I am always interested in how foreign video games portray the urban landscapes of Hong Kong. Many of the imageries in games and in some B-movies in Hollywood reflect how westerners conceive Hong Kong with some sort of pseudo-orientalism. It is obviously not a true reflection of the city.
Furthermore, the fast-paced changes happening in Hong Kong have become a norm. Any self-proclaimed authentic representation of the city is bound to fail and will become as unreal as those video game imageries.
These factors motivated me to go to some districts where massive redevelopment projects are going on or are about to happen. I tried to capture the environment with an inexpensive 360 degree camera. I superimpose some unknown mega-structures onto the actual scenes to create a surreal and imaginative representation of how these places will look like in the future.These images are not meant to be done in a photorealistic way. They are superimposing what is the ambiguous hybrid of reality and the dreamlike illusion, offering viewers a sense of being in a chaotic labyrinth.
The outcome also resembles imagery of "augmented reality" which has been a hot topic in recent years. Video games with applications of technology like "Pokemon Go" become viral around the globe. These games encourage the players to roam around the city but it doesn"™t mean the players can really get a better understanding of the city.
Contrary to the gaming imagery which is supposed to be fun and visually exciting, the 360 degree images of this photo series are meant to be grotesque with a hint of anxiety. They probably sum up the state of my mind towards the prospect of Hong Kong.
The images series are commissioned by the Goethe Institut.
Official website (best viewed in full screen with desktop computers):
https://web.archive.org/web/20170504024041/http://www.goethe.de/ins/cn/lp/prj/dat/prj/en15891470.htm
For mobile devices: clicking on the following images will bring you to another window for 360 VR viewing. Move your devices to orientate the images.
Kwun Tong I 觀塘 I
Kwun Tong II 觀塘 II
To Kwa Wan I 土瓜灣 I
To Kwa Wan II 土瓜灣 II
Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen 衙前圍村
Hoi Tan Street, Sham Shui Po 深水埗海壇街
Tai Kok Tsui 大角咀
Kai Tak Development Zone 啟德發展區
Graham Street Market, Central 中環嘉咸街街市
