Field trip and fieldwork report
Transcript
Topic: A documentary photography of the gate with craved patterns in Hong Kong
Wong Siu Wing 3036184204, Ma Yin Lam 3036189008
Key themes: 1) The relationship between architectures and human touch in the old Hong Kong (1950-1960) and the present 2) Street aesthetics 3) Everyday streetscape 4) Critique of nostalgia culture
Video link:https://youtu.be/71oivjjJ_Hc?si=soCXdnljYN6CZfDU
Mark: Today we are going to talk about the vanishing gates with craved patterns in Hong Kong through our documentary photography. We try to show the real-side of these gates, which is a crucial part of architecture to story-tell their cultural significance for Hong Kong people.
Minnie: Shall we talk about our selected neighbourhood first?
Mark: The main site we have chosen is Man Wah Sun Chuen, which is situated at Yau Ma tei. These photos illustrate this community is grassroots and dense, while there are many small shops on the street, such as “Cha Chaan Teng” and stores. Especially, the left photo visualizes this community as a “concrete jungle” from a low angle.
Minnie: Let’s talk about the history of gates with craved patterns. According to the book “Hong Kong Old Charm” (香港老美) written by Simpson Wong, these gates emerged in the 1950s. Starting from a diamond shape (菱形閘), a few holes into the V-shape plates were added for more ventilation. After that, more patterns and shapes were produced as a signature of different shops.
Minnie: We collect diverse shapes and patterns of gates in Man Wah Sun Chuen, which are shown in the collage. Most of them came from grocery stores and car mechanic stores; some designs are even totally produced in the light of their shop names. They shape the everyday streetscapes to narrate the community, rendering the visual culture of Man Wah Sun Chuen.
Mark: In the Man Wah Sun Cheun, a majority of gates were painted in silver colour while only a few of them are dark red. These gates are not only a kind of street aesthetic. Together with the old architecture, they represented the old Hong Kong. We can through these gates imagine the lifestyle of Hong Kong people and the interaction of neighbourhoods in the 1950s-1960s.
Mark: Mr Wong, the owner of “Chang Ji”, working in Man Wah Sun Cheun for over twenty years. “Residents always bring food, newspapers and even domestic goods to us, they will hang them on the gate if I am not here, this gate really helped me a lot” said Mr Wong.
Minnie: Apart from residents, owners and their stuff have hung their own things on the gates. This symbolizes a faith between shop owners and residents; they believe in the community safety.
Minnie: Two mailboxes are captured on the left side. Shop owners used to handle their administrative stuff with other companies through mailboxes. Even we rarely use letters now, we can see that some shop owners still keep their mailboxes on the gates through the holes. It is a kind of non-verbal record of history; we can understand their working procedures and habit before the birth of technology.
Mark: As for now, gates with craved patterns still act as a form of communication, they reproduce the everyday lives of residents. Some shop owners hang the advertisements and notice through the holes as shown in this still. Unlike chain stores, small shops may not have promotions on social media. But residents can receive their latest information when they pass through the street. They also can pry into the shop through the holes; they can view and hear what happened in the shop.
Mark: I heard two ladies were gossiping about their family things when I was searching the gates for my fieldtrip material. I felt a bit strange and spooky initially since there were no people walking on the street but there were two female voice near me. Eventually, I discovered that the sound was coming out from the store – “Sai Kwan Lo Jo”, I peak into the store through the holes on the gate and saw they were preparing some food ingredients for the store opening on the fifth day of Lunar New Year. This kind of interaction is a kind of human touch that technology may not replace.
Minnie: Will the owners consider renewing these long-established gates?
Mark: The owner of Chiu Kee Wooden Case said he usually renews his gate every Lunar New Year. This is because it symbolizes “a brand new” and a welcome for next year. However, he may change to install the roller gates because of the lower cost of maintenance.
Minnie: Yes, one of the founders of Streetsignhk Kelvin pointed out that the maintenance of gates with craved patterns requires massive expenses due to its weight and customized design. This is the main factor for why they have been disappearing in recent years. Roller gates highlight standarlized design, convenience and low cost, but every shop will become homogenous. Gates no longer can represent their characteristics, and these architectures therefore no longer can evoke emotions and influence our everyday lives.
Minnie: Another reason is a lack of “Siu-Fu”. “Hong Kong Old Charm” noticed that currently Hong Kong only has four aging “Siu Fu” for producing gates with craved patterns. They are experienced in casting, welding, cutting and inlaying to produce these gates. However, young generations are not likely to participate in this traditional industry because of lower income and social mobility. Therefore, the above techniques are easily lost within 10 years.
Mark: In recent years, Hongkongers have begun to discuss how to preserve gates with craved patterns. By organizing multiple non-government organisations primarily focusing on local cultures, such as Streetdesignhk and Eldagehk, they want to prevent these gates from being the “victim” of urban development.
Minnie: Some urban spaces including cafes and marketplaces reproduce the gates in the name of preservation. This completely copies the appearance of old gates with craved patterns. Like “A little trim” we captured in Man Ying Street shown on the right side, this salon highly imitates gates with craved patterns. Without own stories and historical context, do you think such imitation is a kind of preservation or only an invention of tradition? That means these gates with craved patterns will only become a gimmick; capitalists create their image through the commodification of nostalgia culture. By copying the appearance of gates with craved patterns, these shops can attract people to take “check-in” photos. Compared with this method, will it be more effective if the government provides an economic allowance to small shops for gate maintenance?
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