Soul of the City II - Public Consultation - Creativity and Society

SOUL OF THE CITY II

For further information, please contact southorn@britishcouncil.org.hk

"The soul of the city is not led by its artwork or its public spaces but by the city itself, its infrastructure and the decisions that are made on a very fundamental strategic level about the whole city. I do not like the idea of art being something that comes in later...The important phrase is 'artistic thinking', which is not the sole area of artists...Artistic thinking is the key to fantastic architecture, planning decisions and commissioning."

Thomas Heatherwick

What's on this month



		Photo Exhibition

		Creative Links

		The 12th European Film Festival

		Soul of the City II - Design Presentation

		Soul of the City II - Public Consultation

		Made in China

		Mara Carlyle

		Our position in Arts & Design

		UK Arts & Design Links

Project Summary and Objectives

In partnership with Wanchai District Council, the British Council Hong Kong invited UK designer Thomas Heatherwick and urban regeneration specialist Fred Manson to lead on the public art project at Southorn Playground. The project is about enhancing public spaces through the use of art. Art in public spaces is about making art for the benefit of the people, the community who uses it. It is not about putting a pretty sculpture in a public space for people to simply look at and admire. Instead, it is about establishing a relationship with the community and improving the quality of the environment. The project will strive to create a public art intervention in Southorn Playground, Wanchai, which will meet the community's needs and address the cultural complexities of the area. It is hoped that the project will serve as a model of community participatory approach in public art in Hong Kong. In summary, the project's objectives include:

making changes so people will want to use it
making improvements that people will benefit from
bringing it up to date so that it has new relevance as Wanchai's main square in the past, present and future, and
making the playground a public art in its own right.

Forum presentation on 28 March 2005

- The Brief and Site Analysis (Part1)
- Research and Approach (Part 2)
- Possibilities (Part 3a) - Possibilities (Part 3b)
- Creating More Space (Part4)
- Dealing with Refuse (Part 5)
- Play and Light (Part 6)

		Comments From Wanchai District Council

		Thomas Heatherwick and Fred Manson

		Summary from Wanchai Questionnaire

First Visit By The UK Team (Sept 2004)

UK urban regeneration specialist Fred Manson and a design team from Thomas Heatherwick Studio were invited to Hong Kong by the British Council Hong Kong and Wanchai District Council for a follow-up project to 2004's Soul of the City - International Symposium on Art and Public Spaces. The visit provided a research opportunity to better understand the context of Wanchai and site selection.

Questionnaire (Oct - Nov 04)

After the first visit, a questionnaire was designed by the UK team as part of the research, addressing specific issues of usages, environment, facilities, safety and future of Southorn Playground. The questionnaire was distributed to the Wanchai residents and the results were seen as the preliminary background research of the project

Second Visit by the UK Team (Dec 2004)

The second visit was an opportunity to meet with various sectors of the community and observe the trends, the context and the people who use Southorn Playground. It also served as an opportunity for the UK team to engage with the local community who uses Southorn Playground face to face, through interviewing them and participating in their activities.

Wanchai Documentary (Dec 04 - Jan 05)

To document the initial process of public participation, Bbluesky was commissioned to produce a documentary of the context and community of Wanchai and the activities undertaken as part of the research process. Videopower was also invited to conduct filming workshops with local residents and interview a diverse range of Wanchai residents.

Model of Southorn Playground (Jan 2005)

To assist in the design process for Southorn Playground, the British Council sponsored a 1:200 model to be made and sent to the UK design team. The model has been used to assist in the formulation of the brief, the development of the design proposal and as a tool for illustrating the proposals by the UK team.

Focus Group (Mar 2005)

A series of focus groups made up of cultural activists, students and residents of Wanchai were held as a lead-up to the public forum on 28 March 2005. Led by Wanchai District Councillor, Ms Mary Ann King, each session explored the issues raised by the UK team such as usage, environment, facilities, safety and the future of Southorn Playground.

The Forum (28 Mar 2005)

The forum on 28 March 2005 is designed to be an open platform for all to share their views and visions for the playground. It will be an information sharing session by the community and the UK team before the brief is finalised and design work on the proposal begins in UK. With generous contribution in kind from Playright, a range of activities for children and adults alike have been arranged for site-specific investigation of relationships between the community, the public space and art.

The Next Stage: Design Brief and Proposal (Mid 2005)