a vivid urban living room recalls collective memories of north point in hong kong

‘siu kai fong’ is a vibrant collective space

‘siu kai fong’ is a vibrant installation that aimed to enhance the quality of living in north point, an area populated with diverse neighborhoods. in response to hong kong arts center’s open invitation for community-driven public art, O&O studio and REHyphenation proposed an inspiring space as a reflection of the neighborhood’s daily usage of the causeway.

this way, the design team sought to empower the community to envision a better future use of public areas, all the while utilizing some of the locals’ beloved furnishings, to recall memories from the past. the resulting project presents itself as a vivid compilation resembling an outdoor urban living room complemented by painted ground graphics.
photography by siu kai fong 

district’s narratives meet repurposed furnishings

after repeated visits, the team observed that the public pier was frequented by people participating in different activities at every hour of the day. people fished, boarded sampans, exercised, strolled on dates, or, particularly in the case of the area’s elderly, used the causeway for rest and relaxation. based on community discussions, they noticed that users of the causeway bring household furniture to use and share them with others. in contrast to the street furnishings provided by the state, these pieces are not fixed, so they can transfer them to where needed. and that exactly was the basis of the project. ‘we wanted siu kai fong to reflect the neighbourhood practise of re-using old furnishings but include pieces that have stories to tell’.

rocking chair donated by local resident and its replica

a lovely story behind each piece 

the team received 47 chairs and three tables through donations from local households, schools, and commercial enterprises. some of them were maintained as they were, while others underwent changes. meanwhile, some pieces were accomplished with narratives by voice actors provided lively recordings via scanning QR codes.

one chair originally came from a colonial-era government office. it ended up in a student’s home and she grew up with the chair; even when she moved, she could not part with this piece of her upbringing. two other chairs originated from shops along with chun yeung street market. the rocking chair was a favorite place to sit for a north point grandmother. a small green plywood chair came from a women’s welfare club (eastern district) nursery. another chair was previously used in the now-defunct java road government school and turned up in a store operated by a family in java road market and cooked food center.

a few of the school chairs were bundled together and transformed into rocking chairs that all shared a base. items beyond repair were wrapped in clear acrylic to allow for usage alongside contemplation. the bright flooring is reminiscent of colorful heritage tiles and patterns commonly found in tenement buildings.

school chairs donated by secondary, primary schools and kindergarten, upcycled to rocking chairs

‘siu kai fong made us realise the closeness of hong kong’s communities and the invisible connections that bind us all,’  added said li. ‘eventually, the government will build a promenade here for cycling and this collective space will be gone,’ noted fok. ‘siu kai fong acts as a record of a time and place in north point,’ said chan. ‘since its unveiling, we have been pleasantly surprised how people have used the chairs in unexpected ways. it is not a finite installation. we noticed many bringing new furniture there to share. ‘siu kai fong’has taken on a life of its own.’ 

after the exhibition ends, components from ‘siu kai fong’ will live on through charity sales and educational events to achieve a closed-loop cycle that continues to benefit hong kong communities. together with the concerted efforts with the collaborators, hong kong arts center design and engage the community with a series of participatory programmers and creative artistic structures to connect the new and the old areas in the district, building capacity on public space, celebrating the uniqueness of north point and hence cultivating a sense of belonging and building the cultural citizenship through imaginations of urban spaces.

adaptive use to local residents

hong kong north point public pier

24 hour cycle usage

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details of the upcycled chairs with the original status and materiality maintained

retro mahjong table upcycled to board game play table anchored to existing bench

prototype design

 

painted ground graphics

project info:

name: siu kai fong
designer: O&O studio and REHyphenation

design team: eric chan and suzanne li of O&O, joyce fok of REHyphenation, chan and fok volunteer with NGO hong kong public space initiative

supported by: the urban renewal fund

location: in the vicinity of north point ferry pier in hong kong

exhibited: 30 august – 31st october, 2021

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina petridou | designboom