Inclined City: Negotiation and Collaboration within Slopes
Directed by Ho Charlotte Kristen
Theme and Subject Matter
The main theme of the video is slope. Slopes are one of the least encouraging urban surfaces to walk on, they make you gasp for air when going up, and put your balancing skills to the test when going down. However, slopes are pretty common in Hong Kong Island, helping to make way for hilly landscapes and connecting different elevations. To make slopes inhabitable, cooperation is needed between architecture and other urban elements within.
This video investigates this matter by focusing on the slope of Centre Street, Sai Ying Pun. Centre Street, with the steepest part at a 1:4 slope, is one of the steepest streets in Hong Kong. It bisects a number of horizontal streets, from First Street near the bottom, Second Street and Third Street in the middle, to High Street near the top. These horizontal streets are bounded by Eastern Street in the east direction, and Western Street in the opposite. (Blue Lapis Road, 2022). By looking into inclined surfaces, stairs, and elevated platforms in Centre Street, this video aims to capture the occurrence of various urban interactions on a slope condition.
Video Documentation and Production
Based on the different urban interactions, the video is divided into 3 parts: an overview of Centre Street, Chapter 1: Negotiation, and Chapter 2: Collaboration. Adobe Premiere Pro is used for the editing of the video.
The overview is a collection of snippets of Centre Street, from the top of the slope to the bottom. There are close-up shots of urban structures like escalators and stairs, as well as wide shots of people walking up/down the slope, showing different paces of venturing a slope. Chapter 1: Negotiation focuses on the sacrifice of a building’s facade in order to adapt to a slope condition. This chapter contains a montage of different architecture with their base facade cut off or merged into staircases. It also documents 3 shops located side by side, all of them are elevated but each had slightly different ways of connecting to the slope. Using Adobe Illustrator, a front elevation is drawn for each shop and is overlaid on top of the footage, making a simple analysis of the structure, as well as emphasizing the unusual architectural characteristics that could only be found on slopes. Chapter 2: Collaboration documents the cooperation between stairs and elevated surfaces that creates space for human interaction. It begins with a tracking shot that brings the viewer into a restaurant built on an upraised surface. It creates an elevated alleyway with sufficient space for people to dine, which is an unusual occurrence in slope conditions. The next set of footage captures how resting space is created outside shops as a result of the difference in elevation. People are seen sitting on raised surfaces outside stores, which is made possible only because of the inclined surface. Finally, the video ends with another overview of Centre Street, but this time from the bottom, echoing the start of the video.
In terms of music, the instrumental of June Blues by Eric Reprid is used. The jumpy beat imitates the small and careful steps we take when going down a slope. The music also allows different parts of the video to sync with the rhythm, creating a more satisfying experience when viewing.
Reflection
Having studied in Hong Kong Island for the past couple of years, it is always fascinating to me how architecture is able to coexist with slopes. Many could agree that slopes are difficult to walk on, believing that they would people feel unmotivated to venture through. However, it surprises me how slopes can also be a commercialized and recreational area, with stores, parks, and art galleries, despite being a kind of landscape that normally deters people from accessing them. Being on a slope also allowed me to experience the landscape in a completely different way, from the way of walking to the way I occupy the urban space, completely contrasting with that of a normal street. Standing at the bottom of the slope and being able to witness entire the scenery up the road feels almost unreal to me, which is why I decided to include this in the video as well.
To be honest, slopes might not be too bad after all, and I would very much like to explore other sloping streets in Hong Kong.
Bibliography
- Blue Lapis Road. “Old Neighbourhood Charm, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong.” Word Press, March 7, 2022. https://bluelapisroad.wordpress.com/2022/03/02/old-neighbourhood-charm-sai-ying-pun-%E8%A5%BF%E7%87%9F%E7%9B%A4-hong-kong/.
- Editors, Log Home Living. “What You Need to Know about Building on a Slope.” loghome.com, May 6, 2008. https://www.loghome.com/articles/building-homes-on-sloped-surfaces.
- “Escalator Plan in Western Under Attack.” South China Morning Post, December 26, 2007. https://www.scmp.com/article/620872/escalator-plan-western-under-attack.
- “2006 Central and Western DC Centre Street By-E Report (Text).” EAC. Accessed May 14, 2023. https://www.eac.hk/en_txt/distco/2006wcdc_cs_detailreport.htm.
- “Rising Passions over Escalator Project.” South China Morning Post, July 13, 2012. https://www.scmp.com/article/1006696/rising-passions-over-escalator-project.
- “Consultation on Western Escalator Begins.” South China Morning Post, May 30, 2008. https://www.scmp.com/article/639679/consultation-western-escalator-begins.
Full name: Ho Charlotte Kristen
UID: 3036078613
Your topics about ‘negotiation’ and ‘collaboration’ on the slope are well-positioned. You are also able to use appropriate illustrations to support your elaborations of how the shops adapt to the topography, which is a series of good observations in an appropriate site. But most of your discovery remains on the surface. The question is not whether the slope is good or bad but you should expand and deepen your research to the spatial adaptations by the users – to better link back to your topics of ‘negotiation’ and ‘collaboration’.