Lau took the initiative to transform the derelict space into something so unique. It seemed very popular with local tourists as it certainly was a selfie hotspot during my visit…

‘My secret garden’/former leather factory

Since Peng Chau is a very small island (0.99 square kilometres to be exact), it is easy to walk around the island within a few hours. I went up to Finger Hill first, the tallest point of the island, but the view here is a bit disappointing, so don’t get your hopes up too high. Personally, I prefer walking along the Peng Yu Path, a coastal path where you would pass by many empty sandy beaches with Hong Kong’s skyline as the backdrop.

One significant change took place since my last visit and it is the new addition of residential developments on the island, notably the row of luxury residential houses overlooking the sea near the pier. I can’t say that I am surprised by this because property development is contantly taking place in Hong Kong. But I am wondering if the island will lose its charm as more (wealthy) outsiders move here. Will the island become another Discovery Bay, which is full of expats, upmarket restaurants and bars? Six years ago, I was charmed by the island’s unspoilt, low-key and calm environment, but I wonder if this is under threat now – I sincerely hope not.

When I headed back to Central at around 5pm, the waiting area at the pier was completely packed and social distancing was all out of the window. And to my surprise, every seat of the ferry was taken despite the fact that this was a weekday afternoon… Not being able to travel meant that bored Hong Kongers are seeking out local sights to visit, and hiking has become one of the most popular activities during the pandemic. It would be fine if people respect nature and the environment, but many of them don’t, which is very frustrating. I think the pandemic has made many people realise the importance of nature in our lives, but outdoor ettiquette needs to be followed too.

I wonder how Peng Chau is going to evolve in the future, especially if more people are looking into moving out of urban areas after the pandemic. Perhpas its limited infrastructure is stopping people from moving here, I guess only time will tell.

Peng Chau’s tree, plants and flowers

Wong Ping: Heart Digger at Camden Arts Centre, London

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Toothpicker

One of my favourite art organisations in London is the Camden Arts Centre. The reason is quite simple: they are not mainstream, and they always take risks. While many famous art institutions like the Royal Academy of Art and the Tate rely heavily on big names and blockbuster shows, Camden Arts Centre is like a breath of fresh air. The artists that exhibit there are often overlooked by other institutions, but I have yet to encounter a disappointing exhibition there.

I came across Hong Kong artist Wong Ping‘s animations around a year ago in Hong Kong, and was captivated by the bold graphics and dark humour. It came as a surprise when I learned that he would be having a solo exhibition at the Camden Arts Centre, since he is hardly a conventional artist.

It turns out that Wong Ping is the inaugural recipient of Camden Art Centre’s new Emerging Artist Prize at Frieze (2018). The Prize was established in collaboration with Frieze Art Fair to nurture and celebrate the most innovative artists of the moment, who have yet to receive the recognition their work deserves. Hence, the exhibition was included as part of the prize awards.

After receiving his BA degree in multimedia design from Curtin University in Perth, Australia, in 2005, Wong Ping returned to Hong Kong and worked in TV post-production on cheesy dramas. Bored of his day job, he started making animations at home and posted them on his blog in 2010. The aesthetics of his technicolour and distinct animations recall the styles and colour palettes of the Memphis Group and 1980s video games. Yet this visual language is naive, eye-catching and unique. Interestingly, this childlike and gleeful aesthetic do not match the twisted, dark, and absurd contents. Sex, politics, family issues and social conflicts are the common themes featured in his animations. He is a keen observer and a fierce critic of our dystopian age.

The ‘Heart digger’ exhibition runs across two venues, with an off-site temporary space at Cork Street in Central London. At both sites, there are oversized inflatable animals (giraffe and rabbit) and screens showing his explicit and amusing animations.

This timely exhibition coincides with the Hong Kong protests that started in June (and still on going). At the Camden venue, a heart-shaped grave has been dug in the back garden from which emerge segments of a giant dismembered inflatable giraffe. In a statement at the exhibition, he mocked Hong Kong’s Chief Executive and officials saying that they have buried part of the giraffe’s neck in the backyard so that they could use the giraffe’s neck as a tunnel to escape from Hong Kong. Therefore he cut off the section of the giraffe’s neck in which the officials were hiding, and hid it in storage on Cork Street.

At the Cork Street space, two of his recent works – Fables 1 (2018) and Fables 2 (2019) – are shown. They are part of an ongoing ‘morality tale’ series that feature different animals such as a convicted capitalist cow, a nun elephant, and a three-headed homicidal rabbit (which is also an inflatable installation).

Perhaps Wong Ping‘s work is not everyone’s cup of tea, but he is an important voice during this political crisis in Hong Kong today. As a pro-democracy activist, he uses his art to raise awareness and spread political messages to an international audience. Nobody knows what the future may hold for Hong Kong, but it is often during these unsettling times that the finest art would emerge. My wish is that ultimately these art works would connect and help to heal the wounds of the people in Hong Kong.

Wong Ping: Heart Digger exhibition at the Camden Arts Centre will end on 15th September.

HK heritage: “Once lost but now found” exhibition at Oi!

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Toothpicker

In the middle of a busy commercial and residential district in North Point, a Grade II historic colonial-style building surrounded by highrise looks rather out of place here. Built in 1908, this heritage building was the clubhouse of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club located on Victoria Harbour’s foreshore. But the reclamation project in 2009 changed the area’s landscape and now the coastline has since moved northwards.

Located at Oil Street, the building was converted into Oil Street Artist Village from 1990 to 2000, and in 2013, the Government’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department developed it into Oi! art space aiming at promoting arts and providing venue for exhibitions.

It was my first visit to the art venue; from afar the green lawn and outdoor seating area looks like an oasis in the busy district. It also appears to be a popular lunch spots for white-collar workers in the area.

The exhibition “Once lost but now found” explores the geographical history of Oi! and its relationship to the sea. As a witness to the course of time and the evolution of cities, the sea evokes emotions and memories, responds to the development of natural ecology and, at the same time, shapes the cultural ambiance of the city and tells the story of the island.

Four artists Zheng Bo, Leung Chi-Wo and MAP Office (Laurent Gutierrez and Valérie Portefaix) were invited to explore the relationship between nature, culture and society, examining the history, present and its possible future.

Chinese artist Zheng Bo‘s text installation “You are the 0.01%” was inscribed boldly on the lawn. The project is based on two publications: In 2011, economist Joseph Stiglitz’s published article titled “Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%.” He writes, “The upper 1 percent of Americans are now taking in nearly a quarter of the nation’s income every year.” Then in 2018, three scientists published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences titled “The Biomass Distribution on Earth.” They estimated that humans account for only 0.01% of Earth’s biomass, but consume 30% of the biosphere’s total primary production.

Zheng Bo‘s project aims to address the issues of inequality and biosphere inequality. The grass on the lawn reminds us that we are only 0.01%, and we must protect the rest of the ecosystem.

Zheng Bo: You are the 0.01%

In the main gallery, a conspicuous bamboo installation entitled “Ghost Island“, two videos and documentations are installed by MAP Office (Laurent Gutierrez and Valérie Portefaix). Created for the 1^st Thailand Biennale 2018, “Ghost Island” is a 9-metre high bamboo construction covered with piles of ghost fishing nets collected in the sea around Krabi. The installation recalls the particular geology of the surrounding islands formed by the accumulation and stratification of numerous distinct layers. It also addresses waste at sea, and the difficult but necessary labour needed to protect our environment. Reconstructed in Oi! is a smaller version, partially built by Cheung Chau Island fisherman and Hong Kong beach-cleaning volunteers.

One of the video shown at the exhibition records the construction of three artificial islands designed by the artists on a tidal beach near Krabi on Thailand’s Andaman Sea. The other records a fictional day for a fisherman living on the Andaman Sea’s Ghost Island. Both videos are fascinating, and they address environmental issues facing these fishermen, including rising seawater levels due to global warming.

In another room, Leung Chi Wo’s “Scratching on the surface” installation is presented in a dark room with a two-channel video projected on a long wall behind a pool of actual seawater installed in the gallery. The videos are reflected on the pool’s mirror water surface.

The installation is based on the notion of memory—our own memory and water memory—a controversial theory devised by French scientist Jacques Benveniste. Using words and imagery of nature and water, the poetic installation was shot in various locations in Hong Kong and Thailand, all connected ultimately by water, which echoes the fluidity of memory.

Leung Chi Wo: Scratching on the surface

In a separate building, architect team Streetsignhk was commissioned to create the ‘Sign City’ immersive installations, featuring Hong’s Kong’s famous neon signage. Various traditional signage and signboards are installed in s small room covered with mirrored walls and floor. Outside of the room, visitors are invited to create their own signboards and get to know the different aspects of this dynamic building component. The craft of neon signage is dying in Hong Kong, and hopefully this exhibition would bring awareness to this unique heritage that makes Hong Kong’s streetscape so special. You can read more about this topic via my previous post here.

Hong Kong heritage: Tai Kwun 2010 vs 2019

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Toothpicker

Since its opening in mid 2018, Tai Kwun (means ‘big station’ in Cantonese) has become the hottest heritage destintation in Hong Kong. Located at the eastern end of Hollywood Road, the 300,000sq ft compound comprises three declared monuments: the former Central Police Station, former Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison. The revitalisation project is the biggest conservation project in Hong Kong –costing HK$3.8 billion– was led by The Hong Kong Jockey Club in partnership with the Hong Kong Government. The aim was to redevelope the site into a world-class heritage and arts centre.

Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, who are also responsible for the city’s M+ museum of visual culture (opens in 2020), worked with UK conservation architects Purcell, and local firm Rocco Design Architects to revitalise 16 historic buildings, a prison yard and parade ground dating between 1864 and 1925. Aside from restoring the old buildings, two new buildings – JC Contemporary and JC Cube – were added to house an art centre dedicated to contemporary art, and a 200-seat auditorium, respectively.

After the restoration (2019)

Interestingly, I was lucky to have visited the compound just before the restoration works began in 2011. In 2010, the annual deTour creative festival (which coincides with the Business of design week) took place here, so I was able to explore the site and record the exteriors and interiors before the restorations began.

When you look at the photos, you would notice that no significant structural changes were made to the 16 heritage buildings aside from new paint, the removal of wires and some essential restoration works. It is never easy to restore heritage sites, especially a compound with 16 buildings, and I think this project has to be one of the most sucessful cases in Hong Kong (if you look at the disastrous 1881 Heritage in Kowloon, then you would know what I mean).

The exterior of the site in 2010

Entrance – Before and after

The two new buildings are clad with a façade unit system made from 100% recycled cast aluminum, and the units create a contrast with the historical masonry blocks underneath. The the cast aluminum units have a distinctive roughness and texture, which helps to reduce the reflectivity and glare during the daytime. At night, light emitted from the building would be partially screened by the façade units, but without creating light pollution. The new additions have certainly made the site even more ‘instagrammable’ among visitors.

The new JC contemporary & JC Cube designed by Herzog & de Meuron

Wandering inside the JC contemporary building, I was reminded of the new extension at Tate Modern in London, which was also designed by the same architectural firm. The use of concrete and the design of the spiral staircases are very similar. The catch with employing starchitects is that they like to apply their signature styles onto most of their works; the best example is Norman Foster‘s airports – honestly, the world doesn’t need another cloned Foster-style airport! I do hope that the new M+ museum is not going to be a replica of Tate Modern.

Inside the JC Contemporary building: the spiral staircase

Art exhbitions: 1st & 2nd rows – Wing Po So’s 6-part practice; last row: Wong Ping’s animation

The 177-year rich history of the heritage complex reflects Hong Kong’s ups and downs during the British colonial era. Not only Ho Chi Minh was imprisoned here for 2 years in 1931-33, it was also used as a Japanese army base during the Second World War. Visitors can find out the history of the complex at the heritage storytelling spaces, and free guided tours are available daily.

As always, shopping and restaurants play a major role in a complex like this. Thankfully, the shops and restaurants here are mostly independent and local rather than chains like Starbucks or Pizza Express. A cultural centre needs alternative shops and restaurants to differentiate it from other shopping malls, and Tai Kwun has achieved this.

The heritage storytelling space, the former prison cells and a former court room

Although I think the architects of the project have successfully restored and revitalised the complex, I can’t help feeling that ‘something’ is lost in the process as well. Perhaps this is inevitable due to the scale of this project.

When I look at the photos taken inside the prison in 2010, the place had a slightly eerie and atmospheric feel, whereas now, the prison looks more polished and embellished. It is a shame that many of the fascinating old signage and inmate call system were removed too. Without these details, the prison looks more like a film set, and the authenticity is lost. But then again, as most Hong Kongers would say: “Hong Kong is a city with no memory” (old buildings are constantly being torn down and replaced daily), so when it comes to conservation, this probably is the best that you could ever hope for.