Hong Kong

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Dance

Neon-Clad Ballet Dancers Take the Streets of Hong Kong by Storm in Celebration of Their 40th Year

In a new brand video from the Hong Kong Ballet, swarms of brightly dressed ballet dancers demonstrate traditional techniques in a contemporary urban environment. The 40-year-old dance company underwent a dramatic rebrand in 2018 courtesy of Washington, D.C. based-agency Design Army, and the recent video builds on their new identity. Sporting a mix of classic tutus alongside contemporary athleticwear, the dancers pas de deux across basketball courts and stroll en pointe through crosswalks to the remixed tune of Maurice Ravel’s Boléro. Find more moments of dancers in motion on the Hong Kong Ballet’s Youtube channel and take a peek behind the stage curtain on Instagram. (via Colossal Submissions)

 

Photography

The Neon Archives: An Exploration of Hong Kong’s Fading Neon Landscape

Hong Kong has long been infused with the glowing haze produced by its omnipresent neon signs and advertisements. Recently this saturated element of the city has begun to disappear as maintenance and rent costs rise and government regulation steps in. Local photographer Dennis Isip intends to preserve this aspect of his city’s history through a series titled The Neon Archives.

Started in 2017, the ongoing photography series captures this retreating feature of the city’s culture with images that preserve Hong Kong’s vivid nightlife. “Neon lights define Hong Kong’s character and without it, the city’s identity is lost,” he tells Colossal. “The Neon Archives hope is to capture each neon sign in Hong Kong before they fade away.” (via Colossal Submissions)

Photography

Ultraviolet Break of Day: A Midnight Walk Through the Neon-Hued Streets of Asian Cities by Marcus Wendt

While on a recent trip through Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Seoul, London-based photographer Marcus Wendt found himself suffering from a bout of jetlag induced insomnia and ended up wandering the streets of several cities late at night. With a camera in-hand he captured these mesmerising shots that channel the cyberpunk vibe of movies like Bladerunner where narrow urban alleys are bathed in cool ultraviolet light. Over several days Wendt worked his way through the Kowloon area of Hong Kong and then Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei area known for its sprawling electronics market, before eventually traveling to Seoul. You can see more from the project on his website. (via Colossal Submissions)

Art

Striking Aerial Photos of Hong Kong Shrouded in Fog by Andy Yeung

For his latest photo series Urban Fog, photographer Andy Yeung launched a DJI Phantom 3 from Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong to capture the city at night while covered in mist. Yeung said he was inspired by a similar project of the city photographed during the day, and was intrigued to see how he could present the city lights at night as they illuminated the fog. The photos are remarkable for their likeness to a thunderstorm with the cool lights of the city glowing inside the fog like flashes of lightning. You can see more of Yeung’s work on his website. (via Designboom)

Design History Illustration

An Illustrated Cross Section of Hong Kong’s Infamous Kowloon Walled City

The Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was built gradually—building on top of building—over time. Without a single architect, the ungoverned and most densely populated district became a haven for drugs, crime and prostitution until it was demolished in 1993. Photo documentation of the site exists but for the most part much of the inner-workings of the city remained a mystery.

Perhaps due to its proximity, Japan, in particular, developed a keen interest towards Kowloon. Its demolition in 1993 was broadcast on national television. But watching the footage, what most spectators didn’t realize was that up until the night before demolition a team of Japanese researchers were taking precise measurements and documenting the vacated city. Their findings were compiled into a book that, among other things, featured this panoramic cross section of the city depicting what life was like inside. You can read more about the book on Spoon & Tamago, and if you look hard enough, a few rare copies of it are available online.

 

Photography

Photos of Hong Kong Construction Sites Wrapped in Colorful Cocoons by Peter Steinhauer

Like a burst of color on an otherwise grey canvas, a single majestically colored building rises out of a sea of dull grayness. This is not Christo’s latest “wrapping” project, which is what the photographer Peter Steinhaur first thought, naturally, upon encountering the phenomenon. In fact, these are construction sites wrapped in a colorful mesh material, a traditional method employed in Hong Kong to prevent debris from falling onto the streets below. According to Steinhauer, who’s lived and worked in Asia for the last 21 years – but was stunned to discover this unique construction method in Hong Kong – buildings are wrapped regardless of whether they’re coming up or going down. I’ve seen a similar method employed in Japan with smaller houses, but never anything of such monolithic scale. You can see many more photos over on Steinhauer’s site, where he has two series aptly titled “Cocoon.” (via Featureshoot)