Behind-the-Scene: "Once Upon Our Play Time"

“It was about putting down our phones and focusing purely on play—an essential part of daily life that many of us have forgotten. 
Thank you to ‘Our Southerly Days’ for bringing playfulness back into our routines.”

“It was wonderful to see Wah Fu kaifongs giving their stamp of approval to the ‘Wah Fu Monopoly’!” — Sarah Mui

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Artist Sarah Mui travelled through Wah Fu Estate, Aberdeen and Wong Chuk Hang with her roving toy cart and figure card game vending machine, to connect people of all ages and play together on the street.

When artworks entered the community, the team witnessed many heart-melting moments — one scene in particular was especially unforgettable. There was a granny who, after some hesitation, put aside her crutch to complete the hopscotch, her smile a pure moment of youthful joy!

There were other memorable moments, like office workers joining in on their lunch hour for a game of marbles, and strangers sharing games with each other, eventually becoming friends in the process, etc. Both children and adults alike played with wholehearted joy! 

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“For me, hopscotch was simply about jumping through the squares on one foot or two.”

“When I was little, we’d toss a small stone into the first square, then hop into it on one foot, pick up the stone, return to the start, and throw it into the second square—then repeat the process…”

“Back then, there wasn’t really anything we couldn’t play—we didn’t even have the chance to go to school. From a young age, we had to work. To us, ‘play’ meant finding joy in simple things, together with our neighbours.”
— Aberdeen kaifongs