Question: You mentioned the clothes hanging outside the courtyard and how that affected your shot of the mansions. I was wondering how important you think the role of nature and community is when framing a shot, and whether their involvement is integral to it?
Kenrick Wong: I think these roles are quite significant as primarily without these kinds of objects, the architecture of the building is just a shell, with no content in it. I think that’s interesting — when I have to go on a journey at different times, during the day or at night, the clothes or any objects along the corridor are quite different because it reflects the community or the lifestyle of the people there. Taking the government factory as an example, in the morning, normally they will transport the fabrics or the materials from one of the storage flats along the corridor to the factory and you will see these kinds of objects which reflect the local community. I think for me personally, when framing, I don’t focus on the very human aspects (as a subject) of the atmosphere — but with these kinds of objects, they themselves have a theme which reflects what the people are doing inside the building, but it is quite indirect when reflecting it, instead of a very narrative piece, like dramas, etc.
To my understanding, Wong seems to focus on the community — this including their lifestyle, their belongings, their routines, and their habits — and their everyday domesticity of life, without intending to. Instead, he lets it blend into his work naturally and captures the reality of the subject. Through his work, we can see how this can bring the “shell” of a building to “life”.
By: Saima Abidi (UID: 3035552856)