Dance with the Wind at Kwong Wo Yuen
Fung Wai Keung, Stefan Chui
Kwong Wo Yuen was one of the largest grocery stores in High Island in the old times. Its 22 word long signboard stated the grocery items that were selling, which was believed to be the longest shop sign in Hong Kong. This artwork includes the restoration of the signboard of Kwong Wo Yuen and also the flags that demonstrate the traditions of Tung A Village.
Kwong Wo Yuen Signboard
By referring to historical documents and interviews, Master Fung Wai Keung made reference to the original sign’s style and characteristics, and tried to mimic the font style and restore the lost parts of the sign. The restoration aims to accurately recreate the original sign’s appearance, to use the consistent style of the old fonts. Stefan Tsui applied 3D software to convert the font into a three-dimensional form, preserving the distinctive style while adding depth and volume. This made the font more strong and sturdy to display a concrete texture of the font.
The use of concrete provides durability and texture, allowing the sign to be displayed outdoors. The carving and detailed treatment ensure the restored sign closely mimics the original, displaying the same style transporting viewers back in time.
Dance with the Wind
“Dance with the Wind” combines traditional Chinese mythical creatures, such as the dragon-like Aoyu and the auspicious Qilin, in a fantastical and imaginative scene. It displayed the characteristics of Tung A villagers on their respect to mythical culture and nature.
The Aoyu is a commonly appeared Chinese mythical creature, which has a dragon head and a fish boy. In the flag, the Aoyu appears in shades of blue and cyan, symbolising the power of nature. The Aoyu is swimming smoothly inside to show its agile body movement.
Qilin is the most famous Chinese mythical creature that brings good luck and blessings to people. In the flag, the Qilin appears in red and cyan to convey a sense of sacredness and blessing. The Qilin also looked like dancing in the flag to display its mobility and mystique.
The dancing Qilin of Tung A depicts a scene of the villagers dancing in High Island. The Qiline appears in cyan here to show its sacredness and harmony. The scene is set to be ancient and mythical.
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Material
Glass-fiber Reinforced Concrete, Fabric
Fung Wai Keung, Stefan Chui
Fung Wai Keung
Heritage buildings conservation professional
Fung Wai Keung is one of the top professionals and pioneers in heritage buildings conservation in Hong Kong. He has been working in this area for more than 30 years and specialised in traditional craftwork like Chinese style plaster moulding, colour painting and calligraphy.
Being the vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Historic Building Conservation Association, Mr. Fung is dedicated to ensuring all revitalisation of heritage buildings work can fulfill conservation concepts and principles. He works with a lot of building contractors over the years and with his experience, every revitalisation project was kept at a professional level with high quality.
His dedication and passion in Chinese traditional and cultural buildings and his every success in heritage buildings revitalisation not only set a good example for the young enthusiast, but also benefited the conservation and revitalisation of Hong Kong as a whole.
Stefan Chui
Artist
Stefan Chui is a multi-talented individual who holds a Bachelor of Art degree in Architecture from the University of Lincoln. He is the founder of Mr. Hammers, a company specialising in terrazzo and concrete artistry, and the co-founder of Common Ground Design Ltd., a design firm focused on sustainable architecture. Mr. Chui’s work includes public installation art pieces and furnishings, and he has been appointed to the board of directors of the Hong Kong Architecture Centre and serves as the External Chairman of the VTC Design Alumni Association. With his diverse portfolio and leadership roles, Mr. Chui has established himself as a trailblazer in the fields of architecture, art and design.
