hong kong festival detour 2023 gives craftsmanship 'new know how'

detour 2023 returns at pMQ

Hong Kong‘s most anticipated annual design festival, deTour 2023, is set to captivate audiences with its special theme, ‘New Know How.’ Taking place from November 24th to December 3rd at the historic PMQ site in Central, deTour brings a wide range of fascinating installations and exhibitions with a series of public programmes. In addition, the fair takes visitors through the journey of time to revisit precious moments and iconic installations that witnessed deTour’s growth in the past decade.

Hong Kong’s most anticipated annual design festival, deTour 2023, is set to captivate audiences until December 3rd, 2023

all images courtesy of DeTour

10 days of inside-out houses, soil-free plants and toy-making

The 10-day deTour festival presents an array of programmes that engage designers and the creative community to experience the power of design and its impact on our daily lives. The theme for 2023, ‘New Know How,’ challenges participants to reconsider the values embedded in age-old traditional crafts as the event aims to demonstrate how the spirit of craftsmanship, characterized by precision and a strong human touch, can revolutionize the design profession. Shin Wong, deTour’s mastermind since 2015, teams up with Product Designer and Community Interaction Planner, Kay Chan Wan Ki, the Founder and Director of Milk Design, Chi-wing Lee, and Creative Duo, STICKYLINE, comprising Mic Leong and Soilworm Lai to present the refreshing edition and emphasize the importance of propelling social and economic growth in the design industry.

from left to right: Soilworm Lai from STICKYLINE, Chi-wing Lee, Kay Chan Wan Ki, and Mic Leong from STICKYLINE

detour’s 20 projects from around the world

Exhibitions and installations are always the highlights of deTour each year. In 2023, the curators bring together a selection of 20 projects from around the world, including Hong Kong, Japan, and The Netherlands. In order for the visitors to better appreciate the design, the exhibits are grouped under 5 distinct categories, each of which teaches the audience how to design can be applied to bring out the values of traditional crafts. These are: New Value; Innovation; Craft Enhancement; Heritage; and Storytelling.

Craft by Nature

Effective design not only showcases traditional craftsmanship but also introduces fresh perspectives and possibilities to modern life. For deTour’s New Values category, BIOBASED CREATIONS presents ‘Craft By Nature,’ a large-scale installation featuring a house turned inside out. By walking around, visitors discover furniture made from natural materials, encouraging reflection on biobased materials and sustainability. Meanwhile, toy creators Nice Geeks feature a nostalgic look-back to Hong Kong in the 1960s when soft vinyl toys were popular, through their work ‘CTRL+C/ CTRL+V.’ This exhibition combines artistic elements with traditional toy-making, attempting to revitalize hand-made techniques in this modern era.

Ctrl+C Ctrl+V

In a nod to Hong Kong’s food culture, Lui Ka Chun and Cam Wong present ‘Together We AppreciEAT.’ Through a specially designed dining experience, the project shares the stories behind local foodstuffs, providing visitors with an immersive insight into Hong Kong’s culinary culture.

Together We AppreciEAT

Under Innovation, the integration of new technology into traditional craftsmanship not only extends product lifecycles but also rejuvenates items, offering a fresh aesthetic, enhanced functionality, and prolonged durability while preserving traditional values. Projects such as ‘Future Soil’ by Arthur Cheung, Carolyn Tam, and Yvonne Wong use computer programming through digital fabrication to explore the relationship between nature and design. The result is an exploration of healthy plant growth without the need for soil, and a wider range of possibility for floral artistry. Meanwhile, Japan-based HONOKA’s ‘TATAMI ReFAB PROJECT’ reinvigorates traditional tatami mats through 3D printing technology. The exhibit emphasizes the design’s beauty and its ability to endure through generations, with household items made from recycled tatami materials.

TATAMI ReFAB PROJECT

Future Soil

Additionally, in response to the climate crisis, Studio RYTE has dedicated the last five years to finding environmental and functional solutions. Their project, ‘Plant Matter,’ explores the potential use of plant-based fibers as a sustainable alternative. Through local experiments, they aim to replace linen fibers, showcasing experimental furniture at deTour 2023 that emphasizes both aesthetic and practical values.

Plant Matter

The Craft Enhancement category focuses on improving traditional crafts to meet evolving customer demands. A notable example is Hong Kong-based designer Dylan Kwok, who exemplifies this approach. Kwok apprenticed with the last bamboo bird cage maker in Hong Kong, Master Chan Lok Choi, to learn the intricate art of crafting bird cages. Through his series ‘Bird/Cage/Twist,’ the artist showcases his newly acquired skills, demonstrating core techniques like bamboo cutting, weaving the cage’s base, and bamboo binding.

Bird Cage Twist

Design serves as a catalyst for transformation, breathing new life and significance into existing Heritage, as is the name of the next category. In Sheung Shui’s Kwu Tung, known as the ‘Soy Sauce Village’ of Hong Kong, traditional ‘Made in Hong Kong’ soy sauce factories have witnessed the district’s rapid development including imminent relocation by the end of 2024. The New Beans team proposes a solution at PMQ that simplifies soy sauce-making process, inviting visitors to discuss the feasibility of this idea and collectively find a sustainable path.

Soy Source

Simultaneously, the Cheung Chau Theater, a Grade III Historical Building, is revitalized through Jason Gu Jia Cheung’s work, ‘Alive Archive: Reveal the Past, Present and Future of Cheung Chau Theatre,’ using 3D modeling and archaeological drawings to showcase the iconic Cheung Chau community. Through his drawings, Gu resurrects the old building with a vivid model, complemented by detailed information and materials like reproduction of theater tickets, to be showcased in the festival.

We all have objects that we treasure; some of them carry significant meanings for us, particularly relating to our families and friends. Under the Storytelling category, ‘Mending • Connections • Stories’ by Cman Chiu and Shirley Hung combines embroidery with modern technology, using conductive thread to mend old, sentimental items, evoking emotions in their owners. Visitors are encouraged to share their stories, express their feelings, and retain these creatively restored items.

Mending • Connections • Stories

Similarly, gold, jewelry, and accessories carry special emotional ties. Hong Kong-based PLAYBACK CONCEPT proposes an alternative approach. Specializing in metal craftsmanship, their project ‘RE: move on’ integrates traditional craftsmanship with new technologies like Generative AI, 3D Printing, and Photography. This initiative showcases how articles, such as jewelry, can be reinvented, allowing the stories of the deceased to be preserved and shared by their families and friends.

RE: move on