July 18, 2011

Hong Kong

Hey everyone. I'm here in Hong Kong, a country I always wanted to visit ever since I saw the huge backlit panorama of the harbour on the wall at the Man Lin Chinese Restaurant in Perth in the early '90s. It just looked so cool with all those skyscrapers and neon lights and is the main reason why night cityscapes feature so heavily in my illustrations.

There have been many amazing sights so far, but two stand out, both of which I saw yesterday. One is the unique architecture of the HSBC Bank Headquarters, built in 1986. It is supported by eight huge pillars and is actually suspended off the ground, so you can walk underneath it and look up into its glass underbelly; it seems they did this to obey the rules of feng shui so you can walk in a straight line from the Star Ferry to Government House. The other is the night view of Hong Kong harbour from Victoria Peak, a sight you can never get tired of (even though you'll already be tired standing in line for an hour for the Peak Tram).

It has been very hot and humid and I've been riding the subway a lot and buying T-shirts and other things. My four cameras have been getting a good workout (Colorsplash, Diana, digital and camcorder) so by the time I get back I'll present a photo gallery: examples of contemporary HK graphic design, store fronts and advertising, as well as some sketches I've been doing while here. Be sure to stop by and check them out!

2 comments:

  1. Awesome Pete. How long are you in HK for?

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  2. Hi Chris, I'll be back on the 28th, Thursday morning. 16 days all up :)

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