portfolio 2016
-
2020
art - architecture
katherine, wong ka lam
wong.katherine403@gmail.com
+852 6623 2101 / +81 070 4805 4523
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resume education 2015 - 2019
the university of hong kong (ba) (arch stud) (hons)
2009 - 2015
st paul’s convent school (hk)
work experience 2020 nov - present
architectural assistant, collective studio (hk)
2019 dec - 2020 sept
intern, atelier bow wow (tokyo)
2019 jul - nov
intern, puddle.inc (tokyo)
2018 june - aug
intern, studio ryte (hk)
2016 june - aug
intern, one bite design studio (hk)
skills & languages computer
microsoft office suite adobe illustrator,photoshop,indesign,lightroom autocad, vectorworks rhinoceros, sketchup, vray hand-craft, wood-work, lasercutting, 3d printing
language
native in cantonese fluent in english & mandarin conversational in japanese.
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exhibitions & publications 2019
hku degree show & public review 2019
2018
thinking - alternative design for offices book by non-architecture
2016
preserve exhibition & pop-up store [parc.1900s antique & liftstyle shop]
2015
only here only now osa award after-show [hong kong visual arts centre]
2015
the outstanding student artist award of hk exhibition [hong kong visual arts centre]
2015
the soveriegn art foundation-school’s prize exhibition [the affordable art fair 2015 hk]
awards & scholarships 2015
the outstanding student artist award of hk (finalist)
2015
sovereign art foundation school’s prize (finalist)
2014
spcs paulinian award (art) (all round achievements)
community involvement 2014 - present
youngwave service group, st james settlement
2014 - present
food angel, bo charity foundation
2012 - 2013
voluntary tutor, sir ellis kadoorie school
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contents
architectural design academic projects 1-1
the laundromat
1-2
sloped streets | footpath & the carriage way
1-3
re-occupying back air-wells
1-4
breathing | surface
1-5
star ferry pier no.7
1-6
interlocking planter
competition entries
4
1-7
metamorphic sanctuary
1-8
the play at home
1-9
office on demand
work experience built projects 2-1
excerpt / atelier bow wow
2-2
aoyagi house
2-3
an object / one bite design studio
/ puddle.inc
art independent projects 3-1
yobare 呼 ば れ
3-2
restore | preserve pt.2
3-3
non-existent openings | neglected urban artefacts pt.2
3-4
commons | preserve pt.1
5
academic project
th e laundromat more than just washing machines 2019 / tutor: roberto requejo
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1-1
washing stations. diagrammatic section
laundry washing can involve more than just a washing machine.
plugged into a gap between two highways, the laundromat idealises a new lifestyle shaped around the act of washing. it takes form as an assembly line of washing facilities that act in replacement of the very few shared washing machines found scattered among the slum. inspired by archigram, the laundromat is a purely hypothetical project that draws a new reality for the slum community in khlong toey, bangkok.
it is an experiment to design solely using the medium of drawing and imagery. design iterations are developed from repetitive graphical exercises. the goal is to construct an idea / shape a reality that lives on the paper as much as it does in the mind. this method of working freed the design from limitations of reality, ultimately ending with an architectural idea that solves an existing problem while relying on the future.
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academic project
studies of how inflatable and foldable devices expand and operate. this formed a database from which graphical elements can be extracted as independent entities and manipulated further.
02 operations
+ 03 synthesis
creating site-less, program-less prototypes that suggests a possibility to expand and colapse. which are then transformed into a solution to the sites needs, while they still evoke properties of the prototypes.
operations
01 sampling
sampling
the exercises
the unsheltered gap showed a capacity to allow for vertical expansion. and thus enables the installment of my composites while making full use of their expandability. existing shared washing machines forms common laundry areas where small groups of residents gather and chat while waiting for their run.
synthesis
0 4 t h e site + programme choice
the possibility to garner social exchanges within the closed community of the slum with laundry washing appeared to be a potential programme. composites studies
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1-1
site conditions . long section common laundry areas
common laundry areas on site
. plan
design . plan
design . cross-section
access 05 the laundromat
the laundromat
the unsheltered gap showed a capacity for vertical expansion. and thus enables the installment of my composites while making full use of their expandability.
access
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academic project
from 2d ideas to
3d elememts
prototypes synthesized from the exercise are turned into 3D elements which come together to compose the stations.
a day at the laundromat the laundromat doubles as a communnity center for the slum residents that lives undeneath the highway. in the day the stations collapse during washes, and expand during off hours to create communal spaces. the steps of washing is broken down into stations, forming a linear experience that not only serves its function, but also creates more opportunity for social exchanges.
day/ laundromat
night/ community centre mirrored here
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1-1
laundry stations . exploded axonometric
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academic project
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1-1
laundry stations . exploded axonometric
this long section pictures a symmetrically oppostie scenario, with the 2nd half of it being an exact mirror of the 1st, but showing a different set of activity at a different time of day.
programme . mirrored long section
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academic project
moments of juxtaposition the narrow and linear strip of facilities is juxtaposed next to moving cars and the 2 highways. a scene that is definitely unrealistic (for now), with an ironic quality. a realistic rendering makes it possible to further accentuate the project’s hypothetic character
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1-1
scenario . rendered image
15
academic project
f o otpath & the carr i a g e w a y what if they can be connected as one system? research & intervention on hk sloped streets 2018 / tutor: sony devabhaktuni collaborator: regina szeto
we believe that there can be a more interesting way to deal with the experience of sloped streets in hong kong.
what if it can be a people’s street but not a car’s street? is it possible for us to re-identify parts of a sloped street for functions other than just circulation? footpath and carriageway on slopes do not have to be separate systems, by adding connectors to existing conditions, the two can act as one system and even be given back to the sloped street as public spaces. they can be more than just a way of passage, but a place that allows resting and gathering between destination points. the project began with us studying the street as an infrastructure, taking apart its elements and documenting them in speculative drawings and models. they acted not only as a record of the site, but also served as a fragemented constellation of our thinking process.
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site: peel street & elgin street, central
1-2
between footpaths and carriageway
between backlanes
between backlanes
between streets
abstractions of continuous and discontinuous stairs. plaster model
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academic project
building regulation
observation
prototype
“carriageway” that
part of a private street, cul-de-sac or access road used or intended for use by vehicular traffic
wider portion of a street that is smooth landscape with no obstructions - where pedestrian, especially elderly, often prefer to walk on, where cafe customers would dine-out
“foothpath”
that part of a private street, cul-de-sac or access road used or intended for use only by pedestrian traffic
sides of a street, often too narrow. continuous stairs lining building fronts, where shops interiorised through furnishings, where vendors turn into market places in the day
“cul-de-sac” (dead-end)
a private street which is closed at one end
could be a street with stairs at one end, where the street is still continuous for pedestrians but not for cars.
“curb”
separation between the pedestrian and cars
to guide surface water on carriageway towards drains and away from footpaths
“between footpath and carriageway”
distinguished by the curb, changing heights of the footpath make some sections not walkable.
be able to guide water, connect level differences and provide pauses between circulation.
our definitions list of definitions
how are slopes in hk shaped into streets?
to ease circulation, footpaths were designed as part of the system of buildings, in relation to building entrances and facades. carriageway, a word originated from the 1790-80s, implies ‘a path designated for the use of carriages - wheeled vehicles drawn by horses’. the speed of vehicles at the time made the past-day carriageway a place for both pedestrians and vehicles.
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slopes as streets.
present day automobiles with heightened speeds created a clear distinction between the footpath and made the carriageway a necessary safety precaution.the carriageway, as a systems for cars, sandwiched between the footpaths, eventually drove the two sides of the sloped street into two independents, each operating on their own. the footpaths are built in accordance to the buildings as they are built overtime, each session designed to facilitate their corresponding building entrances, thus it seems apparent that though continuous, the footpaths are segmented and belongs as a part of the building’s system.
1-2
plan of peel street & elgin street
slopes & shopfronts. elevation of peel street & elgin street
1964
1965
1966
upper ground floor plan
1970
lower ground floor plan footpath and the building. historic site building plan
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academic project
parallel elevation of elgin & peel street
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1-2 connections on sloped street
front photo
elevation
model modules
circulation
footpath
additional stairs
between back alley, footpath and carraigeway
/
/ /
/
between footpath and facade
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academic project
extruded site condition, foam model base w
loop - attached to one side - extending shopfront - including the back lane as part of circulation
1
a
2
b
3
c
a. street b. prototype on street c. prototype
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1. site section 2. original circulation 3. new circulation
intertwine
turn - connecting two sides - extending shopfront - balancing drastic level difference between 2 sides the footpath
of
- attached to one sid - extending shopfront - providing alternati
1-2
with movable pieces
de t ive walkway
intervention on site. 3d prints & foam model
23
academic project
the objective is to rethink the relation between the footpath and carriageway of sloped streets in old urban areas of hong kong. by connecting the carriageway and footpath, they can be given back to the street
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and larger urban element. in our condition-based prototypes, connectors are made by a systems of stairs, ramps and drainage superimposed - turn, loop, intertwine. they function in place of the curb.
1-2
prototype on extruded site condition. iso drawing
25
academic project
r e - occupying b a c k airwells a shanghai lilong project 2018 / tutor: kenan liu collaboator: amanda chan
a spatial re-organization project, using the bespoken back air-wells, this project looks into a potential intervention to regenerate designated communal spaces internally, within the living premises of the lilong houses. with the “one house multiple families� condition, a discrepancy between the intended design of the lilong houses and the current living condition is found. the project aims as diminishing this discrepancy by re-organizing the internal spaces of the houses, to create a clearer division between public and private for the multiple families under the same roof.
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1-3
intervention on site. axonometric
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academic project
site impression . sectional perspective
site programme allocation . diagram
^ the back air-well is a repeating character in the lilong housing typology.
due to the “one house multiple families “ condition, the air-well is not utilized for its intended purpose, but now serves as the shared entrance for residents in the same block. 4-5 families occupying one house has led to a discrepancy inbetween the intended way of using the house and the actual living condition.
one house one family (past)
one house
spatial re-organisation the spatial re-arrangement in lilong houses liberates interior space for the introdution of new designated shared facilities and communal platforms for residents within the block. utilizing leftover back airwell, a new entrance and staircase is intoduced. redefining the back of the building as the front entrance with a core of shared facilities.
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one house one family to one house multipl
1-3
multiple families (present)
le families . exploded axonometric
design . exploded axonometric
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academic project
before
after
deisgn . model 1:50
design . final site model 1:200
the back of the house now becomes the front, where a concentrated core of shared facilities can be found, introducing a new communal culture into lilong housing internally. with the external vertical circulation in place, the roof can be accessed by residents across the block, allowing the roof to act as the most public communal space. the light weight steel frame seats on top aligned to the existing roof truss, together with the wire mesh platforms minimizes blockage of sunlight. 1
30
1-3
intervention on site. axonometric
2
3
roof intervention . isometric diagram
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private flats
shared core
academic project
usage of reorganised space. ISO floor plan
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1-3
reorganised privvate and shared space. floor plan
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academic project
b r e athing | surface sounding architecture 2016 / tutor: wei tseng collaborator: jonathon so (part b)
breathing encapsulated visualising sounds through a surface this 2-part project challenges the possibility to articulate and portray ideas of sound, using mediums of architecture. both involving a constant: a surface. A. visualising sound on a surface b. creating sound with a surface
to visualise/create sound, we have to depict/create what is influenced by sound. disposing the common idea of a surface. the first (a) treats the 2D surface as a canvas with the depth of a 3D space the second (B) treats a 2D surface as an organisam capable of 3D movements. in this space framed by the board, the body is a negotiator. while in a relaxed state e.g sleeping, one changes his/her position and the body parts involved in the exchange of air are depicted changing along with it. with this drawing i'm trying visualise the sound of breathing, to portray the intangible atmosphere that breathing produces, fillng up the box(panel) the bodies are contained within.
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1-4
breathing encapsulated . drawing on wood
35
academic project
using of the instrument
components: wooden cubes/ bellows/ pipes
a breathing surface creating sound with a surface
an interactive instrument that reacts to the pressure and movement of the human body. constructed with wooden cubes and pipes that forms a flexible surface. the surface performs like a (diaphragm) which presses onto the bellows (lungs), pushing air through the tubings (trachea) and pipes (mouth); the instrument “breaths� as it produces sound.
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1-4
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academic project
1-5
s t a r ferry pier no. 7 building technology innovation & model making 2019 / collaborator: bertha leung, evelyn law, iva lam, kiki ng
design innovation with focus on ways to improve thermal comfort of the existing waiting area of the star ferry pier in central, hong kong.
section. axon. technical drawing
3 views. 1:10 detail model
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academic project
1-6
i n terlocking plante r digital fabrication 2019 / collaborator: janice chu, jack tam, jeff yau
an interlocking mechanism made of hand-crafted pieces of wood and water-jet cut aluminum tubes. exploreing the possibility of digital fabrication and its application in producing modular furniture.
overall combined modulev. final planter
rotation of the tubings to join. diagrammatic drawing
composition of the components. diagrammatic drawing
joint. aluminum tube element
moments. final planter
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competition entries
m e tamorp hic sanctua r y “healing� non-architecture idea competition 2020 / collaborator: evelyn law
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1-7
the metamorphic sanctuary visualizes a hypothetical evolution of the quarantine from a temporary compromise to a permanent settlement for the pandemic.
since the lock-down, the nation’s mobility has been strictly limited within our own homes, taking form as our impromptu sanctuary.
isolation has been a feature of this era, with architecture playing a critical role safeguarding us physically and spatially from the threat. the ongoing social-distancing practices can be further prolonged in times of extreme uncertainty, such that its continual impact on human society would inevitably propel us to acknowledge the existential threat and adapt to a new way of long-term secluded living.
basic functions of life are temporarily fulfilled within this empirical sanctuary, which sustains our fundamental “survival”. as time progresses, the concept of the “impromptu” will be gradually challenged. uncertainty and scepticism will give rise to informal expansions and modifications within the conglomerate, forging an ample climate for the imminent long haul. when our last-ditch hope of the “impromptu” dies out, the sanctuary will then conform with the idea of “permanence” and settle as our final form of living.
presentation images. renderings
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competition entries
t h e play at home “living upon the play” the 47th nisshin kogyo architectural design competition 2020 / collaborator: kevin lai, finish chan
play happens in every domestic space. our lives are inseperable from the devices we own, and in this project we associate the idea of play, to the daily push-and-pull between us and our devices. a room of play is where inhabitants (subject) project our desires onto our inhabited space (objects). where we domesticate the furniture as products of our desires, which in turn shape the environment we are living in, and dictate who we become. the pushand-pull thereby creates our “rooms of play” that are always fluid, always in tension, always evolving. our project takes the premise of domestic space and questions our relationship with the designed devices around us. by drawing rooms of queer nature, we disrupt the common logic in our interactions with these devices. we invite our audience to peep into the most private quirks and fetishes, and so demonstrate their expression in architectural forms through a critical play on displacement and exaggeration. our everyday living is a space-making “play” on its own. it contains its own irony and comedy. living upon the play is never a single archetype, but a continuous making of domestic space.
room 106:“the floor is lava” . illustration (extracte
ENVIRONMENT 環境
INHABITANTS 住人
OBJECTS 所有物
DESIRE 欲望
relationship between inhabitants and objects . diagram
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room 101:“at all costs” . illustration (extracte
1-8
ed)
ed)
presentation drawing.room perspectives
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competition entries
o f fice on demand “thinking� non-architecture idea competition 2018 / @ studio ryte collaborator: dennis cheung, whitnie lau, coco tang
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1-9
the arise of new job types and portable devices have made independent office areas obsolete. working at home and cafes proved to be much more flexible and efficient for not only the workers but employers. we foresee a future where the function of having an office is distilled to only interactive occasions and meetings; and designated physical spaces for offices are no longer necessary.
this proposal -“hover pods” is a fleet of autonomous mobile offices which is backed by an on-demand booking system to meet a company’s or individual’s specific working schedule. it eliminates the space occupation of working environments, preceding lands for designated working spaces can be transformed into lands for alternative usages and activities.
presentation images. renderings
45
work experience
e x cerpt year out experience construction drawings & illustration production 2020 / @ atelier bow wow
staircase detail of ikebe house (池部邸新築工事), construction d
excerpts of construction & illustrative drawings produced for multiple projects in the schematic and detail design stage. projects featured: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
ikebe house 池部邸新築工事 (detail design) hirayama summer house 平山邸改修工事 (schematic design) miyagawasuji machiya 宮川筋町屋 (completed design) house arc ハウス・アーク (completed design) periscope house ペリスコープ・ハウス (completed design)
ikebe house (池部邸新築
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2-1
balcony renovation of hirayama summer house(平山邸改修工事), construction drawing
drawing
築工事)
cupboard detail of ikebe house (池部邸新築工事), construction drawing
47
work experience
miyagawasuji machiya(宮川筋町屋), sectional perspective, publication material
production of illustrative drawings which includes sectional details for magazaine features and other publications. shinkenchiku-housing special(新建築:住宅特集) 07/2020 issue
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2-1
periscope house(ペリスコープ・ハウス),sectional perspective, publication material for shinkenchiku-housing special(新建築:住宅特集) 04/2020 issue
house arc(ハウス・アーク),sectional perspective, publication material for shinkenchiku-housing special(新建築:住宅特集) 07/2020 issue
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work experience
a o yagi house 青柳 ハウス residence renovation project in uehara, tokyo concept development, drawing & model production 2019 / @ puddle.inc
storage
main bedroom
bathroom office
living
guest room
parking kitchen
- 2019
dining
office
bathroom living kitchen & dining
parking
main bedroom
storage
multipurpose
guest room
2020 -
functionality private public
「 暮らすの容器を作る” 」 “creating a container of life” seperating “living” and “working” reogranizing functions/programmes within the premise to allow for an easier circulation path, and sectoring off the office space to remove work away from spaces for rest. preparing for the future creating a flexibile plan (1/f) to allow for changes in the future.
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2-2
renovated house ,section
renovated house ,section
furniture, plans & sections
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work experience
exerpts of concept sketches
renovated 1/F ,1:50 model
renovated 1/F ,detailed plan
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2-2
renovated 2/F ,1:50 model
renovated 2/F ,detailed plan
renovated 3/F ,1:50 model
renovated 3/F ,detailed plan
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work experience
a n object 一舊野 pack and go social bike concept development, drawing & illustration production 2016 / @ one bite design studio
a pack-and-go social bike project.
to serve as an intervention to different public spaces, providing flexible social spaces to passerby by spreading its benches and tables in a humble way. the project involved designing a flexible cart, with a permanent frame and movable cartons that can be removed and used as tables and chairs. the cartons can be spread out according to the site’s existing condition and landscape.
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2-3
bike test. image of one bite design studio
the bike in different parts of hong kong . preliminary illustrations
bike test in sheung wan
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art
y o bare 呼ばれ artwork & exhibition proposal okunoto triennale 2020: call for proposals 2020 / collaborator: athena leung
installtion proposal . key image
communal
reclaiming the abandoned ukai railway station. “yobare” is a special shared tradition of the suzu islanders, where they invite locals to their homes and treat them with home cooked meals to welcome them to their land. borrrowing the term, our proposal involves 3 parts 1. the installation 2. reclaimation of the abandoned ukai station 3. communal dining event at the installation
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different from usual yobare occasions, invited guests will be dining at the abandonded station, seating atop old and disposed furniture once owned by the locals. borrowing the locals’ belongings, we hope to make use of this installation to tie the islanders back to the shared memories previously birthed at the station and its land, gathering them in the same place at the same time through the event of communal dining. eventually re-constructing the old station into a shared place for interactions.
3-1
l dining event . poster draft
recycled chairs from locals
chair recyclning program . poster draft
communal table
work schedule . diagram
old ukai station
collecting unwanted chairs and seating from islanders. collected pieces will be repaired and remade into new seating for the yobare event.
the installing of home-used chairs bring an estranged sense of home-like cozyness, most importantly creates a strong juxtaposition to the abandoned ukai station.
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art
r e store | p r eserve pt. 2 artwork & exhibition 2017
exhibition & pop-up store at parc 1900s antique & lifestyle shop, february 2017
breeding upon accidental breakgae highlighting where the piece belongs to and how it used to be, by restoring it back to its physical whole. as they regain their form, the products show that broken pieces have essentially no decrease in value, it is a fragment of its past. my work stresses on the effort made, to return these fragments back into a part of parc1900s’ fire-king collection, where they were meant to be sold, now in a somewhat different state perhaps.
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with special molds, each fragmented piece are singled out and casted together with resin to form a new cup. each piece is named after their weight and priced accordingly with reference to the price of the original. hinting at their identity.
3-2
a set of new cups birthed from one broken fire-king mug
cup fragments
a restored
fire-king cup
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art
n o n-existing openin g s | n e glected urban art e f a c t s p t . 2 street art 2016 - ongoing
inconspicuous artefacts drawn and printed as stickers
this is a part of 3 projects done to promote the often neglected, inconspicuous urban spaces & artefacts in hong kong. this project in particular, uses street art as a medium, to influence inhabitants of the city through first-hand encounters. attempting to change common cognitions and preconceptions, to impact the audience in a way that they may learn to embrace these artefacts’ potential to be more interesting than they seem, even if they are made to be forgotten.
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3-3
photographic record of the street art. tai hang, hk
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art
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3-3
photographic record of the street art. sheung wan, hk
exhibition at hong kong visual arts centre, 02/2017
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art
c o mmons | p r eserve pt. 1 artwork & exhibition 2015
serving platter
serving tray
pot mat
coffee table
flaws / perfections / ideals / compromises celebrating the acceptance of imperfections a set of products produced from preserving old and damaged common items, to celebrate and commemorate the acceptance of what is imperfect and incomplete; of what is honest and humble. our standard for perfection has been greatly influenced by industrialization, so much so that a lot of mass produced items would be considered flawed once they’re not identical to the way they looked initially.
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in many ways, time induced flaws post no harm to these objects’ functionality, but in fact may even elevate them. it is possible to create a different picture out of what’s supposedly imperfect, only if we change our perspective. signs of usage and deterioration can add a human touch to these mass produced products, making them unique and special.
3-4
coffee tabletop made from a stained cutting board
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