Project Background
Elevation and suspension has been core ideas of Hong Kong’s urban spaces, as the tried-and-true way for the dense, populated, hilly city to go is going ‘up’. Multitude and multi-altitude urban planning accustomed city dwellers to live their day at different pace, different direction, with the merits of encountering less congestions and fewer conflicts between brushing shoulders and stepping feet. The skyway systems created possibility for commuters to transverse from their public transport stops to work or home without any relationship to ground level.
I chose the theme of Parallel City On one aspect, footbridges ensure safety and walkability for groups that are vulnerable on the road: pedestrians, cyclists, as well as animals. The majority of footbridges have roofs to protect travellers from natural elements, and for people with difficult mobility, footbridges can be more convenient than sidewalks when ramps and lifts are available, which is the case for most footbridges in Hong Kong. On another aspect, footbridges are the result of modernisation prioritising vehicular traffic over other road users, the costs of socio-spatial inequalities are burdened on the pedestrians, who are segregated and re-routed to walkaways above-ground and under-ground. Likewise, footbridges became a social space shared by groups whose identities or activities are precluded from the mainstream public spaces, most prominent in the domestic helpers gathering for picnic, karaoke and dancing on (public) footbridges as a regulatory grey area. Although recreational affairs on the footbridge does reflect the diverse culture in placemaking, it is fundamentally a hierarchal outcome of domestic workers being marginalised from privately-owned and officially-governed domains.
Video Production & Making
I edited the video with three parts in mind. The first part showcases the structure of the footbridges from the outside/side, and capturing the footbridges in the backdrop of desolated streets, introducing a feeling of unfamiliarity in the familiar areas of the city. The second part follows the camera onto the footbridges through lift and differently shaped stairs
The last part switches to a more close-up perspective to focus on an important element of footbridges at night: lighting
The hardest decision was contemplating about whether I should to add music and special effects to my video, as it would have generally made the viewing experience more engaging. To me, the ambience after dark, and the atmosphere after rain, draped the landscape in hazy shades of placidity. I found the generic background melodies and effects too excessive for the video, and did not relate to the noises I have experienced on the footbridge at midnight. I was prompted to present my video with the acoustic environmental sounds in the first version, reserving mainly the tram’s clickety clack sounds and reducing the noise level in video reception. But after reviewing the published video, the lack of audio appeared stiff as my footages are rather static. This lead to my search for an Anita Mui song, because her vocal is how I imagine the ‘witching hour’ of 3:00 am sounds like in music. I settled on Years Like Water with Anita’s voice tender as the night, and I began the song from the second frame to match the beats closer to the scene transition,
Your text is carefully-crafted, especially your spatial analysis on the functional and social importance of the skywalks in HK. However, it is a pity that your video does not offer the same level of sophistication. Your research topic has huge potential but it lacks support from reference and a detailed outline at the moment and structure.