Natural and man-made disasters killed tens of thousands of people and many more lost their home, Hong Kong being much closer to the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station than to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, maybe it is about time to reflect and address the potential risk and hazard produced by nuclear energy. Doomsday is an anti-nuclear radiation mobile living unit made of lead panels for one person, when lay flat on the ground the four solar panels could generate 15 volts of electricity for small electronic appliances. People often have blind faith towards the machine and think they could resolve all of nature’s problems. Unfortunately, this time our machines turned around and destroyed the most important life supplies in nature, polluting water, food, and the air.
Paddling Home is a 4 feet x 4 feet house floating on the sea. This tiny building resembles a typical residential apartment block completed with features such as bay windows, air conditioning unit, and stainless steel gate, etc Like a paddling boat, two paddling oars can be push out from the two walls allowing the house to be slowly paddle away.The concept of this project came from the extremely expansive living condition Hong Kong where the people can only afford tiny apartment flat and have to spend their lifetime repaying the mortgage. Real estate developers only follow one successful formula that is to squeeze as much money out of the land as possible, then package it with illusive commercial selling grandeur and luxury. That is why people always say we are not working for ourselves but working for the real estate developers and the bankers instead. Paddling Home is about mobility and compact living. It questions alternative way to live in the city; it is about freedom and the search for a better place. The artist think the image of a helpless little house paddling away in a vast dangerous ocean towards the infinite shoreline is similar to using 20 to 30 years time to repay a huge mortgage loan, it is dangerous and helpless.
Famiglia Grande (Grand Family in Italian) is a group of mobile sleeping units which enable a family of 4 to live off the urban streets temporarily. All units were highly crafted and meticulously furnished borrowing aesthetic from expensive racing automobiles. The work was inspired by the highly exaggerated real estate commercials and the recent economical tsunami where many people lost their fortune overnight. The video work was shot similar in style to the real estate commercials, depicting a family who insisted on living the surrealistic lifestyle of the rich and famous despite the reality of living on the street. Does owning a luxurious apartment is really the equivalent of owning a happy family?
Imagine you can live anywhere, to come and go anytime as you please, scenery changes according to your need. You are a wanderer in the city, you are into the wild. Imagine, you are free. The Wanderer Home project questions our typical ways of living in Hong Kong and demands an alternative answer of living. This project springs from fantasy, imagination, and DIY construction. It questions the basic unit of urbanity which is home. It explores the idea of minimal dwelling and offers an alternative solution which intrigues us to rethink about our living condition in the city. I originally built this mobile home for myself but later discovered it can also be seen as an architectural solution for the homeless people in the city.
The floor plan dimension of this minimal mobile house is only 3 feet by 4 feet and it is constructed on top of a tricycle often seen on the streets of Mainland China. Imagine your entire lifelong procession is under the control of your feet. The Wandering Home project was selected to represent Hong Kong to participate in the 11th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, Italy in 2008. It was also featured at the Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism Architecture in Hong Kong.
Tin Man No.11 is an urban sleeping unit built on top of a moving trolley. I have done some research on the homeless people and discovered not all homeless are jobless. Some of them try to get jobs such as movers to help themselves. They refused to apply for public housing from the government since they will be relocated to remote edge of the city which means high traffic cost which they could not afford. This project is an attempt to resolve the problem of the homeless shelters always being criticized as being ugly and blocking the pedestrian traffic, etc. Tin Man No.11 could be transfrom into an attractive piece of public art when parked on the pedestrian walkway. Standing vertically it looks like a tin toy robot; lying down, it transforms into a comfortable home with a bed, a desk and a chair. Tin Man No. 11 symbolizes everyone can stand up again with their own two feet in front of hardship.
