Belongs to TinYeah
BELONGS TO TINYEAH (回歸田嘢) brings together 16 households of a food co-purchasing platform, 5 fermentation-led design researchers, and 1 production farm in Tai Kong Po into a collective “urban soil care experiment”. Between November 2021 and April 2022 this community nutrients cycling is pioneering in Hong Kong on the household-level (i) food waste sourceseparation, (ii) Bokashi fermentation, (iii) regenerative soil application and (iv) self-directed documentation for exploring personal agency, rural/urban relatedness and more localised food systems. Design Trust supports the production of a video documentary and a weeklong multimedia exhibition in autumn 2022 to make the related processes and results publicly available. Through social media presence, screenings, and a practitioner’s manual this eco-social experiment will provide a transferable, design-led methodology for collectively addressing the mounting food waste problem and human/nature disconnect. These efforts will support urbanists, educators, and community organisers in applying creative eco-pedagogic strategies.
BELONGS TO TINYEAH (回歸田嘢) brings together 16 households of a food co-purchasing
platform, 5 fermentation-led design researchers, and 1 production farm in Tai Kong Po into a
collective “urban soil care experiment”. Between November 2021 and April 2022 this community
nutrients cycling is pioneering in Hong Kong on the household-level (i) food waste sourceseparation,
(ii) Bokashi fermentation, (iii) regenerative soil application and (iv) self-directed
documentation for exploring personal agency, rural/urban relatedness and more localised food
systems. Design Trust supports the production of a video documentary and a weeklong
multimedia exhibition in autumn 2022 to make the related processes and results publicly
available. Through social media presence, screenings, and a practitioner’s manual this eco-social
experiment will provide a transferable, design-led methodology for collectively addressing the
mounting food waste problem and human/nature disconnect. These efforts will support urbanists,
educators, and community organisers in applying creative eco-pedagogic strategies.
- 2021
- Grantee: Joshua Wolper
Joshua Wolper is a Hong Kong-based filmmaker, theatre practitioner, and performing arts
educator, and has been involved in theatrical and film projects of all scales, from working with
underprivileged children to devise drama pieces, to being in Hollywood productions. He studied
Method Acting at The Actors Centre of San Francisco under Shelley Mitchell. Tangible and
intangible heritage, agriculture, biophilia, and food culture are dominant themes explored in his
digital media work. His experience in theatre education informs his collaborative approach to artmaking; integrating diverse practices and narratives to produce meaningful pieces without
forgetting the bigger picture. His work has been exhibited at PMQ and The Warehouse Teenage
Club. He was the producer of “The Clumsy Gardener”, an original weekly series he created and
hosted that explores agricultural practices and plant stories predominantly in Hong Kong.
- Organisation: SoilTrust
The people behind BELONGS TO TINYEAH (回歸田嘢) are 泥玩SoilTrust members Joshua Wolper
(media work), Wai-shing Ng (regenerative agricultural expert), Markus Wernli (design research),
Kam-fai Chan (design anthropology), and Sheren Ngan (research assistance). From the TinYeah
(田嘢) C.S.A. platform and Kangmiao Organic Farm (康苗有機農場) this initiative is supported by
Ho Ying Mak, Nicole Lam (platform co-founders) and Cheong Gor (veteran production farmer). By
engaging open-minded farmers, households, food distributors and bioengineers, Soil Trust is
building close relationships between food producers and consumers for both reintegrating organic
kitchen wastes and revitalising local soils. The eco-social working alliance allows to harness
excess nutrients, reactivate traditional foodways, and leverage microbial synergies for cultivating
healthy soil and crop ecologies.