If it were not for some intriguing local history, the area around Lok Fu (樂富) MTR station would be a pretty unremarkable as for the most part it’s made up of generic public housing estates. Part of the district was home to the infamous Kowloon Walled City (九龍城寨), which is today Kowloon Walled City Park. The former Kai Tak International Airport was also located in the district and the area is still in a state of transition.
A couple of weekends ago I attended DETOUR 2011, Hong Kong’s annual design, culture, and arts festival which was held at the former Police Married Quarters (PMQ / 前荷李活道已婚警察宿舍) on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan. This year focused on the theme of “USELESS”, highlighting the impacts of irresponsible consumerism through a mix of exhibitions, performances, and forums.
Living in Hong Kong you quickly discover there’s a large divide, both physical and social, between Hong Kong island and the Kowloon peninsula. While the island has all the trappings and excesses of absolute wealth (largely generated by the financial sector) the story is often very different in much of Kowloon.
It’s been a while since we last visited the more unusual side of Japan but today I thought I might share with you a few more unique, or shall we say alternative, artists who roam its shores providing us with some refreshingly different distractions (see Parts 1, 2, & 3). Presented in order of high to low artistic integrity!
Tate Modern has posted this message of support for the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who was detained on Sunday at Beijing Airport, on its façade. The British arts organisation is also encouraging people to sign this petition calling for the artist’s release [via CR] who is accused of “economic crimes”.
Last weekend Shenzhen opened its first Fringe festival centered around Coastal City in Nanshan (where I live) loosely based on the original from Edinburgh. Two weeks of events are planned and proceedings kicked off with a colourful parade with various community groups taking part along Shenzhen Bay Avenue.
Last Sunday evening I had the pleasure of being invited to present some of my photos along with ten other photographers at a “Photo Story Exhibition and Salon” held at Yishu Art Book Bar in Shekou, Shenzhen. While a few of my photos have been used in a couple of museum exhibitions I’d never properly presented them before and was a bit nervous to be doing so alongside real professionals!
The words “culture” and “Shenzhen” are rarely heard together in the same sentence, such is the nature of a young city of immigrants who have come to make their fortune. This isn’t to say there is no culture in Shenzhen but it can be hard to find. One place trying to invigorate Shenzhen’s art scene is OCT-LOFT in Nanshan district where old factory buildings have been renovated into a modern art and cultural center (somewhat similar to Beijing’s 798 district).
After my experience at the W a local friend introduced me to another extraordinary but little-known place in Seoul: Kring – Creative Culture Space, located in Gangnam (Samseong station). While the building is designed as a creative space for holding public performances, events and exhibitions the building itself is as much a work of art as what it contains. Designed by Korean firm Unsangdong Architects the front of the building immediately catches your eye with its metallic covering and indented circular widows (which reminded me of the bullet-time effects in the Matrix) with each impact rippling out across its surface. At night lights illuminate the entire area with the windows being transformed into display surfaces. Upon entering through a circular glass door your instantly met with a…
Tonight I will be returning to the UK for a short break from China but fear not I’ll be retuning in two weeks time. My flight goes from Hong Kong via Amsterdam meaning it’ll be a rather long journey (17 hours) which I never look forward to but hopefully should lessen the jet lag as I basically fly through the night of 8 time zones. It’s been 10 months since I moved to Shenzhen and so far it’s been a great experience. Although I have developed somewhat of a love-hate relationship with the country it continues to fascinate me and I’ve managed to see and learn a lot more since my previous shorter trips as well as met some interesting people. Shenzhen might not be the…