The Skin of Memory: Hong Kong’s Living Facades archive
“The Skin of Memory” is an interdisciplinary design research initiative that documents, decodes, and digitally reconstructs Hong Kong’s vanishing streetscapes amidst accelerated redevelopment under the “Hong Kong 2030+” urban plan. The project investigates the city’s unique cultural identity by analyzing the dual semantics of street nomenclature—such as “詩歌舞街” (Sycamore Street), where colonial administration and local culture converged—alongside physical architectural surfaces. These living facades, characterized by neon signs, tong lau structures, and traditional ground-floor shophouses, serve as vital repositories of collective memory and socioeconomic history. To counter the erasure of this urban fabric, the initiative utilizes AI-assisted facade reconstruction, archival mapping, and augmented reality (AR) to build a publicly accessible digital archive. Final deliverables include a digital atlas, AR-guided urban walks, speculative drawings, and a curated exhibition, ultimately bridging heritage and computation to foster civic engagement and stimulate dialogue on critical preservation and collective stewardship.
“The Skin of Memory” is an interdisciplinary design research initiative that documents, decodes, and digitally reconstructs Hong Kong’s vanishing streetscapes amidst accelerated redevelopment under the “Hong Kong 2030+” urban plan. The project investigates the city’s unique cultural identity by analyzing the dual semantics of street nomenclature—such as “詩歌舞街” (Sycamore Street), where colonial administration and local culture converged—alongside physical architectural surfaces. These living facades, characterized by neon signs, tong lau structures, and traditional ground-floor shophouses, serve as vital repositories of collective memory and socioeconomic history. To counter the erasure of this urban fabric, the initiative utilizes AI-assisted facade reconstruction, archival mapping, and augmented reality (AR) to build a publicly accessible digital archive. Final deliverables include a digital atlas, AR-guided urban walks, speculative drawings, and a curated exhibition, ultimately bridging heritage and computation to foster civic engagement and stimulate dialogue on critical preservation and collective stewardship.
- 2025
- Grantee: Yuting Chen
Yuting Chen is a cross-disciplinary designer and PhD researcher at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She works at the convergence of immersive media, spatial narrative, and human-computer interaction. Her research-creation practice explores the "Phygital" integration of physical and digital realms to reimagine public engagement with cultural memory. She develops experimental exhibitions that investigate frameworks like the curatorial authorship–audience agency spectrum, realized in projects such as the Phygital Meta-Archive (2024) and the Evolutionary Space Global Exhibition series: Finding Solace (2024). Works including the Mind in Motion XR Experience (2024) and the collaborative Ice Watching for the Aranya Theatre Festival function as both personal artistic statements and scholarly inquiries into the future of spatial storytelling.
Mohamed (known professionally as Tifa) is an Egyptian architect, educator, and PhD candidate at the School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His work resides at the intersection of architecture, media, and cultural psychology, investigating how spatial experience shapes human emotion, identity, and memory. He is the founder of Tifa Studio, an independent design and research practice focused on spatial narratives, visual communication, and design pedagogy. Prior to his relocation to Hong Kong, he spent a decade in Turkey, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture and urban design. His current doctoral research examines the negotiation of identity within post-colonial contexts. Alongside his academic work, Tifa is an active content creator and writer, bridging critical design thinking with public storytelling.
- Organisation: Urban Trace Collective(UTC)
Urban Trace Collective(UTC) is a collaborative practice founded by two design researchers and spatial practitioners. We work at the lively crossroads of architecture, storytelling, and community engagement, using tools from data mapping, immersive media, and participatory design to uncover the layers of memory held within our built surroundings.
Our projects focus on the surfaces, stories, and sensory experiences that shape a neighborhood’s character: from patterned tilework and fading signs to everyday encounters on the street. Through workshops, walks, and digital storytelling, we invite people to share their personal memories and connect them to the evolving narrative of the city.
Whether through interactive archives, sensory mappings, or community-led exhibitions, we seek to make urban history tangible, personal, and accessible. Our aim is to weave individual recollection into the collective memory of the city, fostering deeper connections between people and the places they call home.