It all starts with a thought.
The story behind
“Are We Being Heard? Tools of Protest”
Message spray painted by protesters at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, taken during the lockdown in November 2019
Invaluable part of the story
Object per se is an container of information.
The functionality says a lot about the time, the place, the culture and the ideology behind the creator and the user.
By the time of the outbreak of Hong Kong Protest in June 2019, locals are getting more involved in the HK Protest. Different types of posters, stickers and pamphlets appeared across Hong Kong streets. Especially during the assemblies and the mass protests, Hong Kong people have taken the “tools of protest” into another level in a very unique and creative way.
After the mass protest and assembly, it is a pity to see these creative works go to waste. It was the time when I came up with a thought - Would it be possible to transform these wasted objects into some invaluable exhibits that tell stories about Hong Kong?
Since then, I started to collect narrative objects from different assemblies & protests, and from friends & strangers.
The objects could be makeshift objects that made for temporary use ; they could be creative expressions that joke about police brutality euphemistically ; they could also be some everyday utensils that live with the locals. Despite the variety of the collection, they all serve one purpose - they speak a lot about us, the people of Hong Kong.
I still remember that night outside the Hong Kong City Hall. While I was collecting the handmade paper American flags left behind after the Thanksgiving Assembly, a middle-aged lady who was concerned for my safety approached me for some protesters were attacked while putting up posters at night. After understanding the whole collection idea, she insisted to walk me to the MTR station just to make sure I was safe.
Yes. It happens. Strangers I met during the assemblies, a long lost classmate who introduced me to his archivist hall mate, a frontline protester who explained a lot about his gears, a friend who drove me around and supported this project tirelessly - along with the collection - they are truly the invaluable part of this exhibition.
Written on 6 June 2020