October 2014 – Hong Kong Lucida

Street Colours at Mong Kok

Posted on October 31, 2014November 12, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

Another day on the streets of Mong Kok.

It’s different every time.

I’m pretty sure the above weren’t here the other day.

This is the work of bricolage – the art of making do.

The details change.

But the task of reading and understanding goes on.

What Hong Kong wants is not very hard to understand.

Umbrellas, society and home – who doesn’t want those?

Perhaps the barricades could be a bridge some day.

There’re mobile libraries here.

A community serving a community.

We’ve to learn to read.

There’s a willingness to do the work of waiting.

Cheeky umbrellas.

The minions are still waiting with good humour.

The umbrellas descend.

Mong Kok has a new look these days.

Again, humour.

Waiting.

Some more humour. True democracy is a fortress.

There’s a message here to be deciphered.

Safety.

There’s healing waiting to be done.

The police love Hong Kong too.

If there is no love, respect and peace, there’s no Hong Kong.

What else can we do, except to pray for wisdom on all sides.

Camera: Canon 600D

Legacy Lens: Meyer Optik Gorlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

Mong Kok: Colourful Preoccupations

Posted on October 29, 2014November 12, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

Mong Kok has become colourful and purposeful.

Something is waiting to happen.

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind…

Waiting.

Intentions.

It’s all on the wall.

The barricades.

Even the minions are here, patiently manning the barricades.

We’re all tourists here.

The lion wants true universal suffrage.

The people are here to stay.

Resting.

Reading.

The umbrellas were indeed open at 6p.m., 28th October, to remember the teargas used by the police on the protesters a month ago.

It says “Stop unethical policing”, not “stop policing”.

There is still a need for law and order.

Camera: Canon 600D

Legacy Lens: Meyer Optik Gorlitz Lydith 30mm f/3.5

Notes to Self

Posted on October 24, 2014October 24, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

The past few posts have been about Occupy Central.

After all, we could only occupy what’s central to our hearts.

This post is a change of pace.

I’ve talked about a few sights on the campus where I work in this post.

It’s a 20-minute walk down the hill from my office and it gives me time to think about what I’m doing and where I’m going in terms of my poetry, photography, research and teaching.

We all need space to dwell and grow.

I’m grateful to be where I am, in an unpretentious and authentic space, in service of a community I feel committed to.

Once in a while, you need to be empty in order to be filled.

So yes, I’ll need to fill up that container eventually (figuratively speaking).

And find a sense of balance.

Sometimes, I take a 5-minute detour and I’ll see this on my way home.

That red flower is beautiful, but it is beautiful not in itself, but in where it is.

And 5 minutes later, I’ll see this.

We swim in the pond in which we find ourselves.

And in every moment there is a painterly harmony to be sought.

This is what I’m looking for in my photographs and in my work in general, and what I’m looking for in myself.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander 35mm F 1.4 Nokton Classic SC

Film: Fuji Natura 1600

What Hong Kong Wants

Posted on October 21, 2014October 21, 2014 by eddietay in Monochrome

I’ve been to the various protest sites over the past three weeks at various times.

They keep changing.

They keep changing simply because it is the nature of the protests.

They require a constant infusion of people, energy and creativity, of which Hong Kong has in abundance.

Hence, I kept raising my camera to my eye.

These were taken at Mong Kok about three weeks ago.

There is a need to see, understand and document.

What Hong Kong wants – that’s not very difficult to understand.

The writing is very clear.

What Hong Kong will get, no one knows at this point.

We don’t really have a bird’s eye view.

All one could do is to keep asking.

And be willing to do the hard work.

Sacrifice, toil and labour.

And pray that something good will come out of it.

The work of waiting and keeping watch goes on.

And there’s always hope.

History will be the judge.

All images were taken with the Contax TVS street camera and converted into monochrome from a single roll of Fuji Superia 800 film.

The Tents at Causeway Bay

Posted on October 18, 2014October 14, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

The tents at Causeway Bay speak for themselves.

All images taken with Contax TVS II, loaded with Fuji S 400.

Umbrellas at Mong Kok

Posted on October 16, 2014October 14, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

The umbrellas on the streets of Mong Kok speak for themselves.

All images were taken with Contax TVS II, loaded with Kodak Ultramax 400 film.

Love and Peace at Lennon Wall Hong Kong

Posted on October 14, 2014October 14, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

This was what I saw at the Hong Kong Government Offices at Central.

You could think of this as a temporary exhibit, as an example of public art.

Is there an artist claiming responsibility for this?

I’ll let the wall speak for itself.

All images taken with Contax TVS, loaded with Fuji S 400 film.

Occupy Central: A Festivity

Posted on October 8, 2014October 8, 2014 by eddietay in Monochrome

Occupy Central is, of course, a political protest.

But more than that – it is a festival.

A celebration of a city becoming itself.

A joyful gathering of sorts.

Everyone has a message to share.

The world is here – judging from the different languages.

So many dreams and hopes, so much energy.

The children are here.

There is music. This is a celebration.

Though there’re reminders of how serious this is, as a protest.

Remember what the umbrellas are for.

Marx: “Philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.”

The students, the future, have spoken.

Now it’s time to figure things out.

Camera: Leica M6;

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm F/1.4;

Film: Ilford XP2 400.

Love and Peace at Admiralty

Posted on October 3, 2014October 3, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

My wife, my ten-year-old son and I were at Admiralty on the afternoon of 2nd October.

These were scenes at Admiralty: all photographs here were taken by my son.

Supplies station near Admiralty MTR Station.

A phone recharging corner.

The overall sense was that the students were resting in the day.

The atmosphere was of love and peace. There were many people walking up and down the streets.

There were families with young kids, and tourists were snapping selfies.

It really felt like a tourist attraction. Yes, we’re reminded by the banner above that it’s not a party.

There were refreshments for protesters and passers-by alike.

I think there’s a dual character to the protest.

It’s more family and tourist-friendly in the day, while at night, things get relatively more serious.

There were students distributing yellow ribbons.

The streets at that time were not densely packed at all. I had the feeling that most of the protesters had gone home to rest so as to return later.

Passers-by were encouraged to leave behind messages.

This is a protest you could bring your kids to. It has really been a family-friendly protest, in the day at least.

But the umbrellas were reminders, of course, of how things could turn ugly very quickly.

The protest so far has the moral high ground because it’s about love and peace.

The protesters are unbelievably civil and polite.

The challenge, I think, is to keep on being civil.

For the protest to fail, the governments of Hong Kong and China have to do precisely nothing.

I am genuinely afraid that frustrations would build among protesters, that there might be internal divisions, that a tiny bit of friction between the police and the protesters might lead to violence.

It’s a wonderful dream to have – but what happens if the dream doesn’t become reality?

My worry is that my students might become bitter and disenchanted.

In which case, my practical advice would be: hold on to the dream but work with the system, become part of the system, climb whatever corporate/social/political ladders there are in front of you and change the system from within. You’ll then have the Hong Kong you deserve.

The dream of an entire generation of university students is a powerful dream that will never dissipate, no matter what.

You are the future of Hong Kong, no matter what.

Of course, I’m being somewhat pessimistic, and these are early days.

This has been a thoughtful protest – even the trash was being sorted out for recycling.

The thoughtfulness that went into creating this ashtray would be the thoughtfulness that would change Hong Kong.

These are signs of love and peace.

Police presence was token at best in the day.

There’s a police recruitment poster at the sidewalk – I was amazed it wasn’t defaced in any way.

There were speakers’ corners set up at various places.

Anyone, regardless of whether they were for or against the movement, got to speak for 2-3 minutes should they wish to do so. There was a man who talked about how he argued bitterly with his wife as they were on different sides of the fence with regards to the movement.

This group was reading aloud a prayer for Hong Kong.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, good people of Hong Kong.

I pray for love, peace and wisdom.

Love and Peace at Mongkok

Posted on October 1, 2014October 1, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

I’m a Singaporean, a poet, street photographer, and a literature professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

My students have told me they’re boycotting classes indefinitely. I am proud of them. How can one not be moved?

We can only occupy what’s central to our heart: love, peace.

This was what I saw on the streets of Mongkok on the afternoon of 30th Sept.

Messages pasted on the side of a bus. The tape is removable and non-destructive.

Delivering supplies to protesters.

Securing a supplies tent.

Labour of love.

Film crew on the rooftop of the entrance to Mongkok MTR Station.

The message.

Determination.

There’re really people cleaning the streets! This is civil disobedience.

The scene at Argyle Street.

At one point, the road needed to be cleared for supply trucks.

They held hands to clear the road.

The scene at Nathan Road.

No violence. A reminder by a protester.

Translation: I love Hong Kong. My sentiments exactly.

In Dec this year, I would have lived here for ten years.

My son has spent more than half his life here.

My daughter was born here.

Note that no spray paint has been used at any point.

They used chalk.

Everything is non-destructive.

This is civil disobedience at work.

Translation: treasured students, we love you. My sentiments exactly.

The rest of the photographs were taken by my ten-year-old son (who was standing next to me as I was writing this).

Yes – it’s the kind of protest you could bring your kid to.

I saw a few families sitting on the road with kids younger than five.

I want my son to watch and learn.

My son will eventually return to Singapore to do his national service.

He’ll hold a rifle, learn to throw a grenade and experience the effects of tear gas as part of his military training.

These are things I’ve done as a Singaporean twenty years ago.

I want him to know what it means to love one’s country.

Democracy – that’s an important word I’ll teach my son.

Medical station.

A box containing yellow ribbons, with instructions as to how to wear them.

A street exhibition.

Stay safe and don’t forget to bring your umbrellas, people of Hong Kong!

	Ashlee Moody on Shanghai Digital Monochrome: P…
	Bradley R on Chicken Rice Stall Series
	eddietay on Ruins and Formations II
	eddietay on Ruins and Formations II
	yuri rasin on Ruins and Formations II