Tag: Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

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Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on Christina TSOI

The article mainly discusses the concept of disappearance. It has provided some examples of Hong Kong historical buildings such as Repulse Bay Hotel to state the difference between colonial time and the present days.  After reading the article, I have raised the concern of cultural preservation. Through some old films or photos, we can see different functions or appearances of the same building or site. This helps us to compare the appearances and disappearances of the building. We can learn the history behind those buildings and sites. Moreover, some historical buildings and sites are the common memory of one’s generation,

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Cat Links Lecture 3 Filming the Asian City

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on dannywo5

Ackbar explores Hong Kong’s architectural conflict as a result of its Chinese and Colonial influences. Hong Kong’s storied history combined with rapid development as a bridge between East and West creates a cleavage in how one approaches the appreciation of the country’s architecture – is the past disappearing too quickly? An interesting point raised in the tutorial was why Ackbar narrowed in specifically on Hong Kong’s colonial architecture, its not like other countries (such as Africa or Indochina) had not been subject to having sections of their cities filled with distinct Colonial architecture. What makes Hong Kong difference is then

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Cat Links Lecture 2 The Post-War Asian City as Set

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on Ash

I pretty much appreciate the conception of ‘aesthetics of boredom’ mentioned in this article. I always feel empty and anxious when the feeling called ‘boredom’ hits me, and then I will drag something to do so that I can feel ‘filled.’ But Warhol is an artist who spends time investigating ‘boring’ things. I feel comforted knowing this. In the world, some people are bearing no effort to make their lives efficient, while some others are spending 1 second as 1 second and 1 minute as 1 minute, peacefully sitting with ‘time’ side by side. I guess that’s how the world

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Cat Links Lecture 2 Filming the Modern Asian City

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on u3577129

The architecture of Hong Kong has a feature that is the constant building and rebuilding. The disappearance of architectures in Hong Kong implies substitution of commercial for cultural. The disappearance of places like Kowloon Walled City which is seen as the disappearance of old Hong Kong culture brings a new type of Walled City, a city of which citizens and culture are surrounded and hidden by its high-rise buildings. Ackbar Abbas’s article brought me some new aspect to view the city of Hong Kong as so far still a tourist. When I visited the high -rise buildings in Hong Kong,

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Cat Links Lecture 2 Filming the Modern Asian City

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on Bertin Tong

I think the concepts of “disappearance” is used quite interestingly in this article, as the author explores how disappearance is tightly tied to culture. However, in my personal opinion, I don’t think such architecture can disappear in the way the author puts it. Even though colonial type architecture has mostly faded, their styles and aspects are part of the foundation of the modern architecture we see today, it can even be argued that the concept of “disappearance” doesn’t exist, rather the architecture simply changed and evolved over time. Moreover, I disagree with how the author states that the two bank

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Cat Links 2021 Blog, Lecture 2 Filming the Modern Asian City

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on yhl2501

Buildings in Hong Kong are being demolished and rebuilt relentlessly. Some significant architectures have dissolved under gentrification in Hong Kong. Documenting history, buildings have faded, as well as the cultural value they carried. One question arises: how do we preserve these witnesses of humanity? Architecture has always been a crucial element in film to set the time and space of a story implicitly. Therefore, Abbas believes film could encourage the reappearance of architecture. For instance, the Repulse Bay Hotel reappeared in a film as itself could tell its story soundlessly, which reinforces with Hong Kong stories. Under rapid gentrification and

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Cat Links Lecture 2 The Post-War Asian City as Set

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on u3536247

Ackbar Abbas goes into detail about the “disappearance” of cities. From a cinematic perspective, film makers typically use architecture and the city as tools of story telling. For example, high density residential and industrial complex may be shown in western film to show a near dystopian future. This kind of visual representation may be shown without the film maker’s understanding of the complexity of the city. Most film makers choose to show a specific theme they wish to portray through architecture. This kind of interpretation without understanding can cause a global audience to form stigmas and misunderstandings of cities. From

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Cat Links 2021 Blog, Lecture 2 Filming the Modern Asian City

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on u3560664

The author is really accurate about Hong Kong even 20 years later. He criticizes how capitalism and the market erodes “place”. Nowadays apartments are built for making money instead of a home for the people, big corporations are controlling every land. Television is going to make people “numb”, allegory is no longer important than the surface of things. Nowadays people are obsessed with the internet, unlimited entertainment distract us from understanding others. Local culture is no longer an important thing because of how we are “connected” to the world. The author also states that it is impossible to see the

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Cat Links Filming the Modern Asian City

[Reading response] Ackbar Abbas

Posted on daeun

The article mainly discusses about disappearance of historical identity and emergence of anonymity of architecture. He does not only account for physical disappearance, but fading away of the historical meaning it possesses within the architecture. It is further emphasized in films which reflects a city in a specific manner resulting in changing the city’s image. For example, Hong Kong used to be an international port where many trades occurred between countries, a city in China and a British colony. However, large and compact buildings were necessary on such a small land available. Consequently, Hong Kong became a globalized city and

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Cat Links 2021 Blog, Lecture 2 Filming the Modern Asian City

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on u3580090

The reading is mainly about the relationship between the architecture in Hong Kong and disappearance, which is quite thought-provoking. Disappearance here refers to the vanishing cultural identity towards the place you live in. Tai Kwun in Central is a typical example, which was turned from a police station and jail to an arts center. What we should focus on is not the preservation of the physical appearance of the building, but the colonial history behind the building, which records the transformation of Hong Kong from a small fishing village to an international metropolis. Due to limited space in Hong Kong,

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