This is a promenade which has gained its attention in tourists in Hong Kong recently, It is famous for its sunset seaview at dusk. But at nighttime, after the sun has set. The view is completely different from regular seaside promenades in other places.Here is The Belcher Bay Promenade, located at Shing Sai Road, Kennedy Town, As you stroll along the promenade, you’ll be captivated by how crowded and yet organized in a perfect way. How does it do it? Let me break it all down. There are three parts divided along the promenade. On the sea side, there are people who are fishing along the pier, sitting at the edge of the harbor, there are people who sat on those benches and chatting together, on the inner side of the promenade, there are skateboard lovers who find their beloved place to practice their new skateboard tricks and sharing joy with each other, there are also children playing hide and seek running around in the middle part of the promenade. There are dog owners who hang out with their pets regularly. Fun fact, there are no rules telling people that you should skate in this area or you should walk the pet in that area. The way that everyone is having their own fun and not judging others’ attitude is just on point, giving a vibrant and modern appearance of a leisure destination, containing different kinds of people and interactions within. The promenade is more than a space for family and children to bond, it becomes a place where everyone can have their own way to enjoy their night there. This place has both history and modernity, creating a new definition of leisure area and showing people with a hybrid form of traditional park and harbor.
This video idea is based on my thoughts on leisure areas recently. Hong Kong is a small city and people in Hong Kong always said that there are insufficient places for people to chill and have fun. I came up with an idea to investigate this kind of park. After doing some research, I found out that the old Ktown is developed from an old fishing village and the Town Planning Division under Lands Department pointed out that the lack of recreational lands was amongst the biggest problems for the area when drafting the first Kennedy Town Outline Zoning Plan in the 1980s. Now, this promenade has become the government project to redevelop into an open space and recreational area in 2018 by the method of reclamation. Prior to the 1980s, Kennedy Town faced significant challenges due to the prevalence of slaughterhouses, poultry pens, vegetable markets, incinerators, and factories. The resulting air and noise pollution greatly affected the residents, causing significant inconvenience. Moreover, the limited availability of playgrounds and basketball courts further compounded the situation during that time. Therefore this promenade project is trying to offer more choices for people living in Kennedy Town to go for leisure purposes. And the result is kind of a great success.
The video is filmed in a handheld camera style with a big portion as I want to give the feeling of realistic and 1st person view on the promenade. I seldom show the whole picture of the place but rather use a still shot to record the crowdedness inside, showing various people at the place at the same time. Besides, The warm tone in the video is trying to bring a chill and warm vibe to the video and showing the joy in those people. showing a hybrid form of how a modern part of a recreational space should be.
Reference
Every Kennedian to His Taste: Community histories and memories of Kennedy Town https://www.cache.org.hk/download/TT8_book_EveryKennedianToHisTaste.pdf
Kwok Ka Shing 3036072762
The organization of the video essay is very creative in the way it was shot. It felt very relaxed and immersive to the point where I felt that I wished I could be part of the scene. The overall project has a unique charm in its creativity where the main character’s points of view are at night in town. However, I am curious how the architectural changes in Kennedy Town have affected the livelihood of locals who resided in the area. Additionally, how has the addition of a new Kennedy MTR station affected the surrounding architecture and its intended functions
One thing I like is the content——the peace and norm of daily life. The recorded audio in the video is very comforting and brings a sense of peace to the heart. It is often the simplest aspects of life that touch us the most, and your documentation of the voices and visuals of the elderly and young exemplify this. One suggestion for improvement would be to stabilize the camera movements, as smoother shots would enhance the immersive experience for viewers.