Tai Kwun Inaugural Exhibition - '100 Faces of Tai Kwun'

Monday, 28 May 2018, 20:45 HKT/SGT

HONG KONG, May 28, 2018 - (Media OutReach) - The Inaugural Exhibition of Tai Kwun, Centre for Heritage & Arts - '100 Faces of Tai Kwun', will be unveiled tomorrow, 29 May 2018. Showcasing the stories of 100 people who are related to the Central Police Station compound (CPS compound) in different ways, this exhibition reveals the multifold facets of the compound history in an invigorating storytelling approach. Visitors will be able to take a closer look at the Central neighbourhood social networks and appreciate the heritage significance of the CPS compound in Hong Kong.

The CPS compound, known as 'Tai Kwun', is a cluster of declared monuments including the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison. The site has witnessed over 170 years of Hong Kong's history. With an array of narratives, memoirs and anecdotes on display, '100 Faces of Tai Kwun' features stories of ex-officers, ex-offenders, shop owners, kaifongs ('neighbours' in Cantonese) and scholars, etc., unfolding the intricate network of interpersonal relationships in the neighbourhood and their perspectives of the CPS compound.

Celebrates the Legends of Historic Central

The curatorial journey began two years ago, when the curatorial team of Tai Kwun was determined to discover stories beyond the bricks and mortars at the compound. "We spoke to over 100 kaifongs and individuals who had worked at Tai Kwun in the course of exhibition preparation," said Winnie Yeung, Head of Heritage, Tai Kwun. "This was a great opportunity for us to gain a better understanding of Tai Kwun, as well as its role in the community. We established friendship with our kaifongs, while keeping them abreast of future event happenings of Tai Kwun, and to promote cultural heritage and understanding of the Central community."

As the curatorial team reached out to the Central neighbourhood and chatted with the kaifongs, some of the kaifongs linked the team up with some other neighbours, resulting in a 'pay-it-forward' initiative. "We are delighted to be able to participate in the instigation of exhibition," said Lau Kwok Wai, Executive Director of Conservancy Association Centre for Heritage (CACHe), programme partner of the exhibition. "We got in touch with many kaifongs during the research phase, and discovered more about Central as a part of the community, along with stories of Tai Kwun and the neighbourhood."

To paint this kaleidoscopic picture of Central and Tai Kwun, local illustrator, Flyingpig, was invited to present the tales. "Through collaborating with Tai Kwun, I read a lot of information and historical books prepared by the curatorial team. These deepened my understanding of the history of Hong Kong and I made good friends with the Central kaifongs," said Flyingpig, the participating artist of the exhibition. "After reading 100 stories of the Central kaifongs, I created the illustrations for the exhibition and also a new book, Once Upon a Time in Tai Kwun to link up kaifongs' experience with my imagination."

The exhibition setting interprets an old Central streetscape in a modern design language. "The concept of exhibition design is to showcase one of the many facets of the old city in Central," said Karr Yip, Founder and Creative Director of ADO Culture, the design partner of the exhibition. "Central is a rapidly evolving district and many tenement buildings ('tong laus' in Cantonese) are no longer seen. We made use of the contours of the tong laus and the signboards from different eras in Central to recreate a 'mini Central' in the exhibition."

Ultimately, this exhibition invites the visitors to venture out to the Central neighbourhood to be part of the community, create their own story and be the 101st Face of Tai Kwun.

Exhibition overview

100 Faces of Tai Kwun
Date: 29 May - 2 September 2018
Time: 11am - 8pm
Location: Duplex Studio, Police Headquarters Block (Block 01), Tai Kwun
Price: Free of charge

The exhibition will be arranged in 5 zones -

Zone: 1
Theme: In Tai Kwun
Details: Seven 'Story Boxes' on display to bring back the bygone days of the Central Police Station compound.

Zone: 2
Theme: Along the Streets
Details: Interactive projections and story panels showcase the stories of the characters ('Faces') in Central.

Zone: 3
Theme: At the Shops
Details: Different scenarios and signboards are on display alongside interviews with the corresponding shop owners.

Zone: 4
Theme: Central from Above
Details: Streets, tenement houses and high-rise buildings surrounding the CPS compound, as well as daily happenings of the compound are on display.

Zone: 5
Theme: In Cha Chaan Teng
Details: Stories of people in Central are told by the most familiar voices in Hong Kong in a Cha Chaan Teng setting.

Plan your visit

Tai Kwun is committed to be a place of inspiration and enjoyment for the people of Hong Kong. We are open to the public from 11am to 11pm on a daily basis. Visitors are strongly encouraged to book their free Tai Kwun Pass prior to their visits. Tai Kwun Pass is available on Tai Kwun Official Website or Tai Kwun app. For details, please visit https://www.taikwun.hk/en/visit/taikwun_pass

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Tai Kwun: Centre for Heritage and Arts

'Arts, culture and heritage' is one of The Hong Kong Jockey Club's strategic areas of charitable contribution. The Central Police Station (CPS) Revitalisation Project is the largest heritage conservation and revitalisation project undertaken by the Club and has been carried out in partnership with the Government of the HKSAR.

The CPS compound comprises three declared monuments (Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison), with a total of 16 heritage buildings and some outdoors spaces, on a 13,600 square-metre site in the heart of Central. An international-grade art gallery and an auditorium have been added to contribute to the adaptive reuse of the site.

In addition to undertaking the CPS Revitalisation Project, the Club's Charities Trust has set up The Jockey Club CPS Limited to manage and operate the site as Tai Kwun - Centre for Heritage and Arts.

Tai Kwun is the local colloquial name used by police officers and the public alike to refer to the former police headquarters and the surrounding CPS compound. The name has been adopted by The Jockey Club CPS Limited as a reminder of the historical importance of the site.

For event photos and captions downloading, please check this link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5px3gywtxccqqlp/AADThTFvYiyK2AbWeRO3XfM3a?dl=0

This press release is issued by Lighthouse Consultant on behalf of The Jockey Club CPS Limited. Please contact the following personnel should there be any enquiries.
Lighthouse Consultant, Ms. Alice Chan, Tel.: +852 2384 0095, media@lighthouse.hk

Topic: Press release summary
Source: The Jockey Club CPS Limited
Sectors: Art, Music & Design
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