Design Trust Grants Spotlight | “Foreseen Property Agency” and “After Sunset Festival” presented at Fringe Club Hong Kong

Design Trust Seed Grant research projects  “Foreseen Property Agency” led by Pat Wong (Flyingpig) and Kachi Chan was presented recently in September 2023, and “After Sunset Festival” led by Ivan Wong Wei-him and Christina Jensen exhibited in November 2023 at Fringe Club Hong Kong. Through 3D scanning, cross-disciplinary collaboration and participatory performance, both projects showed innovative and creative approaches to examine local everyday practice and heritage conservation and activation, inviting the public to reflect on the past and look into the future.  

Design Trust Seed Grant project “Foreseen Property Agency” led by Pat Wong (Flyingpig) and Kachi Chan aspired to document local traditional small businesses with advanced technology and speculative concepts, to foster a future communal practice of community conservation. The research project encompassed digital archiving, virtual 3D modelling, participatory activities, and workshops, with the goal of engaging the public through diverse means.

Foreseen Property Agency was curated as an immersive experience of a futuristic property agency presenting 3D scan documentation and creative interpretation of the existing traditional shops in Hong Kong, as well as their speculation on how urban heritage could be preserved and passed on to the future generations in a collective way. The team started documentation of the local traditional small businesses through sketches and records since 2016. With the new 3D point cloud technology, the spatial intricacies of the local shops are further archived and interpreted in the exhibition narrative to explore a future communal practice of community conservation. An improvisation performance was presented at the exhibition venue to show their creative approach to local heritage conservation.

Design Trust Seed Grant project “After Sunset Festival” led by Ivan Wong Wei-him and Christina Jensen shared the story of Oi Kwan Barbers, a 60 year old alleyway barbershop in Wan Chai, through the interpretation of HK based creatives to express the true nature of this heritage site for generations to come.

Expanding upon Oi Kwan Barbers’ collective memory, the After Sunset Festival was a unique cultural celebration that challenges the idea of Hong Kong’s ever changing cultural landscape. Through creative interpretations, it reframed traditional aspects of our city’s culture and creates new identities for spaces and businesses. The festival connected creatives and the public with historical spaces and intangible heritage, fostering community engagement. It explored alternate methods of preservation through an online platform and stimulates discussions on urban development.