In different research trips and workshops, the cultural scientist and artist Jürgen Krusche (April 2014, October 2015, July 2016), the filmmaker Yunlong Song (April 2014, November 2014, October 2015, July 2016), the artist group Heidy Baggenstos & Andreas Rudolf (April 2014) and the photographer Marc Latzel (November 2014), together with King Chung Siu and his students from the School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, investigated into the public spaces of Sham Shui Po, mapping the urban and social fabric by means of photo and video documentary, participatory photo observations, 3D-video documentary, interviews, artistic interventions, mapping techniques and expert talks. Community organizers like SoCO (Society for Community Organization) and artists from Zurich as well as from Hong Kong participated in the research process.
During the first visit in April 2014, the artist collective Heidy Baggenstos & Andreas Rudolf conducted a workshop, together with a group of students from the School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, leading to some artistic interventions. The workshop “Art as Diverter” puts its emphasis on light situations in public spheres and its specific functions and representations, being an expression of social and economic power relations. Any public light source can serve as a starting point for interventions: The light is converted into electricity with solar panels and is reorganized with a personal element of display. In a playful way, not only the light is derived – captured – and transformed, but also the respective light sources and locations are critically surveyed according to their functions and representations.
During the visit in July 2016, students from the School of Design developed maps by collecting detailed data of the space use in the examined area; the result of the mapping shows a downward gradient of the socio-economic situation from the north to the south part of Sham Sui Po.
Results
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Mapping of the socio-economic levels
BY SIU KING CHUNG AND STUDENTS
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12 Faces 12 Videos
BY SONG YUNLONG
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A Visual Ethnographic Expedition
BY JÜRGEN KRUSCHE
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Politics of Space — 7 Keywords
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Video Spots
BY JÜRGEN KRUSCHE
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Art As Diverter
BY BAGGENSTOS/RUDOLF