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Press Release

"Arts in the City: Re/composing Sai Wan" Press Release

02 Nov, 2026

“Arts in the City” — “Re/composing Sai Wan”
 Invites You to Travel Through 
the Memories of Sai Wan in Different Eras

 Walk Through Sai Wan Via New Onsite Artworks and Extended Activities

【HONG KONG, 2 November 2026】Presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC), the brand-new art walk of “Arts in the City”—“Re/composing Sai Wan” was launched on 1 November 2026.  Running from 1 to 30 November, “Re/composing Sai Wan” brings together local artists and partners to present new artworks, a series of arts workshops, themed guided tours, screenings and more, inviting members of the public and visitors to embark on a walk through Sai Wan from artistic perspectives to travel through the memories of Sai Wan from different eras.  All activities are now open for registration, with some sessions already full.  Places are limited and early registration is encouraged.

 

Connecting Sai Wan’s Past and Present

 

Curated by Rooftop Institute, “Re/composing Sai Wan” invites four groups of local artists to explore different stories of Sai Wan and present new onsite artistic creations.  All artworks are now on display at 9 - 10 Yu Lok Lane in Sai Ying Pun, the Hong Kong Resource Centre for Heritage and various locations across Sai Wan:

 

  • The artist collective “Zaat Hap” responds to the landscape and memories of Sai Wan through traditional bamboo crafting.  Rhapsody in Scales uses dragon as its vehicle to connect traditional symbolism, legends of the land and local observation.  The dragon moves through the mountain ridges of western Hong Kong Island and winds along the rise and fall of the hills, transforming bamboo strips into a three-dimensional landscape.  Shades of Phantoms draws inspiration from the film Rouge, taking the hexagonal palace lantern as its prototype.  With bamboo frames and translucent paper, it creates layer upon layer of light and shadow, as if one has suddenly stepped into a dim alleyway, guiding audiences through parallel and intersecting times.
  • Artist Swing Lam transforms history into a walking map, tracing the lingering echoes of Shek Tong Tsui’s entertainment past.  Promenade Journal takes the form of a walking map for exploration, using play as a way of reading history, and inviting audiences to reimagine the former geography of leisure in Shek Tong Tsui through walking, searching and discovery.
  • Artist Larry Shuen explores the heritage sites in Sai Wan, guiding the audience into the scenes of living history.  Informal Methods of Heritage Research: Observing, Recording and Taking Part in Sai Ying Puntranslates what the artist sees and hears during his visits to the heritage sites into images, video, sound and movement records, and gathering them into a book.  The artwork invites audiences to piece together their own understanding of the neighbourhood.
  • Artist Yim Sui-fong translates the everyday memories of Sai Wan residents into children's songs to revisit the people, relationships and scenes of Sai Wan’s past.  Songs Wandering through Sai Wan presents three children’s songs that connect the streets and everyday life of Sai Wan through different voices. Through song, installation, sound and self-made instruments, the artwork invites audiences to encounter Sai Wan again through a child’s eyes while creating new sonic memories together through singing, listening, playing and improvisation.

 

Exploring Sai Wan’s Community Memories and Culture 

 

“Re/composing Sai Wan” also presents a series of extended activities and fringe activities, inviting the public and visitors to delve into the memories and everyday life of Sai Wan across different eras. Some activities were kick-started on Sunday (1 Nov), leading participants to explore the stories of Sai Wan from diverse artistic perspectives:

Extended Activities of the Artworks 

“Zaat Hap”

  • “Guardians of Sai Wan” Contemporary Bamboo Crafting Workshop — Drawing inspiration from community stories in Kennedy Town, the workshop develops the symbolic figure of the "squirrel".  Participants will experience traditional bamboo crafting techniques, using bamboo strips and paper to shape lively squirrel sculptures, bringing together local stories of Sai Wan at their fingertips and paying tribute to the unsung community heroes.
  • “Contemporary Bamboo Crafting and Community Artmaking” Artists Sharing and Demonstration — The artist collective will first unpack the stories behind the project, followed by a live demonstration of various traditional bamboo craft techniques, including splitting (po破) and shaving (soek削) bamboo into strips, as well as basic framing (zaat 紮) and papering (pok 撲) skills.  Participants can also take part in simple hands-on exercises to experience bamboo crafting.

 

Larry Shuen

  • Informal Heritage Research Group — Field Study — Building on the observation methodologies explored in the artwork, the artist will invite participants to look closely at architectural details, traces in the streets and patterns of everyday use, examining the open and closed spaces around heritage sites from their own perspectives, and making records that differ from official historical accounts.
  • Informal Heritage Research Group — Soundscape Workshop —Participants will take up the “field sound tasks” designed by the artist, approaching heritage sites to search for and record sounds from different surrounding positions, and working together to create a sonic record belonging to Sai Ying Pun.

 

Yim Sui-fong

  • Songs Wandering through Sai Wan — Children’s Song Writing Workshop — The artist will introduce the creative ideas and anecdotes behind Songs Wandering through Sai Wan, analyse different forms of children’s songs, and invite participants to improvise and rewrite Cantonese nursery rhymes together.  The workshop will conclude with a group singing of the newly written lyrics.  This workshop comprises four sessions designed for different age groups, inviting participants to draw on their own childhood memories and collectively create songs inspired by Sai Wan.

 

Swing Lam

  • Promenade Journal — Hill Road Roller Coaster (fully booked) — A century ago, Shek Tong Tsui was renowned not only for its entertainment culture, but also for Tai Pak Lau, one of Hong Kong's four major early amusement parks that attracted writers, cultural figures and celebrities.  Taking this history of urban leisure as a starting point, the artist uses his signature open-top bus tour to recreate a roller-coaster ride within the city.
  • Promenade Journal — Walking Tour (fully booked) — Using the walking map of Promenade Journal as a point of departure, the artist will guide participants to revisit Shek Tong Tsui and experience the composite entertainment world of the place as it was a century ago.

 

Fringe Activities 

  • Sunset Screenings — The “Sunset Screening” series revisits two classic films shot in Sai Wan – Rouge and The Secret, followed by themed post-screening discussions.  Audiences can settle into the seats and wander through the community stories found from both on and off screen.
  • Themed Guided Tours — Two guided tours, one focusing on urban myths and the other on traditional Sai Ying Pun food making, offer participants different perspectives to explore the history and stories of Sai Ying Pun.
  • Traditional Lantern Crafting Workshop — Master Frankie Leung, the second-generation successor of Sang Woo Loong Art Advertising Model Work Co., will guide participants in making a unique flower lantern while  experiencing traditional crafting skills.
  • Exhibition Tours — The curatorial team will guide participants through the two exhibition venues, sharing the artists' concepts, creative processes and the community stories behind the works.

 

Discover More Stories of Sai Wan at Weekend Pop-up Kiosk

 

Throughout the weekends in the programme period, “Re/composing Sai Wan” will set up a pop-up kiosk in different corners of Sai Wan.   In addition to browsing the Sai Wan “Event Scores” to uncover more community stories, visitors can redeem limited-edition souvenirs upon completing designated steps (available in limited quantities while stocks last).

 

Let’s wander through Sai Wan and listen closely to this historical variation composed by time and everyday life.

 

Registration link: https://www.popticket.hk/event/recomposing-sai-wan 

 

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"Arts in the City: Re/composing Sai Wan" Press Release
"Arts in the City: Re/composing Sai Wan" Press Release

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