mong kok – Hong Kong Lucida

Memories of Mong Kok

Posted on November 28, 2014November 26, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

So, here’re some memories of Mong Kok.

They were trying to create a better community.

The streets announced their will.

The exhibits were playful: this looked like an umbrella carousel.

There were thoughtful moments like this at Mong Kok.

There were hard hats with a tough message.

There was a clear intention.

There was energy.

There were tents.

There were floating umbrellas.

Pretty umbrellas.

The streets belonged to its people.

The signs and umbrellas were there.

There were ominous moments.

The graduates were there.

They were preparing for an eventuality.

Yellow and blue went well together.

There were selfie moments.

He told me to take a picture and share it.

Goodbye tents, goodbye Occupy Mong Kok.

Camera: Canon 600D

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

Occupy Central: A Monochrome Meditation

Posted on November 23, 2014November 22, 2014 by eddietay in Monochrome

All images were taken with one camera, one lens, on the same roll of film and on the same day.

This is a visual meditation on Occupy Central.

Once upon a time, Occupy Central was an idea. It was an event that was yet to come.

It then became an event.

It will be an event that is always already present, even if it ends today or at some point in the future.

At Admiralty.

At Mong Kok.

At Causeway Bay.

Thanks for reading.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f 1.4 SC

Film: Ilford XP2 400

Winding Down?

Posted on November 21, 2014November 20, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

There’s definitely a sense that things are winding down at two of the three Occupy sites.

There’re fewer tents now at Mong Kok.

I’m focusing more on the objects this time – how do you photograph tents and people that are not there?

At Admiralty, the tents are still holding forth, and the art works are still looking robust.

Causeway Bay is a bit quiet these days, though there’re still people who would pause to read the messages.

Thanks for reading.

Camera: Canon 600D

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

Revisiting Occupy: Mong Kok, Admiralty and Causeway Bay

Posted on November 19, 2014November 20, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

The sites are being cleared even as I’m typing this.

So, this is going to be memory soon.

Mong Kok:

Admiralty:

Causeway Bay:

Camera: Contax TVS II

Film: Kodak Ultramax 400

Occupy: Mong Kok, Admiralty and Causeway Bay

Posted on November 17, 2014November 19, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

So – I managed to go to all three sites on the same afternoon.

At Mong Kok.

People are still smiling.

Mannequins are still standing.

Though there’s a sense that this might be over soon…

I’ll never look at umbrellas the same way again.

Umbrellas and street culture are now intertwined.

Lots of artists have emerged.

Every person an umbrella.

We are all umbrellas.

No violence, please.

The hope of a generation is here.

I’m ambivalent when it comes to the police.

The police stands for law and order.

I respect the police, but what happens when the law privileges a particular social order that is in question?

Over at Admiralty.

An umbrella community.

We’re all waiting and watching.

We see the organic growth of a community.

A community that stands for something.

An artful and thoughtful community is emerging.

Though it’s all eggs against a brick wall.

Vigilance.

Constant vigilance.

A poem by Gu Cheng entitled “A Generation”: Dark night has given me dark eyes, but I’m using them to look for brightness.

These are students of history and poetry.

I see students like this on campus every day.

I teach them poetry and creative writing.

They’re somewhat goofy, always respectful, and many do have a strange fondness for Doraemon soft toys.

They bring these soft toys along with them for pictures on graduation day.

Now they’re a force of social change, graduating with honours.

It’s not just the students, of course.

The carpenters show up to be carpenters.

It is already done.

Even if the barricades are cleared and all have gone home, Occupy Central would be that powerful idea that will be always ever present.

The rest is just documentation.

Occupy Central is already set in memory, in photographs, social media, in newspaper and government reports.

The skeleton of the umbrella is strong.

There are no wasted bodies on the streets.

They know what they want.

At Causeway Bay.

The Hong Kong people.

The small business owners.

The umbrella is looking somewhat tattered but the sentiment is strong.

Rough translation: the work is hard but keep going.

In the end, history will decide.

Camera: Canon 600D

Legacy Lenses: SMC Takumar 24mm f 3.5, Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Oreston 50mm f 1.8

Mong Kok Afternoon

Posted on November 15, 2014November 19, 2014 by eddietay in Colour

The umbrella is looking a bit battered today, against the big advertising capitalist billboard.

Nonetheless, it’s still standing.

I’ve seen him at it so many times, hard at work.

Rough translation: let’s raise the umbrellas together.

The exhibits are looking somewhat battered. Let’s hope this is not a sign of things to come.

There’re still umbrellas on the ground.

People are still waiting.

People are still looking and thinking.

Praying.

Is the British Consulate supporting this, or is the British Consulate to be occupied next?

Translation: protect the students, protect the journalists.

The makeshift library is still operating.

There’re even resting stations for those needing a break.

A balloon exhibit.

The tents are still here.

A soft toy with a tough message.

A mannequin manning the barricades.

Look at that awesome camera!

The mannequins are still waiting.

The tents are waiting.

The police, too, is waiting. What is the endgame here? Does anyone know?

Camera: Canon 600D

Legacy Lens: SMC Takumar 24mm f 3.5

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

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.

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.

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