Scenes From Hong Kong III

It is really two years to the day since my first Hong Kong photo post? Well, yes it is. Now I'm back from my second trip to Hong Kong, which was just as good as the first, with more snapshots of urban life to share with you. Enough talk, let's get started.

A typical, and dare I say iconic, sight of Hong Kong harbour: one of the many junks that regularly cross the waters. Their red sails are something that sets off the scenery, day or night.

It's Pikachu! In a shirt and tie on a Canon advertising poster! Well, I think it is, anyway. The makers of Pokemon might think otherwise.

It's nice to see old-fashioned signage on store fronts in 2013, given the short turnaround time some of these shops have. I also like the idea of there being a "knitting factory". Is it a big room full of old women, knitting all the garments, wrapping them up tight, and sending them off to the Lee Kung Man Knitting Factory (H.K.) Ltd.?

Note that the Chinese characters for "Lee Kung Man" are written right-to-left – something that isn't too common these days.  

"I Resurrect The Destructed", proclaims this oddly-grammared advertisement. Well so do I, but you don't hear me bragging about it.

More HK fun next post.

Hong Kong Paintings

I'm on holiday in Hong Kong and having a great time, but I've also been doing the occasional painting. Here are the three paintings I did while here – photographed via Photo Booth for that extra-distorto effect. What a good way to wrap up the 34th year of my life. When I get back home there'll be more stuff posted, including sketches and a photo bonanza!

"Immortality"

poster/acrylic on canvas 60x45cm 

"Junk"

acrylic on canvas board 25x20cm 

"Possession"

acrylic on canvas 45x60cm

Scenes From Hong Kong II

Round two of my Hong Kong photos series. Enjoy!

I read somewhere recently that bored people just trawl the internet from money shot to money shot. Well, let me save you the trouble with this night scene of the harbour. The future is now and we are here. And we're not leaving.

Store front of a T-shirt shop. Note the girl who works there looking straight at me. This was one of the more pricey places.

A life-size Game Of Life board in a shopping centre. If only the spinner was real, that would have been boss.

The waterfront statue of a childhood hero of mine, Mr. Bruce Lee. As he is buried in Seattle, this is the closest to a memorial in Hong Kong. I didn't realize it at the time but the date I chose to go see the statue was July 20, his death anniversary.

In the same area, the Avenue Of Stars, the greats of HK cinema have these plaques, sometimes with their handprints, and this is Bruce Lee's star. 'Little Dragon' is his given name in Chinese characters.

"Anna Ng and I are getting old and we still haven't walked in the glow of each other's majestic presence..." Sorry, only They Might Be Giants fans will appreciate this one.

Scenes From Hong Kong I

I'm back from Hong Kong and have some things to share with you. It was a really enjoyable trip, and there were very few things about the country I didn't like. If the people are friendly (which they are in this case) then the trip is generally off to a good start. I was particularly interested in electronics, architecture, T-shirt designs and just general visuals in public places. Anyway, instead of lumping all the stuff in one post, I'll do a series of posts which should hopefully show you some interesting things.

A staggering array of magazines, many of which are devoted to technology. There are several about the iPhone 4 alone.

This installation is at Times Square, a huge shopping centre. You can't tell too easily but that's a black steam train. It's got Hogwarts Express written on it, whatever that is. The blue sign says London, Kings Cross. Beats me. Every teenage girl in HK was there that day, though.


The Hang Seng index, prominently displayed out front of the eponymous bank. Many people deal in stocks, so this info is critical. Looks like it's taken a hit here...

Are you a racecar nerd who's also into classical music? Then this piano design is for you. The car-like leather seat and aerodynamic bodywork will be perfect as you perform Beethoven's "Ecossaise" while fanging it around Causeway Bay. You'll need some bulldog clips for your sheet music though.

Bape (A Bathing Ape) is a Japanese clothing line and here is the front of HK's Bape store, with its three hooded pocketed-handed silverclones. What does it all mean?

Apartment blocks are a curious geometric patchwork, studded with air conditioners and draped with drying clothes.

More to come next time, you bet.

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!