Introduction

- Introduction
Preface
IN BETWEEN

Preface IN BETWEEN

In 2010, HKSAR Government and the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation confirmed the revitalisation to transform the former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road, a Grade III historic building abandoned for many years, into a creative landmark named “PMQ”.
Since the opening of PMQ in 2014, a new landmark has emerged on the Mid-Levels ridge among the creative landscape in the city. The two opposite blocks have housed over 100 up-and-coming local design entrepreneurs, with arrays of creative activities and exhibitions happened here. The new QUBE is a multi-purpose hall connecting the two historic buildings named Hollywood and Staunton. It is a symbol representing PMQ bringing together designers and the public, as well as Hong Kong and the overseas community. PMQ has devoted its existence to nurture and bring forth great designs to the public.
Over the past seven years, elements of the new and old culture, history, heritage, experiment, design, and inspiration from life experiences have been incubated and encouraged to take shape in this space. Benefitting from the support and active input from creators and mentors alike, PMQ can continue to build its legacy. In the following chapters, we sincerely invite you to delve into the stories of the past and look ahead to the future with the visionaries who have played a significant role in PMQ’s history. With the creative DNA of “Design”, “Nurture”, “Experiment” and “Life” as well as the featured stories, this book leads you to experience the ingenuity and nuances of Hong Kong design and reminisces the effort and fruitful successes that we have with an array of creators over the years.
Long, long had been my road and far, far was the journey. Winding yet splendid, the path of exploration on design takes you to the landscape along the hill around PMQ. The imaginations and creativities in this place penetrate every part of our lives, while young designers can experiment and break through to enable creative minds to be rooted in the hearts of the public.
Yuan (元), one of the characters of the Chinese name of PMQ, means soul and origin, while Chuang (創) refers to creativity and creation. As an essential creative landmark, PMQ is honoured to serve as a platform to promote, grow, and nurture future talents for infinite creativity.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Albert Poon Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road end its mission in 2000 and the revitalization work started from 2010
After the revitalization work finished in 2014, former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road becomes PMQ.
The newly built multi-purpose hall, Qube, locates between the 2 buildings and provides a space for various exhibitions and events.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Albert Poon

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- Introduction
- Cross-disciplinary Designs Gateway to International Stage
- Designer Journey
- Designer Showcase
- Other Tenants Showcase
- Introduction
Between
IMAGINATION
& APPLICATION

Between MAGINATION & APPLICATION

PMQ, the embodiment of the spirit of design, is an architectural space that inherits the history and humanity of the former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road. It is the perfect place for designers to explore the eternal theme of old and new, as well as the past and future. The magnificent community between Central and Sheung Wan has become a foothold for visitors to learn and respond to social changes. With versatile expertise, the talents here serve as a living proof of “multi-disciplinary and diversified” designs.

Only a diverse and open atmosphere can nurture good designs. A stable and inclusive environment for growth is also vital, while the interaction between peers with same beliefs can ignite creativity. It is, without a doubt, encouraging for numerous design ideas and projects that have been created in PMQ. Looking forward, PMQ will continue to strive as the cornerstone for exploration, creation, and the knowledge of design; and to promote the development of creative design in Hong Kong across generations.

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Cross-disciplinary Designs
Gateway to International Stage

Cross-disciplinary Designs Gateway to International Stage

For each successful design, every mature designer needs to go through training from an early stage. They could not thrive without the delicate interplay of their environment, opportunities, and personal insights. Hong Kong architecture design firm LAAB and fashion brand HARRISON WONG are pioneers in their respective fields. They are renowned for their many outstanding masterpieces. What they have in common is that they both chose PMQ as the starting point for their careers. They have designed many amazing works here and taken their first steps for global recognition.
LAAB said that people still regard them as a part of PMQ even though they have already moved out. Harrison, on the other hand, said that PMQ has been the proving ground for his fashion career. Looking back on their journey at PMQ, they never forget their intentions of starting up their career and have come that far along the way.

Go Beyond the Boundary in Fashion & Architecture

Harrison:

Since I was little, I‘ve been greatly interested in pop culture and enjoyed dressing up myself. I gradually realised that I wanted to be in the fashion industry and that’s why I am here. How about you guys?

Hang:

I’ve always loved building things, drawing, and woodworking since childhood. My major subject was engineering but I didn’t like mathematics. I was influenced by all those films and I thought it’s cool to be an architect doing drawings with a T-square. Then, I changed to study architecture.

Otto:

I was not familiar with the architecture industry at the beginning, but I just loved building models, four-wheel cars and Legos, etc. Later, I had an opportunity to explore the design industry and found myself having a great interest in design and technology. I finally decided to study design as I also thought it’s cool, and you could feel my passion in technology in my recent works.

Harrison:

This industry is about being “cool”. We didn’t have any social media when we were young. I really loved watching music videos and studying the look of all those artists. This raised my interest in fashion.

Otto:

Did you think you were cool when you were young?

Harrison:

Well, I loved dressing up and made my school uniforms look funny. I’ve usually followed the rules, and have crossed the line as always.

Harrison Wong — Left / Otto Ng — Right 1/ Yip Chun Hang — Right 2

Otto:

It’s great to be cool without breaking school rules!
I think it’s all about attitude. To be honest, the curriculum of primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong is quite rigid. They are so cautious about crossing the line. Yet, design can stimulate thoughts. Now, I always share my thoughts with my colleagues. As a designer, one should identify the boundary and then go beyond. There is nothing to lose of being a little bit quirky.

Hang:

Before setting up LAAB, Otto and I just worked in ordinary architecture firms. We got used to all those rigid practices and we could imagine being stuck in the rut in the next two or three decades. To make a good design in Hong Kong, we have to try crossing the line. But it doesn’t mean you do it out of nowhere. Like architecture, in particular, it has to be practical and meet the standards and customer requirements. It’s not purely art. Honestly, I only thought about “crossing the line” when I started working in this field.

Harrison:

I am the other way round. After starting my business, I became more stable and tried to strike a balance between design and business. I’ve never planned to open a shop. Considering the rental rates in Hong Kong, it’s impossible to pick a location that could fulfill the brand’s image. PMQ has provided such an opportunity, so I applied to open a shop there. Before joining PMQ, I just worked in other companies and would occasionally launch solo collections in trade shows. With PMQ, I started to develop my brand in full run.
I clearly remembered that I stationed in April 2014 and I was one of the first shops at PMQ.

Building Social Circle at PMQ

Otto:

It seems that we were the first ones stationed at PMQ as the other shops were still under renovation at the time when we opened. When I first learned about PMQ, I found it awesome as it’s the first large community with designers from various fields. I really wanted to be part of it and our brand was just established at that time.
To us, being part of PMQ and starting up a business were closely linked. PMQ has provided the space as well as different opportunities. We’re not just a tenant, and we also took part in many collaborations, including Cotton Run. Additionally, Colourscape was a pioneering work using masking tape to cover the entire Courtyard & Marketplace. PMQ has provided us the opportunities to try new things, and to grow mutually.

Colourscape, LAAB, 2016

Hang:

My first visit to PMQ was the deTour event some years ago. I was impressed as it was also the filming location of the Asian film Three. As an architecture firm, it is our privilege to be located in such a historic building where we have a window shop for the interaction with the public. It’s completely different from other architecture firms.

Otto:

It’s difficult to have new clients if we’re located at a commercial or industrial building. While at PMQ, many people just came in and talked to us, and some of them became our clients later. Recently, a client I met seven years ago came back to us again.

Hang:

Just like our project Small Home Smart Home, which was a 300-square foot residential design project adjacent to PMQ. Living nearby, the client just passed by and stopped in. He said that other designers refused to take his project and he asked if we were interested. We got this chance only because we had a shop in PMQ. And at the end, this project was widely recognised by international media and received many awards.

Otto:

We moved our shop in PMQ once from Unit 607 to a connected studio. We moved out to a commercial building for a while later as we need more manpower and space. Recently, we’ve moved in again in a shop on ground floor as we want to experience the vibe of neighbourhood at PMQ.
The neighbourhood relationship at PMQ is essential. It’s similar to the public housing estates in the past, where you can see each other’s shop from the verandah and the courtyard is right down there. It’s truly a place for social interaction and events.

Harrison:

I moved here earlier and there were only a few shops when I opened mine. The large crowd of people in the 1600 Pandas exhibition was a memory/image I would not soon forget. Since the opening in PMQ, the local customers can have a better knowledge of my brand and this helps me to develop overseas markets.
When travelling to neighbouring countries in the past, I’m so envious of the places there which offer pieces created by local designers. So, when PMQ opened its door, I really wanted to be here and this opportunity fulfilled my dream of having my own shop.

Cottonrun, LAAB, 2015

The Memorable Moment of Growing up in PMQ

Otto:

The collaborations with PMQ are indeed very special to us. Apart from the convenient location for me to work, I can also get the direct response from the audiences. This is not quite possible in other projects.

Hang:

The Jellyfish Fermata at The QUBE impressed me most. It was a surreal and tranquil installation amid the bustling Central and the experience was fun. This was also our first collaboration with other tenants in PMQ. The outer cover of the installation was done by Chailie Ho.

Harrison:

What impressed me most is the support by PMQ for us to participate in overseas fashion weeks and trade shows every season, taking us to the global stage to interact with international buyers. It’s like regular gatherings with a bunch of designers. We have been to many places such as Shanghai and Paris, and we went to many different trade shows at a time. That’s really fun. PMQ also subsidised part of the expenses.
Designers and their works must go overseas to experience the true scope of fashion. Europe is always the hub of fashion and Hong Kong is not a target for international buyers. It’s an ongoing effort to go abroad and get in touch with the international market. For the first few visits, you might only have the chance for the buyers to get to discover your brand. When they make sure you’re not a flash in the pan, then they will consider buying your designs.

Harrison Wong, Spring Summer 2019, Ontimeshow Shanghai

Harrison Wong, Fall Winter 2017, Tradeshow: Paris Sur Mode

Otto:

Apart from the practical collaboration and support, PMQ has continuously organised seminars and exhibitions for us to learn more about our peers and even the works and ideas of designers from all over the world. It’s a form of invisible exchange.
British designer Thomas Heatherwick is one of the designers that I personally appreciate and respect the most. I was overwhelmed to be able to coordinate with him in the exhibition New British Inventors: Inside Heatherwick Studio when I met him and his family. I was particularly impressed that he discussed the difference of asphalt used in Hong Kong and the UK. His keen observation and agility is the foundation for his innovations.

Hang:

The part I enjoyed most about PMQ is that I can wander around. Sometimes when I got stuck with work, I just walked out and visited the shops of other designers or Japanese brands to get some inspiration.

Otto:

We constantly make changes. We once used PMQ’s display windows and verandah to showcase products or artistic furniture.

Harrison:

I’ve focused on fashion retailing and I made PMQ as my starting point. The rental rate here was relatively low so I could see whether my products could be popular in the market. I tried this approach and I could really envision it. Based on the experiences and data that I have in PMQ, I could determine the feasibility of opening shops in other places. After many attempts, we have gradually expanded to have five HARRISON WONG stores today.

PMQ as the Starting Point of Success

Otto:

We’ve already set out on our own for five years and it’s interesting that many people still think that we’re part of PMQ. They probably knew us through PMQ, first about our works displayed here and then our design concepts.

Harrison:

The reason why I stay at PMQ is that there are regular customers and supporters who keep coming back here. Some foreign visitors even come to us every time they visit Hong Kong.
In the past, if my overseas friends asked me where to find local fashion in Hong Kong, my answer would always be “no”. Shopping malls in Hong Kong are almost identical. Over-commercialisation and high rental rates are the reasons that eliminate local designs. In fact, there are many Hong Kong people who appreciate local designs, but it’s difficult for local designers to survive in this commercial-based environment. There was no such creative platform before the establishment of PMQ in 2014.

Otto:

Sometimes the public might not understand the role of a designer until they have the opportunity to interact with each other. For many of our clients, we chatted at PMQ and hit it off. We then collaborated and became friends. These are not ordinary projects, but an experiment and a dream of putting our ideas into practice together.

Harrison:

PMQ is definitely a good platform that allows designers to expose themselves.I often say that Hong Kong needs more places like PMQ. One is not enough, more is better.

Otto:

Or transform those shopping malls into an entity similar to PMQ.
In this era, independent brands or start-ups are gaining more attention, while new cultures and creativities become increasingly acceptable. We also see more and more designers devoting themselves to the industry.

Harrison:

For young designers, PMQ is definitely a place for them to see if their ideas are feasible. After getting a certain work experience, they can take a first step at PMQ and see how to carve a niche in other places.

Yip Chun Hang & Otto Ng, Architecture Director & Director of LAAB
LAAB is a laboratory for art and architecture dedicated to public space, contemporary architecture, interior designs, and digital art experiences. Led by co-founders Otto Ng and Yip Chun Hang, our collective of architects, designers, engineers, makers, and sociologists work together with forward-thinking clients and collaborators to bring visionary designs to life. Widely recognized projects include the K11 MUSEA and Victoria Dockside, Leica Flagship Store and the Hong Kong House at the Japan Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale. In 2020, LAAB was named “The Design Studio of the Year” by the INDE Awards.

Harrison Wong, Founder & Creative Director of HARRISON WONG
Fashion designer Harrison Wong, founder of HARRISON WONG, made his debut by winning the Hong Kong Young Designer’s Contest and the special prize of Asian Fashion Grand Prix Contest in Japan. He then earned his Masters Degree from the London College of Fashion and worked as the Design Director for a number of fashion houses in Hong Kong and China. He opened his menswear retail shop at PMQ in 2014, and his designs were showcased at various fashion events including the fashion weeks in Tokyo and New York. His designs are sold in the US, Italy, Germany, and Japan with five stores in Hong Kong.

Project LAAB

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Colourscape, deTour collaboration with MT Tape
The installation interlaced the former space of PMQ and today’s courtyard with multicoloured masking tapes filled the area where people can interact with each other.

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Cotton Run, deTour 2015
Controlled by digital technology, this art installation consisted of a kinetic treadmill and a cotton candy machine. As the visitors ran on the treadmill, their energies could activate the machine that produced cotton candy. It aimed to deliver a positive message to people who are undergoing hardship.

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Jellyish Fermata, deTour 2016
This installation was made by an interdisciplinary team of architects, fashion designers, engineers and media artists which engaged with the mood of people by orchestrating a tempo with transforming mechanical architecture, lighting and music.

Project Harrison Wong

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Shanghai Fashion Weeks, Harrison Wong SS 2019
Inspired by Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, the collection showcased a combination of arts and fashion in Shanghai, revealing a sporty style with its exceptional cutting.

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New York Fashion Week, Harrison Wong FW 2017
On the runway in New York Fashion Week, the collection presented the silhouette, fabric texture, volume and tailoring inspired from cowls for a sense of solemnity.

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Tradeshow: Paris Sur Mode, Harrison Wong FW 2017
After the showcase in New York, the 2017 collection, created with a deep and profound palette combining traditional and modern elements, was brought to the runway in Paris.

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Design Journey

In PMQ, there are different stories about design in Hong Kong. Whether it is used as a medium of cultural heritage, creative expression, social advancement, or simply a pursuit of a higher level in design, every creation was interpreted first-hand by the designer.

POLLY HO
Founder and Fashion Designer of Loom Loop

LOOM LOOP
S205

“We always want to tell stories through fashion to preserve traditional cultures and craftsmanship. I joined PMQ and established the brand at the same time. Everything started from scratch and we’ve grown together. PMQ is like a home to me, with open doors that everyone can come in and have a chat. I get along very well with neighbouring designers and we often exchange insider information with each other. It’s a good experience to participate in overseas exhibitions with PMQ. There was once a visitor coming to PMQ and invited me to design the staff uniform for a five-star hotel in Singapore. You never know what opportunity comes next. Nowadays, fashion design is not just simply about fashion, but a joint creation with catering and interior design. This represents my growth in PMQ.”

YEUNG CHIN
Founder and Fashion Designer of Yeung Chin

YEUNG CHIN
H406

“I will describe PMQ as a liberate, diverse and unrestrained bridge. Hong Kong designers need a platform to showcase their works and develop in a versatile way. My brand always tries to integrate art and fashion. During my time at PMQ, I had the opportunity to showcase some artistic works on creative platforms like deTour and Smart Fashion Runway, where I was able to grow up step-by-step. There were many chances to have media interviews from different countries at least once a month on average. The interview opportunity is a good promotion, and in which I can rethink the positioning of my brand.”

BELINDA CHEUNG
Co-founder of Obellery and Jewellery Designer

OBELLERY
H403

“We like plants so we have a lot in our PMQ studio. These plants have also become our source of inspiration. We have created the Cactile series with succulent plants as the main theme. The design is based on the touch rather than visual impact. The location of PMQ is awesome, with frequent flow of visitors but you won’t get completely swamped so that we can concentrate on craft creation. Its reasonable rent also allows us to invest more in equipment to try new attempts in design. We get along very well with the PMQ team – like friends supporting one other. It was them who took us to overseas exhibitions and assisted us in promotion etc. During the past seven years, we’ve been working at PMQ almost every day and interacting with neighbours. It’s just a wonderful memory.”

BEN CHUNG
Founder of EYEPOPPER Design Limited

EYEPOPPER
H407

“As an eyewear designer, I always want to promote Hong Kong eyewear design. Some of our eyewear designs are named after the streets near PMQ, such as the one named Aberdeen Street. Since stationing in PMQ in 2014, it’s undoubtedly provided me with a suitable environment for design. I can directly understand the thoughts of my customers, so as to adjust and improve the design. As there are many designers stationed here, we can promote different creative collaborations through interaction. The recent tinted glasses collaboration, for example, is the collaboration with the tie-dye designer on the above floor. With the subsidy from PMQ, I also participated in some overseas trade shows. These events were helpful for me to open up overseas markets and see if my products are popular. As we received an enthusiastic response after participating in the gift show, we decided to establish a second line that broadened my creative mind.”

KEVIN SIU, BOB PANG and SHUYAN CHAN
Co-founders of AaaM Architects

AaaM Architects
S501

“Design needs to be nurtured within diversity. With various groups gathering in PMQ, including designers, the public, community members and foreign visitors, designers can get in touch with them and enhance their understanding of people and their daily needs. Various exhibitions at PMQ have also become the nutrients to boost creativity. Our first collaboration with PMQ is particularly memorable. It was a Christmas installation in 2017. We wanted to create the installation in the most environmentally-friendly way. PMQ linked us up with an environmental organization to make it with tens of thousands of drink cartons, creating a work with educational purpose and visual impact at the same time. This work received many international awards.
There is an old tree in front of PMQ, where birds serenade while people interact underneath every day. It is an ecosystem, and PMQ is such a tree.”

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Design Showcase

From products, furniture, fashion, architecture topublic space…… the creativity shaped in PMQ is eclectic and everlasting.

1

Xmas' T (RE)
e Nursery

AaaM Architects
S501

Made up of 16,000 recycled paper drink cartons, this Christmas installation with 36 Christmas trees on a humane scale aims to raise environmental awareness in festive consumerism.

◎ K-Design Awards
◎ Design for Asia Award Bronze
◎ GOOD DESIGN AWARD

2

Eone Watch

EONE TIMEPIECES
H201

Designed for the visually impaired, this timepiece tells the time precisely by two magnetic ball bearings showing the minutes and the hours respectively.

◎ Da Vinci Awards
◎ The German Design Council
◎ Red Dot Award: Product Design

3

Invisi Pen

Rcube
Store

Perfect for home and outdoor, the Invisi pen can be used with a cover as a portable pen or simply inserted into the stand and the pen cover will disappear like magic. The simple design is crafted in brass without any extra parts.

◎ Asia Design Prize 2019 Winner
◎ Hong Kong Smart design award 2019 – Silver Award (Workplace)

4

URBAN FARM CHANGSHA

BEAMS Creative
H312

The rooftop farm was developed in the traditional rigorous linear farm grid with a simple structure that is purely multi-functional to give an urban take on the rural life many had just left behind.

◎ Asia Design Prize

5

Forbidden Walled City

Loom Loop
S205

Bridging the Kowloon Walled City with the famous and well-preserved Beijing Forbidden City, this collection uses Canton silk and the authentic brocade from Sichuan to feature flowing silk dresses emblazoned with the new nine dragon prints.

◎ Platinum – Fashion Design
◎ Silver Winner in Fashion and Textile Design Category

6

DiSCARVERY

Blindbyjw
H306

It is a scarf that combines travel fun and fashionable essentials with added warmth. Wearers can simply use the map and scan the QR codes on the scarf to discover the next destinations.

◎ (IDA) International Design Awards 2019
◎ Smart Gift Award Merit and Judge Award 2020
◎ The D project – top 10 finalist

7

Swirl Jade Ring

Playback Concept
S212

This Swirl Jade Ring revisits the perceptions of social norms, family ethics and hierarchy via interactive and modern design features.

◎ Cultural & Creative Award – The Best of Cultural & Creative Awards 2019 (Taiwan)

8

Stackable Vase

Pong
H311

This vase is dissected into three parts to carry flowers of all varieties, while the separable parts can hold different objects when flowers are not in season.

◎ Hong Kong Smart Design Awards
◎ Red Dot Design Award

9

SS18 COLLECTION - SOULMATE

MODEMENT
S303

Referencing the biblical creation of Eve from Adam’s bone and flesh, this bespoke collection is built on a foundation of sustainable luxury with a unisex concept.

◎ Createsmart Young Design Talent Award

10

Kendall International – Preschool

Cocoon architecture ltd.
S604

Transformed into small houses around the open area, the classrooms offer plenty of spaces for activities to liberate imaginations, giving a new twist on the rigid podium design of kindergartens in Hong Kong.

◎ A’ Design Award in Interior Space & Exhibition Design Category
◎ German Design Award

11

Living Hollow

Obellery Studio
H403

The design reveals the relationship between containers and the objects inside to transform geometry into flowing and functional jewellery.

◎ DFA Design For Asia Awards 2017
◎ German design award special 2019
◎ Timeout HK 2020 Recommends

12

Mils Reading Glasses

Eyepopper
H407

Crafted in acetate, this eyewear combines reading glasses with a necklace to make a vintage piece a fashionable accessory.

◎ Hong Kong Smart Gifts Design Awards 2015 – Gold in Accessory Gifts

13

Hong Kong Skyline

Hong Kong Oapes
S604

This silver collection infuses the world-renowned stunning skyline of Hong Kong through a die-cut technique to reveal the oriental culture on the wearers.

◎ Silver A’ Design Award in Jewelry, Eyewear & Watch Design Category
◎ IDA Design Awards Bronze 2017
◎ European Product Design Award – 2019 Silver Prize Winner

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CHEESE TO THE WORLD

SUN＝SEN
S411

This collection conveys a story of extinction and evolution in a humorous and imaginary way by using unusual silhouette, colour combinations as well as the prints and Nuno felting made by the designer.

◎ iD Dunedin Fashion Week 2016 – iD International Emerging Awards

15

Oh!T

Pong
H311

This is the world’s first intelligently designed, patent-pending 3-in-1 tea strainer with an innovative magnetic tea lid that allows drinkers to adjust the strength of the brew by moving the tea infuser up and down inside the cup.

◎ A’ Design Award and Competition

16

Lumio

Lumio
S607

It is a book when closed, which unfolds into a sculptural light when opened. It can be recharged wirelessly and provides powerful lighting anywhere.

◎ Red Dot Design Award

17

The Next Talents by Vogue Italia

Matter Matters
S102

Matter Matters’ designer Flora Leung, The Next Talents selected by Vogue Italia, plays with a vivid palette and graphic motifs in her creations.

◎ The Next Talents by Vogue Italia

18

Uphold Cup

Eravolution
S401

This cup is formed from a particular set of geometries that allow it to collapse vertically with “a twist”. Compact and easy to use, the cup is a combination of mathematics, practicality and design elements.

◎ A&D Trophy Awards 2016, Green Product (Best in Category)
◎ Hong Kong Design Awards 2017, Gold Award
◎ HKDA Global Design Awards 2018, Excellence

19

With The Flow

Eravolution
S401

Part of the project City Dress Up: Seats Together, the installation is made up of a low sinuous bench and a number of ellipsoids with a satin surface placed so they would not disturb tree roots.

◎ A&D Trophy Awards 2019, Architecture – Landscape (Excellence)

20

Plover

Eravolution
S401

Capturing the free spirit of the flying birds, this collection of chairs comes in various colours, chair legs, and structural options to empower users with the freedom to decide on their own sitting directions and postures.

◎ Golden Pin Design Award 2019
◎ Design For Asia Award 2019, Bronze Award
◎ A’Design Award 2020, Platinum
◎ Singapore Good Design Award 2020, Product
◎ Good Design Award 2020, Product

21

Kenny Li Cheongsam Capsule Series

FAVE BY KENNY LI
H303

Inspired by the stained-glass windows of Western art-style churches in the 17th century and traditional Chinese clothing, this series of unique cheongsam is 100% hand-stitched and made with silk printed fabric technology and traditional craftsmanship of cloisonne and filigree inlay art.

◎ Shenzhen Global Design Award 2019 – Bronze
◎ HKDA GDA 2019 – Winners HK Best
◎ HKDA GDA 2019 – Winners Bronze

22

MTR board game

People on board
H304

Through this special board game, children are encouraged to develop a good sense of railway safety and courteous passenger behaviour by moving their train pieces to different MTR stations for missions.

◎ DFA Design for Asia award- Merit
◎ IDA Design Award Gold award
◎ Muse design award
◎ German design award (Product )

23

EX!! cupholder

Rcube Store
H408

This cup holder can be secured at your home, office desk or even baby stroller. Now no need to worry about liquid splashing all over your documents or computer.

◎ Hong Kong Smart Design Award

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OTHER TENANTS SHOWCASE

AaaM
Architects

The PERISCOPING Series
◎ Sky Design Awards 2019 – Shortlist

GAME OF LIGHT
◎ K-Design Award 2019 – Winner

LIGHT BOTTLE PYRAMID & URBAN LIGHTING SWIRL
◎ Singapore Good Design 2020 – Interior Design Winner

“RE” FLOATING THE PLASTIC
◎ Singapore Good Design 2020 – Interior Design Winner

GAME OF LIGHT
◎ Successful Design Awards 2019-2020

Cuddle Bubble
◎ Successful Design Awards 2019-2020

REDISCOVERING LANDSCAPE INSTALLATION TRILOGY
◎ Iconic Awards 2020 – Innovative Architecture Selection

Fabric Christmas Wonderland
◎ K-Design Award 2020 – Winner

Brinc
S701

Venture Capital
◎ People’s Choice VC Award

cocoon
architecture ltd.
S604

theDesk
◎ Good Design Award 2019
◎ A’ Design Award and Competition 2018 – Silver Design Award winner in 2017-2018 Interior Space and Exhibition Design Award Category
◎ Design for Asia Award 2017 – Merit Award

Eravolution
S401

Zpine Chair
◎ A&D Trophy Awards 2014 – Green Product
(Best in Category, Best of the Best)
◎ A&D Trophy Awards 2014 – Furniture
(Best in Category, Best of the Best)
Product Design
◎ 40 Under 40 Award 2015
Adjunct Lecturer
◎ HKDA Global Design Award 2016 – Best Design Educator

Loom Loop
S205

Chinese Knot
◎ IDA Design Awards 2018 – Bronze Award
Knot-Kleid
◎ German Design Award 2018 – Excellent Product Design in Lifestyle and Fashion

People on board
H304

The World Rescue
◎ German Design Award 2021 – Special Mention
◎ K-Design Award 2019 – Grand Prize

◎ Muse Design Award 2020 – Gold Winner
The Legend of Cheung PO Tsai 2
◎ Asia Design Prize 2020 – Gold Winner
Ding Ding-HK Tramways Board Game
◎ IDA Design Award 2019 – Silver Award

Rcube Store
H408

Kaleido Torch and Night Light
◎ K-Design Award 2015
◎ Hong Kong Smart Design Award 2016 – Silver in Gifts for Workplace
Ball Desktop Mirror
◎ Hong Kong Smart Design Award 2017 – Merit in Bathroom & Personal Care
BalloonDock
◎ Hong Kong Smart Design Award 2018 – Silver in Corporate Gifts and Judge Award

◎ Asia Design Prize 2018
RulerDOck
◎ Asia Design Prize 2018
DOT PET LAUNCHER
◎ Hong Kong Smart Design Award 2017 – Gold in Gifts for Leisure and Recreation
STAND
◎ Hong Kong Smart Design Award 2020 – Gold in Gifts for Workplace
◎ Golden Pin Design 2020

SUN＝SEN
S411

We don’t make fast food
◎ Vogue Talents 2019

Hong Kong Oapes
H310

Silver Mid-Autumn Lantern Jewelry Collection
◎ Hong Kong Smart Design Award 2014 – Gold in Consumer Gifts: Occasional Gifts

Yeung Chin
H406

Indigo Rain
◎ Hong Kong Fashion Trophies Designer of the Year 2017 Womenswear

Eyepopper
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Mils Bow Tie
◎ Hong Kong Smart Design Award 2016 – Merit in Personal Accessory Gifts

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- Introduction
- We Grow with PMQ
- The Path Of Growth
- Cultivation of Creativity
- Introduction
Between
INSPIRATION &
NURTURING

Between INSPIRATION & NURTURING

Apart from daily business operations, PMQ also serves as a place to cultivate creativity for people who pursue their dreams.
For the past seven years, PMQ, with its unique operation and atmosphere, has been giving an opportunity for a faction of young creative talents to absorb, transform and grow. They have been exposed to the market and to the world in a stable and comfortable environment where they have opportunities to implement their ideas and move towards their dreams. Together with a wide range of overseas events and support programmes, PMQ has brought local brands to the international stage and made Hong Kong designs recognisable to global audiences. Moreover, a series of PMQ Seed education programmes have been launched to nourish the creative minds of children and teenagers, leading to an eventual dynamic innovation within the city.
Creating and starting up a business are never easy. PMQ is the soil to cultivate creativity for more wonderful ideas to blossom in our city.

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We Grow With PMQ

Everyone has different dreams, so as the paths to realise them.
Edmund, the co-founder of Bathe to Basics, a handmade natural skincare brand, and Erick, the founder and creative director of the design brand Glue Associates, have stationed in PMQ as their base to pursue and realise their dreams since its establishment. With shops adjacent to each other, they have grown together with PMQ and experienced various twists and turns in their careers for the past seven years. They followed PMQ to explore overseas markets and adjusted the pace of developing their brands by adapting to the environment. To summarize their growth at PMQ according to Edmund, PMQ is a big tree for them to absorb nutrients and achieve a better self. And if you were lucky enough, you can meet fellows here like them who learn and appreciate each other.

About Dreams —
Between Career and Dream

Edmund:

Some people say that you should set a high standard to achieve your dreams. If it’s hard to pursue, it can be a motivation.
Since I studied design, I have realised that design is powerful. It’s not only the designer’s products that you consume, but also the ideology behind it. So, designers have the responsibility to convey correct messaging to consumers. I later had an opportunity to start up my own brand, and infused my thoughts of endorsing natural, environmental friendly, and simple style into it.

Erick:

For me, a dream is an imaginative scene of the future life that I look forward to, for which I will pursue the related elements. And dreams change along with time. When you were young, it might be idealistic. For now, it is more about striving for a balance between dreams and reality as well as ideas of vitalizing life.

Edmund:

We named the brand Bathe to Basics as this name conveys the meaning of returning to the basics. The lifestyle of modern people is way too complicated. It is better to make it simple. Compared with other brands on the market which are fancier or scientific-research based, we strive to present the idea of returning to the basics through our packaging and ingredients. We use natural plant-based oils and essential oils, and make simple products with the simplest ingredients.

Erick:

People often mistake our shop as a select shop, but actually over 80% of our products are designed and produced by ourselves. Glue Associates is a lifestyle shop curated by us. We hope that our different products can be befitting to everyone’s lifestyles, and to fill the missing parts in their lives. I’m going to increase the proportion of our own products in the future, and want to collaborate with premium brands at the same time to launch some exclusive products, so that everyone can have a unique experience when visiting our shop.

Edmund Ip — Left / Erick Sze — Right

Station at PMQ and Grow by Practices

Erick:

I was stationed at the InnoCentre in 2012 and engaged in design-related services. PMQ held a seminar there and it was very casual that everyone was listening while having some snacks. To be honest, I wasn’t really interested at the first place as I focused more on service design. But my working partner wanted to get into the retail business, so we rented the shop at PMQ together. Later, he decided to withdraw due to personal reasons. Since then, I have been running the entire shop by myself and it has gradually expanded to two shops now.
I mainly sold the products that I designed for other customers when I first started up. I later saw lots of people shopping at PMQ, especially travellers and residents from the Central district. Since then, I gradually launched my own products targeting travellers. I participated in PMQ Select’s pop-up store in Japan a few years ago and found that our products were unexpectedly well-received by the local Japanese. All these experiences helped me to have a clear picture on the preferences of Western and Japanese customers, and guided me to transform gradually from service design to product design. All these were in tune with my pursuit of originality.
We were the first group of designers entering PMQ as our contract with the InnoCentre expired right at that time. PMQ made an exception for us so that we could move in earlier and there were also Wi-Fi devices for rental. The whole site was still under renovation back then, and we were the only shop opened here. Visitors often misidentified us as the information centre and came in for enquiry.

Edmund:

In fact, we were also the first group stationed here!
This year celebrates the brand’s 10th anniversary. My working partner and I had skin problems but we couldn’t find any naturally-made soap which was functional and ingredient-conscious in Hong Kong. Then, we started to make our own soap. We first sold our soaps at farmer markets as well as online platforms, then later we saw the recruitment of PMQ on social media. Honestly, we struggled with the thought of handling a physical shop, but we finally decided to give it a try. As a designer, I also sold some of my own design products and operated in the form of a select shop.
I think we had different expectations on PMQ at the beginning and tried to walk a fine line between retail and design. The turning point was the split with my working partner in 2015. I needed to fill the shop with more home-made products, and this forced me to further contemplate my position in PMQ so as to refine my brand.
Unlike farmer markets or online shops in the past, a physical shop allows customers to locate you in a fixed place, so that you can establish a long-term relationship with them more easily. We can adjust our products according to their feedback and comments, so that they will love our products even more. This is an interactive process, and it’s what I like about PMQ.

Erick:

The advantage of PMQ is that it attracts a wide range of customers. Travellers from different places might have various preferences, but you can still attract a certain group of them as long as you possess a unique style. We all know that the retail environment has become very difficult in recent years. There are no travellers and we’re forced to localize our design and operations. Problem-solving is very important to operations.
I have been multi-tasking for a long time working on product design, production, product display, and serving customers. It’s actually very tiring. I also have to handle marketing and the online shop recently, and I need to take photos, make product videos, and learn about online marketing strategies. I’m especially impressed by Edmund because of this! His shop is next to mine and I saw how he shot videos earlier. He is very professional and he always keeps up with the trends and tries new things.

Edmund:

We’re actually growing together with PMQ. This place is more than a shopping mall and we are not simply a shop as well. Bathe to Basics is a showroom and we have many plants here to offer a complete brand image to customers. Other retailers can also know about us through PMQ and buy our products for sale. Erick once said that high flow of visitors might not be a beneficial factor to us. When there are fewer people, customers will be able to spend more time learning about the brands and products. His insight has really inspired me.

Erick:

PMQ is indeed not very commercial-like and the environment here is very comfy for us to concentrate more on our own affairs. Of course, the support offered did help lift the financial pressure. PMQ is one of the few places for business start-ups in Hong Kong. The higher living expenses of a location, the higher the cost of starting a business. But PMQ has provided a supporting foundation and a comfortable environment for business start-ups like Taiwan.

Edmund:

There is no MTR station nor a convenient parking facility nearby and there are both pros and cons. Those who come and visit us show their genuine interest in knowing about us. Many travellers love this place very much because they can find the real “Hong Kong”. It’s different from visiting those shopping malls alike and some even said that they could spend a few
days here!

Besides lifestyle products, Glue Associates also launched its garment and accessory series in recent years

Bathe to Basics launched series of limited quantity skincare products featuring natural and environmental-friendly

Mutual Support with Unforgettable Memories

Erick:

I’m impressed by the attractive festive promotion events here. A few years ago, during the Lunar New Year celebration for the Year of Goat, I could see the golden goat art piece from my shop. I just felt like “Wow, it’s so beautiful!” and I’m very happy to be surrounded by such an artistic atmosphere.

Edmund:

Erick just mentioned the experience of joining overseas exhibitions, and it was also very unforgettable for me. I never imagined entering the overseas market just by myself, and PMQ helped us liaise with different parties and expand our markets. Hong Kong is a gateway to the world and there are many travellers visiting PMQ. These activities enabled us to know about their thoughts on us. We broadened our horizon and there were also impacts on our designs. I realised that preserving local elements is important to our brand. So, after I came back, I launched lip balms with local flavours such as Gardenia and Osmanthus. I have been collaborating with brands I met at the exhibitions.

Erick:

I spent a lot of time with Edmund when we took part in the overseas exhibitions. We shared similar ideas and thus became closer with each other. We’ve also joined hands to open a shop earlier.

Edmund:

We both now rent the verandah outside our shop at PMQ as we hope people can take a seat comfortably and extend the atmosphere of our shops to outside for a homey feeling. My shop is next to Erick’s, so we will help coordinate with each other when decorating.
Many neighbouring designers in PMQ are close to each other. Perhaps it’s a continuation of the community spirit of the former police married quarters.

Erick:

PMQ is a supporting friend to us. PMQ has brought us to overseas exhibitions and provided a lot of support in the difficult time during the pandemic.

Edmund:

PMQ is a big tree with its tree shade like a shield to protect us at all times. We extract nutrients from it, while it shelters us from the wind and rain. We have made contributions that shape the PMQ now – we are the DNA closely linked to
each other.

EDMUND IP
Co-founder of Bathe to Basics

Designer Edmund Ip founded Bathe to Basics, a natural organic skincare brand, and stationed at PMQ since 2014. As the co-founder of the brand, he launched a series of skincare products in limited quantities which are natural and environmental-friendly to accommodate different skincare needs. Obsessed with fragrance, Edmund also introduced various scents for the products to offer a one-of-a-kind experience.

ERICK SZE
Founder & Creative Director of Glue Associates

Designer Erick Sze is the founder and creative director of design brand Glue Associates. Stationed at PMQ since 2014, the brand started as a lifestyle shop and later developed into an integrated shop with a diversity of products focusing on designs by the brand. The in-store workshops offer a one-stop service embracing design, production and retailing, service also includes the launch of garments products, accessories as well as crossover products with local and overseas brands. In 2020, the brand launched the apparel label Incense Harbour.

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The Path of Growth

Design is a journey for us to gain different experiences and it grows amidst failures and successes. Cultivating young entrepreneurs is one of the core concepts of PMQ. It has gathered the enthusiastic young designers and entrepreneurs to fulfill their dreams and strive for the best.

CHAILIE HO
Founder

Chailie Ho and Jade in Style
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“You must persist in pursuing your dreams. To be honest, my start-up path was not a smooth one. If I hadn’t settled in PMQ in the first place, I wouldn’t be able to continue. I was glad that PMQ provided me with a stable retail outlet. After settling down in a suitable place, the development of my brand gradually improved. The most incredible part of being in PMQ is that it enables me to understand how the industry works in a stable environment, and provides me with a space to think about ‘what I really want to do’. My brand has been through a lot of changes over the years. I first made clothes and accessories and exhibited in trade shows, then I held exhibitions and launched a second line of jade fashion jewellery. All the designs represent my belief of fashion being an aesthetic pursuit. If you adapt to the tastes of others for making money, the outcome is not fashion but just clothes. I have a deep sentiment on PMQ because it’s a place that keeps spurring me to grow up.”

ARIES SIN
Founder

MODEMENT
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“To pursue dreams, you must be prepared for the ups and downs. I opened my shop in PMQ in 2017 and it was a major milestone for my brand. We always want to launch sustainable, gender-neutral fashions through quality craftsmanship and creating clothes that talk. We’re different from general retail stores which focus on sales only. My shop in PMQ is a combination of retail shop, showroom, and studio. It’s a place for everyone to know about my brand concept and for enriching the brand experiences. PMQ is not simply a retail outlet, it allows me to present my artistic ideas in different ways. Besides changing the display themes of my shop from time to time, my participation in various PMQ’s activities such as SHIBUKARU MATSURI by PARCO, Re-edit exhibition, and deTour also allowed me to make different attempts in art creation. Among them, SHIBUKARU MATSURI was particularly impressive. Its theme of supporting female designers corresponded with my concept of pursuing freedom and gender equality. These opportunities could only happen in PMQ. I also particularly appreciate PMQ for being willing to communicate openly with tenants and giving us a helping hand in difficult times.”

FELIX
Founder

POMCH
S204

“The concept behind POMCH is to introduce the production process in a retail environment so that customers can understand and participate in the production process behind-the-scenes. This is also the reason why we are here at PMQ. In Hong Kong, PMQ is the only place to have this kind of business model which combines workshop and retail. Our brand grows together with PMQ indeed. The mentorship at the very beginning and regular business reviews all gave us plenty of suggestions for brand development. PMQ also took us to overseas exhibitions and we gained a lot of media exposure too with its support on public communication. Many organizations have invited us for collaborations after knowing us at PMQ. We have tried to open shops in other places, but our relationship with PMQ is the longest. This is possibly because PMQ’s positioning and customer base fit us best. I would describe PMQ as a guardian for young designers, setting you free to go ahead while guarding you at the back.”

PINKY WONG
Founder

The Little Finger
H206

“I would use the word ‘unexpected’ to describe my days at PMQ. I chose PMQ because of its advantages in space and location. They offered me a studio and a retail outlet at the same time. As a guide in brand design, PMQ always led me to a world that I had never been before. Designers always concentrate on their own creations and it’s not easy to strike a balance between design and business when managing a brand. PMQ has been dedicated in running this site to attract travellers as well as locals who love design and art. Getting in touch with the target customers can accelerate the development of the brand. PMQ also took us to many large-scale overseas trade shows and pop-up stores, and I started to realise that I could operate a local brand with an international vision. Over the years, my stories and friendships with our customers at PMQ are the sources of inspiration, and gives me the strength to support my ongoing creations.”

NICK GU
Co-Founder & Designer

EONE TIMEPIECES
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“Eone mainly designs for the disadvantaged groups as the concept of caring is the starting point of our designs. We definitely encountered uncertainty in ourselves when realising our dreams. We wondered if we should popularise our design to suit the public taste. But finally, we should find our own path and that’s why persistence is absolutely essential. The customers we met at PMQ are our biggest motivation to keep going. The recognition from them is more encouraging than making money or winning prizes. Here, we can have real communication with other tenants and designers while supporting each other. This sense of belonging and cohesion are in no way comparable to ordinary commercial buildings. I also thank PMQ for its support all the time.”

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Cultivation of Creativity

Creativity is a seed with power that can change, and even rock the world.
As society continues to develop, technology infiltrates and changes our lives. Creativity and human-centric mindset become increasingly essential. If we could plant a creative seed in our children and cultivate their creativity from a young age, it will have an important and positive impact on the growth and social development in the future.
With this belief, PMQ Seed — a creative summer programme for children, starting from 2018, has collaborated with various local creative parties and education organisations. When organising a series of education programmes, workshops and exhibitions, we took design thinking at an early age as the foundation and a crossdisciplinary learning as the key feature. Together with a playful approach as the teaching guideline, we enriched their childhood with creative designs.
With years of effort, we have brought laughter to the community and also the human spirit piloted by a team of coordinating units and over 30 designers that help to bring a way of thinking on the past and the future through the eyes of the children.
How can we enhance the creativity of the entire society? The best way is to plant creative seeds in kids at an early stage to make design thinking become the nutrient for elevating a creative energy in society. Since 2018, the PMQ Seed team has been working hard to integrate design thinking into kids’ education. Bringing together the educational stakeholders and a group of passionate peers, we have organized an annual programme with themes suitable for kids’ development to bring a series of creative and playful experiences for the kids.

A Journey of Learn Each Other

During the growth journey, the first year of the PMQ Seed Programme started from scratch to cultivate the creative foundation based on an experimental spirit. The kids who attended the summer camps mastered a basic concept of design thinking and activated their innate creativity in games. With the experience and observation in the first year, the programme in the following year was based on IDEO’s book Creative and Self- Confidence to encourage kids to think and have the courage to express themselves. During the practices and trials in teamwork, they could achieve creative autonomy. “We emphasised the mentorship in which kids could express themselves during the daily briefings. It’s not one-way teaching but an approach to escape from the usual classes in school,” said Iris Chow, the Director of Branding & Development at PMQ.
On this basis, the third year of PMQ Seed set with the theme of “empathy” to highlight the spirit of people-oriented design. With different role-playing activities to let students experience the importance of “put yourself in other people’s shoes” and also lead the students to understand more about themselves. The spirit of empathy also infused into the PMQ Seed team and designers. This year, we added the BEING BEINGS Train the Trainer Workshop and invited the Hong Kong Design Institute to teach design thinking to school teachers in a 3-week programme. We also arranged clinical psychology therapists to explain children’s psychology and empathy, and a programmer to lead an online teaching course to support the design and education team’s skills on children education. The curriculum was more in-depth to fit the educational needs for kids.
The sooner the better. It is crucial to cultivate creative seeds at an early stage. PMQ Seed has teamed up with Little Green Feet to hold a brand-new BEING BEINGS Mini-camp designed for kids aged five to eight and their parents. Taking picture books as the medium, the camp encouraged kids to learn more about ‘empathy’. The onward campaign in 2021 would also continue to deepen the theme of empathy to extend their thinking to the concerns of the Earth and nature.

Multi-disciplinary of Empathy

Iris described that it was a valuable experience to bring together a group of enthusiastic peers and teams under the PMQ Seed Programme. It was a chance for us to help the kids foster empathy and understand their thoughts and emotions. It was also important that the kids were willing to learn and improve, as well as to solve problems and adjust their mindset when facing endless challenges.
“We’ve been learning every day during these years. People often think that we teach the kids, but in fact, we are learning from them. Education cannot be quantified and the kids are born with imaginations and creativity. Our role is to accompany them to find a suitable path for them.”
It is hard to find a partner along the journey. In a series of crossdisciplinary co-creation, kids, the schools, teachers, parents and the creative design team have grown up along the path. “Service and communication are the aims of design. Some designers learned how to communicate with the public in a language that even kids could understand and also put this thinking in future design. Some schools even continue to invite the participating designers to organise workshops after our programme.”
“Many people think that creativity is only something that we learn in visual arts classes. In fact, creativity can be applied in any course or even interdisciplinary applications. Apart from kids, PMQ Seed also hopes to further deepen its impact by nurturing designers, teachers and parents to pass on their knowledge to the kids.”

* This programme is sponsored by Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Wonder, Open-minded & Create

2018

WOW Summer

Taking the themes of “Wonder”, “Open-minded” and “Create”, the WOW Summer Camp for primary and secondary students stimulated their innate creativity through games. Their final creative works were displayed in the exhibition as well.

“On the journey of growth, kids need companion to find confidence and fun in exploring the future and the unknown.”

— kevin siu／Co-founder of AaaM Architects & assistant profession of a tertiary institute

Cultivate Creativity & Confidence

2019

YES KIDS CAN

Themed “Creativity Confidence” with STEM elements, this programme invited designers, artist, programming and multimedia engineers, makers and musicians as the tutors and launched the new “School Outreach” for students to complete the creative mission in the community.

“These thoughts could be Imaginative, but it’s important on how to guide them to implement their thoughts. ”

— kathier choi hing ling／Former Vice Principal of Tin Shui Wai Methodist Primary School

“Design and architecture are not only about money and profits. I hope that children would design because they’re empathetic to help other people.”

— bong yeung／Design Principal of Littleurbanmountain

Learn about Empathy

2020

BEING BEINGS

A series programmes based on the theme of “empathy” included the online BEING BEINGS Creative Camp, BEING BEINGS Minicamp for kids, the multi-disciplinary Train the Trainer Workshop as well as the creative and lively picture book exhibition.

BEING With You Picture Book Exhibition presented our life in eight different stages. With over 150 picture books, the audiences learn how to understand themselves and think about the people around. This exhibition touched the audiences’ hearts.

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- Introduction
- Creation is an Experiment
- Curators’ Voice Review of Design Exhibition Highlights
- Creators’ Words
- Introduction
Between
EXPERIMENT AND
PRACTICE

Between EXPERIMENT AND PRACTICE

An experiment, with its many trials and errors, is a way to pursue advancement and perfection by constantly putting methods or concepts to practice and questioning one’s art.

An experiment cannot be accomplished in just one go. It can only happen whenever you have changes, time, and resources. deTour is an annual flagship design festival at PMQ. In conjunction with various design exhibitions, events, and workshops, it aims to promote and refine creative experiments. Designers and public audiences can expose themselves to new designs and social issues, and they can also exchange ideas and take action to practise. Through continuous experiments and amendments, they can gradually work out an ideal design blueprint.

PMQ provides an environment as an open experimental platform to foster dialogues and opportunities to create good designs.

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Creation is an Experiment

Since 2014, PMQ has officially become the organiser and the venue of deTour. As the most significant annual design event in Hong Kong, deTour seems to be a borderless and cross-disciplinary creative laboratory which provides a platform for local and overseas creative design talents to refine ideas and present their works. Through a series of exhibitions, workshops, dialogues, debates, and industry events, PMQ links local and overseas design communities in deTour and makes itself a stage for engaging the industry and public to participate, exchange ideas, and deepen their knowledge in design.
A series of creative experiments have revealed the insights and the expectations of the PMQ team and curators on Hong Kong design. Shin Wong, the mastermind of deTour, has been involved in organising this event for many years. Michael Leung and Trilingua Design made their debuts as curators to bring unique interpretations in deTour in 2019 and 2020, respectively. With multiple roles as curators, designers and creators, what are their thoughts about deTour and the relationship between the PMQ events and the development of creative design in Hong Kong?

The Past and
Present of deTour

Shin:

I have been the curator of PMQ since 2015, and therefore involved in different projects including deTour, Smart Fashion Runway, and various independent projects. I’m glad that we’ve started the alliance since 2019 to invite curators to join us. We have Michael first, then Adonian and Chris from Trilingua Design. We want to continue this practice, and look forward to having more curation talents who are interested in joining us.
PMQ is a platform which connects people from different design sectors. My job is to coordinate different participants and help them present their efforts and design ideas. It can be a conceptual design, a product or an innovative design and we hope that more audiences in Greater China can get in touch with us and collaborate with us through the platform of PMQ.
deTour means “design tour”. You might remember that in the deTour once organised by the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design (now named Design Trust), was an ad-hoc festive event held in a nomadic way for several days at different interesting sites in Hong Kong such as Wan Chai Police Station, Victoria Prison, PMQ before its revitalisation, and even took place on a tram. Such a way shaped deTour as an organic and creative event. When PMQ became a landmark in 2014, William (William To, the Executive Director of PMQ) and Victor (Victor Tsang, the former Executive Director of PMQ) believed that PMQ should be the permanent venue of deTour. The lack of resources and space had been the biggest problems for curating events in Hong Kong. Furthermore, there was no large-scale local design event in Hong Kong other than deTour. Since 2014, with the funding support from Create Hong Kong, PMQ has become the official site and organiser of deTour.

Michael:

I was involved in the deTour held on a tram in 2013, and ever after I was just a visitor. In the past, deTour was a mix of art and design. But in recent years, it has changed its focus mainly on design. It’s a good move as Hong Kong was lacking regular large-scale design events. deTour has the potential to develop on a scale like Dutch Design Week. In Europe or Japan, Design Week has always been the channel for everyone to understand the level and positioning of local design.
I’ve been thinking about how we can create a healthier city through design. The topic of deTour 2019 was about heritage, which looked into the mutual influence between “new” and “old” during the creation process. By understanding the definition of “new” and also the design traditions of Hong Kong, the development of the entire design sector can be accelerated.

Chris Tsui — Left / Michael Leung — Middle / Adonian Chan — Right

The Witness of Growth

Adonian:

My first experience was deTour 2010 at Victoria Prison. It took you to unknown places in the city or locations that you seldom visited, and it was very exciting. deTour is fun because it’s ever-changing. Its relationship with the city is also fascinating. It has matured with Hong Kong over the past decade.
The first time I officially participated in deTour was in 2015 when Shin was the chief curator. She knew that I was researching Beiwei Calligraphy and Type Design, so she invited me to do a poster exhibition. But giving it some thought, I wanted to create an installation instead. deTour was awesome in that participants could constantly ask questions and make suggestions. Untitled Speech was my final work, and it’s an installation combining fonts and sounds. It was an experiment I’ve never tried before, and deTour is a platform for us to try. It required mutual trust.

Shin:

A successful platform always results in discovering. deTour works with different international organisations every year, but promoting local talents has always been our focus. We provided an opportunity to Tommy Fung (from Surreal HK) to hold his first physical exhibition, and we also discovered talented designers including LAAB, Trilingua Design, AaaM Architects and more. Many of them got invited for commissioned works soon after participating in deTour. In 2017, there were many new faces such as the architectural firm Bloom, and they were all very young.
After showcasing their LED installations in deTour, they received many invitation inquiries and gained much attention. Japanese design studio Whatever collaborated with deTour 2020 to create the art installation FLOCK which was later adopted as the main visual element in the concert of a famous Taiwanese band.
deTour is a platform allowing designers to present large-scale individual works so that potential clients and audiences can discover their names and works. By involving in deTour, they will also get opportunities to promote their brands with the help of professional PR companies. We’re happy to see that the number of visitors in the previous deTour was about 60,000 in a ten-day period, and it surged to the peak of 120,000 in 2018 after we took over.
deTour has shouldered a great responsibility but the glory is not all on us. The reason is that we don’t have other design festivals here. Hong Kong design is indeed strong, and it does have the potential to be qualified on the global stage. William and I always want to promote deTour overseas, like bringing deTour to Milan or other significant design weeks. This is one of our dreams.

Shin Wong — Middle

Experiment is the Cultivation

Chris:

deTour has the other meaning of a roundabout route. When we walk around in the city sometimes, we don’t have to take the quickest path. It’s actually quite fun wandering around and exploring without purpose. We can have a better understanding of the creation and discover the relationship between the work and space. Since deTour has been held at PMQ, its style and space have been shaped, but at the same time we also retained the walking-around element. I particularly like the deTour in 2019 curated by Michael which used the remains of the Central School as the exhibition space. The implementation process was challenging as it involved a lot of decision-making by various government departments. Yet, this experiment was a chance for the public to discover the possibility to look at historical sites from a new perspective. That’s extraordinary. We often say that deTour is a trial ground for experiments, and we can implement our ideas here.
Design is closely related to workshops, research, and experimental developments. Many great interactive works overseas are the result of integration with engineering. It’s not true that Hong Kong designers don’t have this ability, but there is no platform or opportunity for them to try. Therefore, deTour is also a mechanism especially developed for designers to practice some of their long-standing ideas with the provision of resources and funding. Creation is a process with continuous tests and evaluation, and this may be the most valuable part of deTour.

Adonian:

I can say that these are the extensions of the theme “Trial & Error” of deTour 2018. The ending of deTour every year is another extension. A failure once doesn’t mean a failure forever, because the goal lies in the future.
The uniqueness of deTour is its different position from other trade shows. Commercial connections are certainly important, but deTour pays more attention to the role of “cultivation” to provide crucial trial opportunities to the young designer.

Heliocentric Spiral, Keith Lam, deTour 2017

Shin:

I set the theme “Trial & Error” for deTour 2018 not only because creation is a constant trial and error process, but the theme also represents the concept and form of deTour. For us, the process and ideas are more important than the outcomes. deTour has always presented ideas or prototypes. This is a seed project that allows everyone to sow the seeds of ideas. If the idea succeeds, it can be produced by a better manufacturer in the future. Even if it fails, designers would know how to excel next time. Designers can also understand other people’s thoughts on their works through deTour, and I think that’s very important.

Adonian:

Apart from participating in exhibitions, we also worked on the main visual design for deTour 2016. The theme was “Game Changer” that year and it was really fun. We designed a table tennis table as the main visual symbol, as well as the on-site table tennis installation which allowed everyone to experience the theme while playing. In deTour, we won’t be refrained by the existing roles. We’re not only the service providers, but we also generate new ideas through interactions in the project.

Chris:

The table tennis table of “Game Changer” provided a new perspective by changing the playing rules of this sport. The insight taken from this process led us to rethink sports, and also affected our design concepts for the Kai Yip Recreation Centre project later. For participants, design units and curators, deTour is a starting point which allows us to cultivate more new ideas.

Trial & Error, deTour 2018

The Experiments on Curation

Adonian:

We worked in different positions before, so when we curated the event in 2020, we tried to start from the perspective of “what do designers need when experimenting” and arranged a schedule with relatively sufficient time and resources to help them complete their works.

Michael:

The common curation approach is to observe the current ways of creation, and then come up with a theme depicting the present situation. It’s advanced, yet it’s limited by the existing creation situation to a large extent. deTour is interesting because it’s theme-based, and everyone creates works based on the theme. It’s a brainstorming moment every year. Design is often based on clients’ requirements. Perhaps, there are some small breakthroughs throughout the process that challenge the current practices, but there is very little space for creation from scratch. That’s why deTour is also the “roundabout of mind” every year.

Shin:

When we took over the event, deTour was operated in a relatively organic mode. Today, it has started to establish a clearer operation mode. If possible, I would like to keep the organic aspect. When people try to respond to the theme, it’s not good to have too many limitations or procedures. It’s a challenge on how to continue deTour’s organic and improvising spirit at the early stage under certain guidelines.
We also hope to strengthen the connection between deTour and the community, making it a platform for dialogue between people of different ages and classes. For example, Craig Au Yeung led a team to learn about the food culture in Central. It’s also a challenge for the curators on how to extend to a certain type of audience every year.

Michael:

It’s essential to know how to strike a balance between drawing attention to present our intentions, and pushing the boundaries of design.

Game Changer, deTour 2016

Broaden the Future Possibilities

Shin:

For the future of deTour; frankly speaking we need funding to make deTour better. We also need talents to join in. In the past two years, Curator’s Choice (deTour’s main programme) presented a fine standard of academic contents and visual quality. The future selection process will be stricter. Especially when funding is limited, we can only choose the finest ones. It’s fair as the entire selection process is open to everyone and there are strict procedures for ensuring equal opportunity.

Michael:

It’s not easy to find participants with high-quality works. As a curator, apart from inviting design applicants, we also need to assist them to continue the creation process, build up confidence, and deliver something they have never experienced before.

Shin:

Finding a venue was the biggest challenge of every deTour in the past. PMQ now provides the venue for deTour to continue its development and growth. Without the trust and freedom from PMQ for the curation team, deTour wouldn’t succeed today. Freedom to create is crucial!

Michael:

Without PMQ, there would be no deTour. Actually, PMQ also needs deTour.

Adonian:

The early preparation stage for deTour 2020 was amid the pandemic. I remembered that someone left a message on social media saying “why should we discuss design at this time?”. It’s obvious that some people still have misunderstandings about design. They probably think that design was about being unique and it’s something impractical. That’s why our roles are important as we have to know how to deepen the public’s understanding of design.
In 2020, we took “Matter of Life” as the theme because design has a profound impact on living and life. From a tiny screw to the entire urban planning, they are all about design. Bad design will waste your life — If the road isn’t well designed, there’ll be traffic jams every day. Through “Matter of Life”, we hope to bring out the essence of design.
PMQ is one of the few organisations that focus on introducing design to the general public. Design is not just what you see, but more importantly the way you think. The big reshuffle under the pandemic enables a process for rethinking and deepening our minds. PMQ is an open door to welcome events of various levels. The first level could be about lifestyle, something that can be easily consumed and accessed. Then it comes to the design logic and mindset. PMQ can take the lead in doing this and promote a design renaissance.

Chris:

PMQ adopts a relaxing way to talk about design, making it easier for the public to accept. The strength of PMQ is that it has easy access to the public. Besides the rigid design theories, you can also find interesting experiences here, like deTour and many workshops. In 2020, a workshop used hardware materials such as branches and screws to design tools, perfectly combining design and fun elements. Introducing design to the public via a softer approach is exactly another strength of PMQ.

Michael:

PMQ lets Hong Kong designers survive by selling their works or providing design services to them. As a creative landmark, it helps to make these things happen. In the long run, PMQ will continue to advance and broaden the design possibilities, and reconnect us to the post-pandemic world.

shin wong

A curator and creative influencer, Shin Wong has an eccentric professional background and eclectic experience in the entertainment, creative and arts industries for over 15 years. She is an expert in creative and conceptual thinking, artist liaison, curatorship and arts management. Since 2015, Shin has been the mastermind behind deTour, an annual flagship design festival in Hong Kong organised by PMQ and sponsored by CreateHK. The festival has drawn total traffic of over 600,000 visitors to its Soho site between 2015 and 2019.
Other notable exhibitions and creative projects curated by Shin include The Way You Look by Yamaguchi Soichi, Unparalleled Madness by Wang Qingsong, It is NOW by Tom Binns, PEDDERZINE Uncatalogued by JOYCE, Born To Be A Witness by G Cheuk, PMQ’s Smart Fashion Runway I & II and many more.

michael leung

Founder of Studio AA, Michael Leung is now based in Hong Kong after completing his IM Master Course at Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
He explores different aspects of design from crafts and industry to design system and sustainability, spanning across the scopes of 2D, spaces, and exhibitions. His works have been showcased in Milan and Dutch Design Week, DMY Berlin and Vitra Design Museum. He has won the DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award and Perspective’s 40 Under 40 Awards, and he is also the co-founder of MOLTON, Hong Kong Department Store and MOON Laboratory.

trilingua design

Trilingua Design is a multidisciplinary design studio, established by Adonian Chan and Chris Tsui in 2010. Its design services include branding, visual identity, website design, publication design, exhibition design, and spatial design. They are also the curator of deTour 2020.

The typeface design of Hong Kong Beiwei Zansyu is its ongoing, self-initiated project to document and research Hong Kong’s visual culture. To Trilingua Design, graphic designers are “visual culture participators”. They hope to build the foundation for Hong Kong’s design through active research and conversations on Hong Kong’s aesthetics.

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In addition to the annual design festival deTour, PMQ also maintained a close connection with the creative communities to organise in-depth exhibitions. It covers a wide range of topics by joining hands with renowned curators to enrich the exchange of creative issues on both local and regional scales. These significant exhibitions and events became highlighted events in the city that further express and communicate the creativities of this city. Which ones impressed you most?

BENNY AU
Graphic Designer & Curator

Here is Zine. Here is Hong Kong, 2016

Hanzi Exhibition, 2018

“I always want to bring good designs to the public through well-curated exhibitions. The two exhibitions, Here is Zine. Here is Hong Kong and Hanzi Exhibition, curated at PMQ were the extension of this intention. I believe that a good exhibition is not merely showcasing works, but also the participation and interaction of the audiences which lead to a deeper understanding of the exhibition’s purpose and content.

Every curation is a new challenge to me. It’s closely linked to the essence and how it is presented. In Here is Zine. Here is Hong Kong, I kept in mind that the works are the highlights while the display area could be unconventional. Wooden stacks were used to construct a mobile display platform in various heights. Viewers could focus on the works under the lighting in the dark to appreciate and read in different postures naturally. And in the Hanzi Exhibition, I regard the works as music notes. We decorated the venue like the way a jazz musician improvised and we changed the locations of posters every week. It relied on the support from the PMQ team and the flexible space of the QUBE and its well-equipped facilities that made all these attempts possible.

As one of the reviewers on PMQ’s tenants, I always reflect upon the image of PMQ during the screening process. For me, PMQ is a versatile site composed of retails, large-scale exhibitions and various events. It’s like a complete source of nutrients that nurture the creativity of public audiences.

Here is Zine, Here is Hong Kong | 2016

Zine is a hip synonym in recent years for independent and self-publishing. It is also a medium for urban observation and the expression of the author. As a response to this unique Zine culture, PMQ brought the renowned Japanese Here is Zine exhibition to Hong Kong. Curated by Honorary Programme Advisor Benny Au, 60 local creative minds – from creative domains such as design, photography, literature, architecture, art, multimedia, and fashion were invited to create their unique versions of zine to express their own ideas and preferences. Through exhibitions, sharing sessions and workshops, the public could get a glimpse of the independent city to fully experience the humanity of this city. The exhibition also showcased selected works from Here is Zine Tokyo and Here is Zine Shenzhen, allowing the audiences to appreciate the creative landscape of the three cities.

Hanzi Exhibition | 2018

After thousands of years of evolution, Hanzi (Chinese characters) still endures and proudly poses as an interesting cultural symbol across Asia. Curated by designer Benny Au, the Hanzi Exhibition focused on the close linkage between Hanzi and our lives. The exhibition showcased the Hanzi works of more than 100 designers from Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, Japan, and Korea. Alongside the works from neighbouring regions in Asia over the past two decades using Hanzi as an important visual element, there are various sharing seminars, children’s workshops, and guided tours that allow public audiences to come in person. Revelers can enjoy the journey of Hanzi design, arts and culture and completely experience the unique aesthetic beauty of Hanzi.

GAO YAN
Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, HKU

10 × 100 Exhibition, 2017

“The exhibition linked Hong Kong and mainland China by presenting the architectural works from the two regions. We wanted to promote young architects and also further discussed the architectural experiments through different types of activities such as forums or exhibitions. My studio was located at PMQ by the time I curated this exhibition, so it was a very beneficial experience for me.
Architectural exhibitions tend to be academic, targeting a group of niche professionals. But 10 × 100 Exhibition was held at PMQ which is a location open to the public. We also designed many programmes especially for children which attracted a large number of participants. PMQ is a hybrid space which closely connects the nearby community and business sectors to promote culture of creativity. The impact has been influential and beneficial to a larger group of people. The venue QUBE is extremely flexible for the exhibition and we also held various forums in the open area at the Courtyard & Marketplace emphasising its publicness. This multi-type activity model is actually an experiment – it seemed to be a professional exhibition, yet there were also various kinds of parent-child exchange activities to realise a social innovation vision. I hope that the up-and-coming architects would sow the seeds of creativity in their hearts by participating in the exhibition and the activities.”

10 × 100 Exhibition, 2017

The 10 × 100 Exhibition – Hong Kong Edition, organised by PMQ and co-organised with architecture magazine Urban Environment Design (UED) Magazine, brought together 100 well-known architectural projects (50 from Hong Kong and 50 from Mainland). The exhibition offered a fascinating reflection on cities and their architecture over the past 10 years by many architects and aimed at fostering a dynamic dialogue between architects of the two regions through a wide range of projects in areas such as urban design, planning design, architectural design, interior design, and landscape design. The exhibition was curated by Gao Yan, the Assistant Professor of the Department of Architecture, HKU, with forums hosted by an array of overseas experts and famous architects. The Archikidecture Kids Zone set up by ohmykids inspired the imagination of the architectural environment for the next generation with a wide range of parent-children activities.

AMY CHOW
Interdisciplinary Designer and Curator

Re-edit Hong Kong Showcase, 2020

“Re-edit can be regarded as an extension of my previous exhibitions focusing on the exploration of Hong Kong’s creative ecosystem. But I added my thoughts on PMQ’s positioning of entrepreneurship for young talents in it. We focused on designers with five to ten years of experience and asked them to review and express their thoughts on their creative journeys and designs after reaching a certain milestone in their careers. Apart from my own research and knowledge, we also enlisted a number of high-quality projects through an open call by PMQ, which further enriched the contents of the exhibition.
The exhibition explored the use of traditions to nurture innovation, which was in tune with the identity of PMQ as a revitalised historical building with its own history that reflects the past and the future. We hoped for a breakthrough in the presentation of the exhibition so we thoughtfully worked hard with the design team to present it in an unconventional way. We narrated the 2D drawings in a continuous and multi-faceted approach. Traditional Bun Mountain is unique with its enormous height. But Bao Shan this time, created by Hong Kong Interior Design Association, gave a horizontal and organic take on its flat presentation. Aries Sin created her installation with recycled fabrics. The installation presented an image that the ocean nurtures live and that it must be protected. The participating young designers were motivated, and I particularly remembered our long discussions on how to make it better.
For me, PMQ is a place for the public and industry to cultivate a deeper understanding on design topics. Through a wide range of events and exhibitions, it also helps further consolidate and intensify the future development and expertise of the industry.”

Re-edit Hong Kong Showcase, 2020

With an aim to nurture Hong Kong design talents and showcase their works to the major global platform, Re-edit was first held at PMQ with local exhibitions and later tour to Milan Design Week to expand the creators’ horizons and encourage local exchanges. Curated by Amy Chow, with the theme of “personal identity”, emerging design talents and design units in Hong Kong created works to express the past, present and future. They probe into the individual characteristics shaped by language, place, community, media, technology, social and political consciousness, heritage, sustainability, craftsmanship, customs, beliefs and more. Apart from the physical exhibition at PMQ, a virtual online exhibition was also held to realise the spirit of a cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary, and cross-media dialogues.

SHIN WONG
Creative Director of PMQ

Curator of Smart Fashion Runway 1, 2016

Curator of Smart Fashion Runway 2, 2018

“The concept for Smart Fashion Runway was very clear. As a platform for combining showpieces on the runway technology, the event showcased the individual and brand’s DNA of local fashion designers. Compared to other fashion events, our positioning was more experimental. We collaborated with The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel in Smart Fashion Runway 1 and set “Smart Textiles” as the theme. For the second edition of Smart Fashion Runway in 2018, we invited visual artists from different sectors to create works by adopting new media as the medium.
For me, it’s important for audiences of different ages to get what they want. The most difficult and interesting part of the process was how to conceive a theme with imagination and depth of thought. The event aimed to induce different stories by designers and reflect the current context of society, as well as broaden the imagination of discussion on certain issues. As an exhibition held at PMQ, its visual impact and preference should be up to standard in order to live to the brand identity of PMQ.”

Smart Fashion Runway 1 & 2, 2016、2018

The textile industry was once the lifeblood of Hong Kong’s economy. What will it be in the 21st century? In 2016, PMQ and The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel co-organised the first press conference of Smart Fashion Runway and collection exhibition. With the theme of “Material Translation”, 11 Hong Kong fashion designers were selected to showcase a new breakthrough in a creative approach by using smart textiles developed through scientific development. In 2018, the second edition of Smart Fashion Runway was themed “Canvas of the Night Sky”. The judging panels selected 10 fashion designers and 10 visual designers from an open call. They created a brand new fashion stage under the guidance of mentors from the industry. Through exhibitions, design seminars, and sharing sessions, the event promoted the possibilities of interaction and coordination between fashion design and visual communication.
*The above exhibition is sponsored by CreateHK

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We express our gratitude to all creators who have participated in PMQ events over the years. The cross-regional and cross-disciplinary efforts have enriched PMQ’s identity and promoted the development of creative landscapes in Hong Kong.

“Each work is an exploration of new concepts.”

Spectra, deTour | 2015
Chromarmonic, deTour | 2019

SAMUEL YIP
Co-founder of multimedia company WARE

“For new media design, each work is an exploration of new concepts. This type of design might not be very common in Hong Kong and PMQ has been very supportive to us. Commercial projects are often held indoors incorporating projections to create immersive experiences; In Spectra (2015) and Chromarmonic (2019) created for deTour, we tried to create large-scale installations by using new materials to interact with the viewers with the natural environment outdoors to explore a subtle change of light and shadow. The work airbank® (2020) transformed a room in PMQ into a space selling air in a theme-based and narrative way. These projects are new and interesting attempts to us. We appreciate PMQ for giving us freedom in every process.”

“We worked with the PMQ team to make it more interesting.”

SOILWORM LAI, MIC LEONG
Stickyline, Local creative unit on paper art

Blu Blu Blu, deTour | 2019

“Our relationship with PMQ started from deTour and we submitted entries almost every year. We finally got the opportunities to participate in 2015, 2018, and 2019, respectively. Plus, we also worked on many collaborative projects on various scales with PMQ. For every collaboration with PMQ, we wanted to challenge ourselves to do something that we’ve never done before. Stickyline has been transforming two-dimensional planes into three-dimensional forms. The creation in deTour 2018 focused on lines and it wasn’t really the style of Stickyline. But PMQ still encouraged us to experiment. We also worked with the PMQ team to make it more interesting. For the origami Lion Dance in Chinese New Year 2021, PMQ provided us a lot of advice on marketing and site management and we developed the idea starting from lion head to the entire lion dance culture. The lions revealed a lively and vivid outlook and we all joined forces to put the lion dance on top of the glass lift. The advice and support from the PMQ team always motivated us in every step along the creation journey.”

“It was like going back to school when working with PMQ.”

Website, 10x100
Website, deTour 2020

KEVIN KWOK, TET CHAN
WEEWUNGWUNG, Web design creator

“We worked with PMQ many times in deTour in 2015, 2016 and 2020, as well as the web design for their daily activities. These were some daring designs using new technology and design approaches. It seemed like going back to school when working with PMQ and we had more freedom to create. We could be a little playful and go beyond the boundaries. In reality, you don’t usually have such an opportunity to try new things. The deTour 2020 was for sure the most unforgettable one as it was held amidst the pandemic. We created a website where visitors could interact with each other in a virtual world. It was something new to all of us. We learned together and finally we achieved a very satisfying result. The trust from PMQ is vital and this project is definitely a milestone in our career.”

“Not only large-scale installation would trigger feedback.”

KAY CHAN
Sustainable Designer

Revive: Salted Fish, deTour 2018

“I always want to make food as one of the elements in the design spectrum of Hong Kong, and present it as a problem-solving solution. In deTour 2018 with the theme “Trial & Error”, I found that the resources from Taste Library useful for extending my creation on salted fishes. So, I held a food design exhibition using salted fish as the theme. I talked to Andy from Taste Library and we sparked off lots of creative ideas. As a professional chef, he gave me much valuable advice and I also learned from the local residents about their life experiences with salted fishes. What I gained from the creative exchange was more enriching than I expected, and I was glad that this project won the Gold Winner in Asia Design Prize in Korea. This experiment proved that not only large-scale installation would trigger feedback, good contents are also essential.”

“Creativity is not only processed by designers, but everyone.”

Identity Face Shield, deTour 2020

TACHIKAWA EISUKE
Japanese designer and the founder of NOSIGNER

“Creativity is not only processed by designers, but everyone. PMQ has been making a great effort in promoting design and creative culture in Hong Kong, where I always find a strong connection. Amidst the difficult time in 2020, I had presented PANDAID and Identity Face Shield during deTour 2020. The two creations are attempts to normalize the abnormal that appeared in our society and this act of bringing out alternative visions and perspectives has been my focus. I have worked with PMQ several times, and I would like to express my gratitude to William, the Executive Director of PMQ, for nominating us in the DFA Design for Asia Awards and the Business of Design Week. I feel like the design culture of Hong Kong has nourished me to grow.”

“I kept evolving and modifying the typeface based on the opinions I got in detour.”

JULIUS HUI
Chinese typeface designer

Intense : Intense, deTour 2016

“In deTour 2016, I held an exhibition Intense:Intense with Taiwanese designer Joe Chang to showcase our own conceptual typefaces. From my past experiences, typeface design is generally more difficult for the public to understand. So, it was a valuable opportunity to have space to hold an exhibition. It received an overwhelming response and the audiences were enthusiastic about my “Aero Mincho” typeface. This was really inspiring and it has driven me to continue with this project although it was regarded only as a conceptual experiment. As a designer, the audience members’ feedback has given me great insight. In early 2021, I started crowdfunding for the typeface and fortunately it was well-received. I believe the reason for its success is that I kept evolving and modifying the typeface based on the opinions I got in deTour to make it more complete. The whole set of Aero Mincho typefaces will be officially launched in 2022.”

“Each space design is a painstaking experiment.”

Slow Sculpture — Mountain Water People Creature, deTour 2018

BONG YEUNG
Architect and founder of Littleurbanmountain Design Ltd

“When I first started my company, I consulted with many veterans in the design industry. Mr. To (the Executive Director of PMQ) was one of them and he suggested that I participate in deTour to gain exposure. Then, there was Slow Sculpture – Mountain Water People Creature in deTour 2018 and it was the first official creation of my company. For us, space design is something that can’t be duplicated, and each work is a painstaking experiment. The experience from deTour actually inspired me to start combining architecture (hardware) and interactive concept (software) and there have been more collaborations with PMQ coming in thereafter such as Coffee Agenda, PMQ Seed and the Christmas installation in 2020. I met a lot of people in the coffee industry at Coffee Agenda which brought me many coffee shop design projects.”

“We can observe audiences’ interactions and this is helpful for our creations in the future.”

MATCH CHEN
Co-founder KaCaMa Design Lab

FLAWLESS FAILURE, deTour 2018
Pause Rec Play, deTour 2019

“We originally engaged in sustainable design and conducted education programmes in different institutions. We found that most of the students only focused on the ‘outcome’, while creators emphasized more on the ‘process’ of making attempts. The theme ‘Trial and Error’ of deTour 2018 sounded interesting to us, and we created the installation Flawless Failure based on our observation, and we continued the exploration on failure in the summer interactive installation Bamboo- Copter Pavilion later. For Pause Rec Play in deTour Special 2020, it was more about an experiment to explore the inspiration of sound with old and new devices. PMQ is not only a platform for presenting our works, but also allows us to observe audiences’ interactions with the works. This is the nutrient for our creations in the future, and also the inspiration for us to explore the space between the community and art.”

“PMQ has pushed the boundaries in recent years and it’s so valuable to have such an organisation in Hong Kong which is open-minded with an adventurous spirit.”

Resonance Aura IV, deTour 2016
MEMOR/ The Book of Ashes, deTour 2020

CHRIS CHEUNG
New media artist and artistic director of XCEPT, XCEED and XPLOR

“As I engage in new media art, ‘experiment’ is a must in every creation. In deTour 2016, I continued to explore the aesthetics of the universe in my installation Resonance Aura IV. I later had two other installations in deTour 2020: The Book of Ashes explored the writing and the dissemination of knowledge, while MEMORI was a response to the way of communication during the pandemic. All these were new attempts to me, especially the magic part of the burning ceremony in the former installation. I felt really grateful to the PMQ team for working with us on the safety approval issue, and also allowed us to make new and daring experiments. PMQ has pushed the boundaries in recent years and it’s so valuable to have such an organisation in Hong Kong which is open-minded with an adventurous spirit.”

“This was a powerful, respectful, joyful, and trusting experience.”

MORAG MYERSCOUGH
British designer and artist

Make Happy, deTour 2019

“I created a huge public art installation Make Happy in 2019 to continue my mantra from an old Chinese proverb ‘to bring happiness for those who are near, and those who are far will come’, in which I hoped to bring joy to the audiences. This collaboration was unforgettable for the enthusiasm and passion we shared during the process. Together, we wanted to make the best possible work. The joyful aura and good karma projected from the artwork will rub off onto the people encountering the work, which I believe we had achieved. This was a powerful, respectful, joyful, and trusting experience and I am happy to work with PMQ again.”

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Introduction
Dining at PMQ — An Open Dialogue
Design is Life Life at PMQ
Introduction

Between
LIFE AND
INNOVATION

Between LIFE AND INNOVATION

What is the definition of a good life?

PMQ is a versatile location for creative design to gather various aspects of a good life. These notions ferment across time and refine in the space itself. There is gourmet food, coffee, gatherings, creations, and experiments in a good life. You can have fun in the events with wonderful installations and bazaars in the Courtyard & Marketplace curated by the PMQ team or wander around the shops to experience the living concepts and proposals from the designers, artisans, and craftsmen. You can even discover and taste the magnificent culture of gastronomy in the food-related programmes in PMQ. When we have time to live, eat, and play, we can experience and discover more in life and reimagine our future.

With all urban wanderers who are enthusiastic about life, let us build a creative oasis amidst the bustling city together.

Au Yeung Ying Chai (Craig) regards food as the root of creativity. This is why PMQ, as a creative design landmark, has been committed to promoting the development of local culinary arts. An array of restaurants and cafes in PMQ, Taste Library and experimental culinary projects like Taste Kitchen (Taste Academy) prove that food is not only a necessity in life but also an enrichment to creativity.

As an experienced intermedia creator and culinary culture curator, Craig has played a multifaceted role to promote, execute, and cultivate design in different culinary projects at PMQ. Stephanie Wong, the restaurant founder and award-winning chef, made an important step in her food career path during her participation in Taste Kitchen. They talk about food while cooking tête-à-tête, recalling their memories of food and PMQ, as well as their views on creativity and the development of Hong Kong’s food culture. The two dishes they created respectively are reminiscent of their significant relationships with PMQ and also reflect their experiences, passion, and hopes for the food industry in Hong Kong.

Food as a Root
of Creativity

Stephanie:

My memories come from food. When we think of a certain kind of food, what we have in mind is the taste as well as the feeling and memory of that time.

I always cook home style dishes with a new approach based on my childhood memories. I grew up in Hong Kong and Canada, but I didn’t know how to cook Chinese food. Now I’ve gradually recalled the cooking methods of my grandma and my mum. I believe that creativity comes from memories.

Craig:

I agree that food evokes memories. Also, there is a direct impact taste buds have on a person and his creativity. Take me for instance, my grandparents were Indonesian Chinese and they studied in Shanghai when they were young. After they got married, they encountered the war period and started to live as refugees fleeing to Fujian, Japan and finally to Hong Kong. The experiences in different places had a great impact on their knowledge of food. Although their flavours might change from time to time, the “Nanyang (Southeast Asia) style” remained their root of taste. So, my dining table was always filled with dishes of different styles when I was little. These foods not only inspired my tastebuds but also broadened my horizons. I’m in the creative design industry now and I can say that my creativity has originated from my eclectic and open-minded experiences of food since I was little.

Stephanie:

The experiences accumulated are often subconscious. You may not realise it when it happens, but some experiences will awaken your memory and help you create new things at the right time. ‘French cooking with Chinese ingredients’ has always been my culinary technique. It originated when I re-experienced the taste of “home” during my training in Paris. The classic French pot-au-feu is almost the same as the Hong Kong-style beef brisket in broth. That was the moment I discovered the similarities between French and Chinese cuisine.

Craig:

So, different creative ideas can be interlinked at a point. The diversity and freedom of choices are fundamental to creativity, while both local ingredients and international influence can coexist. In recent years, people often say “the more local, the more global”, which means that a thorough understanding of one’s own culture allows them to be able to succeed on an international level.

Stephanie:

I totally agree that we need to understand our roots first and then continue to evolve. When I participated in Taste Kitchen, I came up with the idea of Cantonese Quiche. I didn’t have any intention to have a Chinese-French fusion style at that time. I just thought that the quiche was perfect for lunch and I wanted to make it special. So I gradually developed the dish. It has been four years since I participated in the project. During these years, I’ve slowly established a mix of Chinese (Cantonese) – French style.

Step Out the Kitchen and Go Global

Craig:

My relationship with PMQ began when I was involved in its conceptual stage.

This pure Spanish style garlic shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo) represents my relationship with PMQ because it’s the dish I cooked in a Taste Library event with the theme of nomadic cuisine. It’s the most typical Spanish tapas.

I think Spanish tapas and Cantonese dim sum have something in common, as dim sum is one of the local food cultures that can go global. It symbolises one of the roles of Taste Library as a bridge linking overseas and local food culture. Taste Library actively introduces new elements to Hong Kong and helps to bring the distinctive local food culture to an international level. You might not find the answer during the exploration, but we are happy to provide a space for cultivation and discussion. So, the Taste Library events usually focus on the issues that we hope to explore.

The annual summer programmes for kids are an example. We named ‘rice’ as the theme of the year and we took the children to visit the shops selling rice, noodles, and congee, etc. near PMQ. Some parents didn’t allow their children to go in the kitchen as they were too little to help. But at that event, we asked the parents to wait outside and let the children cook by themselves in the kitchen. They learnt the different types of rice and had hands-on experience on draining the rice, soaking rice noodles and cooking. It was a vivid cultural activity.

Taste Library holds a collection of four thousand books covering different food cultures from around the globe

PMQ — The Place for Inheriting Food Culture

Stephanie:

The most valuable thing about PMQ is that it provides a space to record and promote food culture, which is one of a kind in Hong Kong. In France, you can find detailed recipes from 300 to 400 years ago. But in Hong Kong and the Mainland, recipes are mainly inherited through word of mouth between masters and apprentices, and they are easily lost. Therefore, the archive of Taste Library is very valuable.

Craig:

The background was that William To asked me to discuss the possibility of PMQ during the preparation period. I have always been very interested in gastronomy and have collected thousands of books and magazines related to food. In the past, it was such a pity that they were only used by me and my team, so I took this opportunity to share all these with the public. I also hope to use this kitchen as an open platform for gatherings and sharings. As a result we have a kitchen with a library connected to each other.

Stephanie:

The Internet is extremely popular and there are many ways to share knowledge. But I think the advantage of the library is that it fills the gap of lacking the gastronomic knowledge in Hong Kong, and serves as a place with a complete record and heritage. When I participated in Taste Kitchen, I did my research in Taste Library from time to time. There is a wide variety of book collections covering Chinese, Indian, Southeast Asian, French cuisines, and many more. Chinese cuisine is also sub-categorised according to different provinces. For many times I tried to look for a French cookbook for reference, but I ended up immersing myself in a Southeast Asian cookbook. It was like discovering a new world.

Of course, you can’t always apply the knowledge immediately after you finish reading a book as it takes time for you to digest. The last time I read a book in Taste Library was three years ago.

Craig:

This is exactly the result we hope to bring to visitors. I hope that it’s a continuous process of discovery but it does take time. Just like you need time to cook, read, and cultivate. In this industry, we don’t really have time to calm down and think, and attempt to do experiments repeatedly. After all, it is a rapid and commercialised society.

A Breakthrough of Business Model with Free Innovation

Stephanie:

There was no pressure on rent payment and this was the most overwhelming part of joining Taste Kitchen. Money definitely matters! It’s like your parents get you a parachute saying that you can jump and everything will be fine. Even if you fall and hurt yourself, you won’t die. Creativity is derived from a very subtle feeling and it’s just like a wish. But your fears inside, opinions from others, and financial challenges will suppress the seeds of creativity. I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t have started a restaurant if I hadn’t joined Taste Kitchen. My two experiences at Taste Kitchen have made me realise that I can fully handle this and know how to arouse attention with certain kinds of dishes. Only with these experiences, no matter what other people say, I know I can go through the ups and downs and it’s not that bad at all.

To be honest, I didn’t have a plan to open a restaurant when I participated in Taste Kitchen. I used to work in the banking industry. I learned from another perspective that most of the people ended up failing in running restaurants. But later I met Twins Kitchen who was responsible for the Taste Kitchen project. They encouraged me to give it a try and then I found out that I like operating a restaurant even though it is a crazy business. I also realised that I’m good at planning menus, decorating, plating and taking care of everything as frontline staff. The first time I participated in Taste Kitchen was in March 2018. I received good responses within these three weeks, but still I was a little bit hesitant. The second time was in July the same year and I knew that there would be fewer customers in the summertime. It was a chance for us to try new things. Some dishes were just planned one day before it went into the menu. This quiche dish was developed at that time and it was well-loved. This experience assured me that I wanted to have my own restaurant.

After the official opening, there came other challenges. The nature of Taste Kitchen allows you to estimate if you’re passionate and suitable enough to be in this industry. There are different business models in the food industry and it’s not a must to open up a restaurant. After all, it’s a crazy life being in this industry but I’m so into it.

Craig:

We can see PMQ as a place to gather different people with its doors opened for the right people. It offers proper encouragement and the opportunity to make things possible. Taste Kitchen and Taste Library are such a luxury.

Taste Kitchen was one of our earlier initiatives for PMQ. However, we decided to set up Taste Library first. After getting a foothold around three years later, we started Taste Kitchen with the coordination of different parties and the sponsorship from Debbie Lo Creativity Foundation. It’s the painstaking effort of many people behind this glorious scene that we kept adjusting along the way to make it as it is today.

Team Effort and Open Dialogue

Stephanie:

Taste Kitchen is a vivid and dynamic place. It’s filled with people from all walks of life and every creation can be completely different. People keep flowing in and out like water. When I participated in Taste Kitchen the second time, I was much happier even though the business was not as good as the first time. I didn’t have the pressure of embracing failure and proving myself. During the five-week project, we were able to launch three innovative menus because we had sufficient time and got completely used to the free experimental mode of business without any pressure of rent. We became bold to trials.

Taste Kitchen started to gain popularity at that time and attracted office workers from Central to dine in here. This allowed me to know more about different people. And as customers were clear on the role of the restaurant as a training place, they were more willing to express their opinions. This won’t happen in other places as Taste Kitchen is a place for open dialogue and we can spark off ideas here. The vibrant atmosphere is derived from the suggestions and efforts made by different people.

Craig:

Taste Kitchen and Taste Library are interrelated and they’re distinctive to the local and overseas food industry. The catering industry is rather commercial, but the two creations have made discreet yet active contributions from the sideline. I often remind myself to seize these opportunities. I appreciate that this unique experience was part of my creative career. They can exist in this city because of the undefeatable spirit of Hong Kong people.

STEPHANIE WONG
Founder of Roots Eatery and participant of PMQ Taste Kitchen (Taste Academy)

The chef-owner of Roots Eatery, Stephanie worked as a banker of international banking in HSBC. She left the banking industry and went to Paris to pursue her dream. She received her Culinary Arts Diploma from world renowned Michelin starred Chef Alain Ducasse then worked in Michelin starred restaurants, Hostellerie de Plaisance in Saint Emilion, France and Amber, Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong before starting Roots in 2018.

Stephanie participated in PMQ’s Taste Kitchen project twice and she established Roots Eatery, a restaurant in Cantonese- French style, in the following year. In 2020, Roots Eatery was rated one of the “Best 20 Restaurants In Hong Kong”, and Stephanie was also honoured with the “Rising Star Award” in Tatler Dining 2020. In 2021, Roots Eatery was ranked in the list of “Essence of Asia” as one of Asia’s 50 best restaurants.

CRAIG AU YEUNG
Intermedia Creator &
Curator of PMQ Taste Library

Experienced cross media creator and culinary culture curator.

Craig has been observing and researching the lifestyle of contemporary society in China. He has published interviews on home-living with creators in Hong Kong, Macau, and China, as well as critics on the works by international designers. In the recent decade, he focused on the consolidation and exploration of the global and local food and travel culture, publications of private recipes and city guides on food culture, as well as curation of art and culinary experience for different arts and culture organisations and commercial institutes. His curation and creation on physical culinary projects included Taste Library at PMQ, Craig’s Half Full Kitchen at Star Gallery in Beijing, Localand cultural complex in Xi’an, as well as the bistro and private kitchen “Ban Bao Ban Zui” in Shenzhen.

Cantonese Quiche

Pie crust ingredients

Butter
All purpose flour
Egg yolk
Water
Salt

65g
125g
25g
13g
2g

Custard ingredients

Milk
Whole egg
Egg yolk
Leeks
Grated parmesan cheese
Chinese sausage (LAP CHEONG)
Chinese sausage (YUN CHEONG)
Red eye chilli pepper

Milk	250g
Whole egg	1 PCS
Egg yolk	1 PCS
Leeks	50g
Grated parmesan cheese	50g
Chinese sausage (LAP CHEONG)	1/2 PCS
Chinese sausage (YUN CHEONG)	1/2 PCS
Red eye chilli pepper	1/2 PCS

250g
1 PCS
1 PCS
50g
50g
1/2 PCS
1/2 PCS
1/2 PCS

1. Pastry for Pie Crust

Let butter warm to room temperature before mixing all the ingredients and working into a dough. Mix well until the dough becomes smooth and wrap with cling wrap and let it rest in the fridge overnight.

The next day: Bring dough out to loosen and start rolling the dough out into a thin layer of 2-3mm in thickness. Lay the dough over the tart ring and gradually push the dough into the ring to form the tart shape. Cut off any excess dough so you have a clean shape of the tart. Place the formed tart into the fridge for 1 hour to firm up before baking.

1 hour later: Take the crust from the fridge and place pastry weights onto the shell of the tart so that the pastry does not puff up when being baked. Have your convection oven preheated already at 180°C and place the tart shell to bake for 12-13 minutes at this temperature. The tart should be fully cooked without it browning.

Let the crust cook and remove the tart weights from the shell, ready for the second part of the recipe.

2. Custard

First mix well the liquid ingredients and set aside. Then work on the filling ingredients.

Filling ingredients: Dice the leeks, chillies and Chinese sausages in roughly the same size and cook lightly by heating in a frying pan. Have the parmesan cheese grated. Set aside all ingredients for final assembly.

3. Final Assembly and Baking

Have ready your baked tart shell. Fill the cooked filling ingredients up to a quarter of the tart shell, scattered evenly. Then add the custard liquid and fill up to 90% of the tart shell. Then layer evenly the grated parmesan cheese. The quiche is ready for baking now.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 180°C until the custard is golden brown. Let the quiche rest for 10-20 minutes after baking before cutting through to eat or serve. The quiche can be consumed at room temperature or by reheating again via oven or microwave.

Spanish Garlic Shrimps (Gambas al Ajillo)

INGREDIENTS

Fresh Shrimp	15 pcs
Garlic	2 gloves
Red Chili Pepper	3 pcs
Rosemary	Small bunch
Baguette	1 loaf
Olive Oil	80ml

Fresh Shrimp
Garlic
Red Chili Pepper
Rosemary
Baguette
Olive Oil

15 pcS
2 gloves
3 pcS
Small bunch
1 loaf
80ml

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel the garlic gloves and slice. Remove the seeds from red chili peppers and cut into thin strips. Set aside.
Chop off the shrimp heads, remove the shells keeping the tails on.
Devein the shrimp with a toothpick.
Heat the pan with olive oil and add the sliced garlic and rosemary.
Fry the garlic until golden brown, add the red chili peppers and stir fry. Turn off the head and take out all ingredients. Leave the chili garlic oil on the pan.
Heat the pan again and stir fry the shrimp on high heat.
Add the fried garlic and red chili pepper.
Turn off the heat. Add ground sea salt to taste. Serve with sliced baguette rounds for dipping in the chili garlic oil.

PMQ Taste Library

Presented by PMQ and experienced cross media artist Craig Au Yeung, the PMQ Taste Library holds a collection of four thousand books covering different food cultures from around the globe: from classic recipes to travel and living; from food history critics to cities’ food guides and lifestyle publications. Apart from the open kitchen area, the magazine reading room is open to the public, while the library reading rooms are exclusive for members. Various food-culture cross-disciplinary events will also be held onsite regularly.

PMQ Taste Kitchen (Taste Academy)

Co-organised by PMQ and Twins Kitchen, Taste Kitchen (Taste Academy) is the city’s first-ever F&B incubator programme in the industry. With the support of PMQ and sponsorship by Debbie Lo Creativity Foundation, as well as the guidance of Caleb Ng and Joshua Ng, the founders of Twins Kitchen, the incubator programme allows culinary talents to showcase their creativities and menus in the well-equipped space to operate their restaurants. The experience gained here is the stepping stone for future restaurateurs to start their dream career in the F&B industry. PMQ Taste Kitchen (Taste Academy) was given the DFA Design for Asia Award in 2018.

CHEF LIST

Date / Period	Chef	Restaurant
2017	Cam Wong	/
2018	Mrs. Fan Siam Sattayaphan Stephanie Wong Zahir Mohamed Gary Suen Claire Kim Tiff Chan Annie Choi Wingo Hung	Mrs. Fan’s Kitchen Fat Leg’s BBQ Roots Eatery Baked Bistro Gary Suen’s Pop Up Claire de Lune T Lab by Chef Tiff’s Kitchen Veggie Mami Wingo Hung’s Pop Up
2019	Jack Law and Elliot Nicholas Douglas Forest and Leonard Cheung / / Charlene, Tony and Jessie Louis Tam Amy Mak and Jaicy Cheng David Ko	Wingman Incongruous Sando Ba Cafair Taste Root Three Infinity What Da Duck Roasita’s
2020	Daniel Kang	Osteria Orzo

Life is ever changing just like the seasons. At PMQ, we serenade our beautiful life while having a sip of coffee in the sunset, cooling off and exploring in the summer, or having fun in the winter. PMQ has organized a wide range of events for the public and proposed suggestions to realise creativity in our daily life. These events help us enjoy life and provide opportunities for the public to get involved in design and creativity. Setting off with the Festive Programme, Mass Programme and Coffee Agenda, we have connected with different communities to experience a taste of life through design and creative minds.

From Design to
Tasting Life

The coffee concept is a way of thinking that infuses design concepts into the lifestyle. It is a pursuit of the art of coffee and meticulous craftsmanship. Café is also an intellectual design landscape for nurturing urban humanity. PMQ has teamed up with baristas and craftsmen to share the passion and pursuit of coffee. Since 2018, a series under the name of Coffee Agenda has been held to provide a sustainable platform for baristas to constantly explore the craftsmanship of coffee.

The first year of Coffee Agenda was a success. It brought together a group of excellent local cafés and coffee lovers, as well as allowed individuals to collaborate with the local coffee media platform Coffeeder to feature some distinguished coffee brands from all over the world. We collaborated with Hong Kong Specialty Coffee Association to launch the Hong Kong Latte Art Championship and Hong Kong Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in the following year, in which the winner represented Hong Kong to take part in the World Latte Art Championship and World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in Berlin. We also held an open call for baristas in order to provide a platform for the winners to showcase their coffee craftsmanship. During the pandemic in 2020, Coffee Agenda kept active online with a series of online sharing sessions, coffee outing, online live broadcasts and workshops for audiences to have an authentic taste of coffee without boundaries.

From Design to
Experiencing Life

Mass programmes aim to engage public participation while experiencing design. Through a vivid approach with daily and seasonal themes, the programmes let the audiences understand the value of design and creative minds. Christmas is a time to celebrate love and we celebrate innovation and sustainable concepts to connect with designers to bring out the themes of “joy”, “conservation”, and “colour” at Christmas time every year. During the hot summer months, we invited young designers to create the “breezing” pavilion to demonstrate how design could solve problems in daily life and improve the experience/use of space. Some of the large-scale city-wise events e.g. 1600 Pandas World Tour in Hong Kong: Creativity Meets Conservation and Our Hong Kong, Our Talents – “Play Me, I‘m Yours” attracted a large number of visitors where they experienced PMQ and the concept of creative design in a immersive manner.

Mass Programme

As its name implies, mass programme aims to enhance public engagement on creative design in a vivid and friendly way to awaken the creative DNA in all of us!

1600 Pandas World Tour in
Hong Kong: Creativity Meets
Conservation

1600 Pandas World Tour in Hong Kong: Creativity Meets Conservation was a collaboration between WWF and acclaimed French artist Paulo Grangeon which showcased 1600 pandas made with recycled materials in the form of paper mache. It was featured at nearly 100 exhibitions and eventually landed in Hong Kong in 2014 with PMQ as our launch event. 1600 pandas and four new creations stationed in PMQ alongside an array of well-curated programmes and workshops. The event immersed the public in the panda world and also promoted a sustainable environment where humans and nature coexist. This event brought half a million visitors to PMQ.

Our Hong Kong, Our Talents –
“Play Me, I‘m Yours”

Our Hong Kong, Our Talents – “Play Me, I‘m Yours in 2015 was an international charitable piano tour by British artist Luke Jerram based on his belief that “everyone can play piano”. PMQ and Our Hong Kong Foundation brought this event to Hong Kong in which 16 pianos were artistically transformed by local artists and community groups. They were located at PMQ and in various public areas in Hong Kong under the guise that everyone was invited to play. Melodic music and a range of exciting interactive concerts and performances connected the public and brought about joy in the bustling city.

Summer Programme

Every summer, PMQ is transformed into a creative playground for local creators and designers. Through large-scale installations, workshops, and events, they could free their imaginations to create an eternal summer for the city.

-> 2017

In 2018, PMQ and AaaM Architects joined hands to fill the courtyard with iridescent bubble installations. In between the playground with spinning bubbles, workshops and musical reading sessions, visitors could enjoy a poetic summer in this bubble paradise.

-> 2019

In 2019, PMQ collaborated with KaCaMa Design Lab and thecaveworkshop to bring a cool summer to the courtyard with the Bamboo-copter Pavilion. Visitors could take a seat and cool off, or play with the drifting dragonflies. It was also a place for all people to enjoy the creative environment.

Christmas Programme

Every Christmas, PMQ organizes various large-scale installations to tantalize audience members. Together with the themed bazaars and a variety of exciting events, we celebrate this festive day with concepts of joy, innovation, ideality, and sustainability.

-> 2016

Colourscape

In 2016, PMQ teamed up with LAAB to transform the site into a playful Colourscape by using colourful masking tape and 3D installations in different shapes to create a three-dimensional space.

-> 2017

Jungle All the Way

In 2017, PMQ collaborated with Green Power to promote green Christmas around the large-scale Christmas installations made by AaaM Architects. This project won many international design awards for AaaM Architects.

-> 2018

Floating Christmas

In 2018, PMQ teamed up with AaaM again in Floating Christmas which was made up of balloons floating in the sky.

-> 2019

PMQ Christmas Bazaar –
Gather for Gifts of Love

In 2019, British designer Morag Myerscough presented her signature colourful art world to enjoy the company’s joyful aura.

-> 2020

Merry Apart
Christmas Together

In 2020, Littleurbanmountain Design Ltd made use of a simple approach to connect people in the lighting of the Christmas jungle under social distancing.

- Introduction
- Cultivation in The Past Harvest in The Future
- Acknowledgement
- Introduction
PMQ NOW: In Between
THE PAST
AND FUTURE

PMQ NOW: In Between
THE PAST AND FUTURE

The story of PMQ originated over 100 years ago – from the 19th-century Central School interlinked with Chinese and Western academics to the former Police Married Quarters in Hollywood Road and today, the first creative landmark for design in Hong Kong. The stories that happened here are all about people, those who had and have the foresight, the will, and the determination to drive the city forward.
As the bridge linking up the past and future, the local and international, design communities, we invite people from all walks of life to collectively compose the future of PMQ and create inspiring miracles together with us.

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Since its establishment seven years ago, PMQ has continuously interacted with local and regional creative culture to promote and shape a more dynamic ecosystem with development opportunities for young designers. PMQ does not exist as an independent unit. It is a member of the greater design community, actively engaging in plenty of exchanges and collaborations while working with like-minded peers to harness the power for creating a better city.
As William To, the Executive Director of PMQ, says, “A creative landmark is a dynamic concept. It requires constantly new contents and spirits to keep up with the times, while the sharing of experiences can help us move forward into the future. Here we had Marisa Yiu, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Design Trust who is based in Hong Kong with a global vision. We also invited Emily Ong, the Deputy Executive Director of DesignSingapore Council who constantly looks out for Hong Kong and promotes design in Singapore. We talked about the two cities and discussed issues around design. We also explored how to move forward with PMQ for a more dynamic and better future.”

William To — Left / Marisa Yiu — Middle / Emily Ong — Right

Promote Talent Development

William:

Design is a macro ecosystem with interactions. We come from three different organisations that represent different scopes of works in promoting design. PMQ is a landmark for the creative industry with more than 100 young designers stationed here. Design Trust, which is led by Marisa, is a platform to fund different projects and advocate design researches and creative projects. Emily works in the DesignSingapore Council to develop design policies and is currently pursuing a Master of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She has been engaged in creative industry in Hong Kong for many years.
The design industry in Hong Kong has gone through many changes in recent years. Regarding your working field, could you share your thoughts on the development of creative design in Hong Kong and in the region?

Marisa:

When I moved back to Hong Kong in 2007 after living in the US and UK as a trained architect, I became an academic professor in The University of Hong Kong. I joined the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design as a board member in 2008 and became a member of the Advisory Committee of PMQ in 2013. During my teaching in the university, I was always very impressed that there were so many talents but there weren’t many opportunities for them. Therefore, Design Trust was born out of this desire to build up funds and offer opportunities for designers.
This was an agitating journey. I always hope to break through the barrier between ‘professionals’ and society so as to explore how design can drive positive development. During the process, we continuously worked with multiple stakeholders to support local and international research and design projects. Based in Hong Kong, we also promoted a culture of design free from regional boundaries. We believe that we can build up a vibrant and vital ecosystem of design through multi-disciplinary and cross-regional collaborations.

Emily:

I came to Hong Kong so often before embarking on my studies because of my work and family and I also regularly participated in Business of Design Week. People often say that Hong Kong and Singapore are two sides of a mirror and we compete with each other. But I don’t feel that there is such competition as the fabric of the two societies is so different. However, we speak the same language and there are so many synergies that we can come together fairly seam.
I have been in the public sector for 18 years now. I incubated the DesignSingapore Council 18 years ago and then I worked at different departments responsible for arts and heritage policies. I officially joined the DesignSingapore Council later in 2016. Unlike the Hong Kong Design Centre, we are fully funded by the government and we literally set up and drive the policies as part of the public sector. For talent development, we create jobs and promote skill development for designers. We have strategic plans covering children at preschool all the way to adults in the workforce. Talent development is the core of the DesignSingapore Council.

William:

I agree that talent development is essential and creativity has to be cultivated at an early stage. That’s why we started our summer creative camps for children as we’re so lacking in creativity in our existing education system. We can’t change the system as we are totally an outsider. But we still want to make changes for the society, so we participated by running different events and programmes so that the children could learn directly from young designers and architects. I strongly believe that creative education at the early stage is very important to the development of a child’s mind.

Collaboration with Various Sectors in the Society

Marisa:

A strong leadership is the success of Singapore. For me and PMQ, it’s our fundamental operation practice on how to cooperate with the design industry, the government, private sectors, the community, and the local grass-roots. Perhaps every city has its own practical changes and revolutionary approaches.

Emily:

To many people in Singapore, design was all about a bohemian way of life. But definitely, society’s recognitions of creative design has improved over the past 20 years. Our Prime Minister always says that Singapore is a nation driven by design. Everything that we have comes from design. Design is a very powerful tool for us, and that’s why the DesignSingapore Council is part of the Economic Development Board.

William:

We have made efforts through different channels to convince the government on how important design is for burgeoning economic development. The government has set up CreateHK and we work closely together. We’re fortunate to have the support and funding from them for our projects. However, the government has an existing system to evaluate creative projects and our role is to explain why these projects are important, and why government funding is vital. It’s a learning process for both parties. The creative industry is unique in its own way and we need to use a guideline different from other industries to manage it.

Emily:

That’s why we tried to promote the Thought Leadership. We collected official data of people working in the creative industry through national surveys and such data serves as the facts we can present to the government and schools. We have an alliance with all the educational institutes in Singapore and this is the coordination among the whole ecosystem that only we can do. Whereas for the industry, you guys are the best to run different programmes. If there is such a platform like PMQ in Singapore, I’ll be happy to provide funding for designers to do what they want. We need different organisations to develop the vital parts of the ecosystem together.

Creating Experimental Opportunities

William:

I have been working in the design industry over the years and what resonates with me so strongly is the fact that we’re lacking opportunities for experiments in Hong Kong because the cost of time and space is too expensive for the average artist. Fortunately, we’re able to provide a creative site in PMQ for young designers to experiment and realize their dreams and our annual programme deTour, for example, serves this purpose. deTour allows designers to go beyond the regular practice and try to explore the concepts and projects that they don’t normally have the chance to materialize. We’re facing a new future – especially in the virtual era driven by social media. We desperately need new ideas and these all come from the opportunities to experiment.

Emily:

We always say that Singapore is so boring and the government tells us everything on what we should do. We think that Hong Kong people are so effective, agile, adaptable, and always think out of the box. We always look up to you guys.

William:

It’s the lifestyle here that drives us to have such qualities embedded into our DNA. You have to adapt to the environment as everything happens so fast. We have that DNA but we don’t have enough opportunities to innovate.

Marisa:

William is one of the most important friends of mine when I returned to Hong Kong and we’ve been through a lot. There are a few people like William who make efforts in lobbying and bringing back global experiences to encourage change. On one hand, Hong Kong people are agile and flexible to get things done, but perhaps we have to slow down and think about what this city is missing. Let’s say there were no archives on neon signs and so Design Trust committed to helping on this. And if Polly Ho from Loom Loop didn’t get her studio in PMQ, she couldn’t have the experiment on Canton silk. Our foundation funded her filming in Guangzhou to look at the 400 years of Canton silk.
In my opinion, design is borderless. The city can become more prosperous only if we connect with the past culture and interact with the neighbouring cities. How can we play a significant role in this ecosystem? I think this dialogue is valuable as it’s not only about Hong Kong but on a regional aspect.

"DESIGN TRUST: Critically Homemade" Prototype Exhibition, Design Trust, 2020

The Hong Kong DNA of PMQ: Connecting the Past and Future

Emily:

When talking about the past and present, I really love the buildings in Hong Kong. Singapore is so clean that every place seems identical. But in Hong Kong, Wan Chai is different from Mongkok, while Mongkok is not the same as Sham Shui Po. It’s messy but yet it’s authentic. Hong Kong people might take it for granted, but for Singaporeans it’s just so beautiful.

Marisa:

“Real life” is fascinating to me. I spent a long time in New York and it was dangerous and gritty during the early 90s. And now, the city has become healthier with all the gentrification and development. But I do miss the locality and that’s something vital about Hong Kong. PMQ, to a certain extent, possesses this kind of vitality and spirit.

William:

There would be no PMQ without open minds. With the generous donation from the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation and Debbie Lo Creativity Foundation, the site, which has been locked up for 12 years, now becomes a new space to nurture young designers and let them run their businesses. This was a completely new approach at that time. You have to take risks sometimes and nothing would happen if we always played it safe.
PMQ has made continuous efforts in working with young designers to accelerate the development of creative projects. Michael Leung and Trilingua were the curators of deTour 2019 and 2020, respectively, and we took a chance on these young designers who didn’t have much experience in such a capacity. We let them try and experiment and they did a wonderful job.

Marisa:

William is one of the members in the nominating committee for Design Trust: Critically Homemade, which was a response to the challenge of the pandemic. We asked the designers to craft an object from home that could be a way to bring our community together. There were so many innovations including an antibacterial door handle, Lego set and the Canto silk scarf by Polly Ho etc. The outcome was not the key but the most powerful part was the organic spirit of creating things together. We got support from commercial companies to turn the works into products and sold them in retail stores. We also had the support from PMQ to host a pop-up exhibition during Chinese New Year. All these works demonstrated the resilience of the design community. The whole community is more generous and united than I expect.

The Spirit of Creative Landmark

William:

I also want to talk about the role of PMQ as a creative landmark and its development. Apart from PMQ, The Mills and Tai Kwun have also opened recently and l often say these examples are the epitome of the “revitalisation” of old sites. We have to bring new value to it rather than merely fixing it up and then reopening it. We hope to set a good example for the rest of the world. Ever since its opening, PMQ, as a case study, has attracted almost every cultural department of countries and cities around the world. Personnel members came here to learn about our business model and how we created new value to an abandoned site.

Marisa:

And to sustain them!

William:

Yes, we have to sustain this spirit. It’s also another experiment that we strive to improve ourselves. For me, revitalisation is not about visuals of a historical building. I also want to know your thoughts on revitalisation and creative landmarks.

Emily:

The relevant department in Singapore is going to “digitalise” some of the old towns. Of course, it could be one of the approaches in revitalising the neighbourhood. But can we look into the characters of those towns? You have to understand the characters and build up a system, rather than forcing digitalisation in every shop.
We don’t have something like PMQ and The Mills in Singapore. The Gillman Barracks was a total failure in the past decade as people didn’t understand how to use this place. There were lots of problems on the creative sites operated by the government and we don’t have strong support from private sectors like Hong Kong to drive it. The business sector would make donations to hospitals and educational institutes but not to the creative industry. They will just ask: Is there any profit? Do you have government funding?

William:

They need to see the value behind creativity. People always think that PMQ is fully funded by the government, but we’re not. And we’re not civil servants. PMQ is funded by the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation and also the Debbie Lo Creativity Foundation.

Marisa:

If we learn from history, the city is actually driven by many different landmarks. In recent years, Hong Kong has many new landmarks coming up. I think it’s not just about the physical shape of the structure but the soul and spirit within the place.
There are many new museums coming up in China every day and some of them don’t really have enough content. It’s about the reassessment of the values of Hong Kong and how we present the true culture but not simply a nostalgic touch to the audiences.

Emily speaking at the Design Education Forum
during the 2019 Singapore Design Week.

Local Connection with Global Vision

Emily:

I want to know about the interaction between design institutes and PMQ.

William:

Hong Kong Design Institute, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design and The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Architecture have all been collaborators of ours in different form. We are very close.
So, what do you think of the interaction between Hong Kong and Singapore? How could we strengthen the collaboration of the two regions?

Emily:

I keep looking for more opportunities for collaboration. Singapore is a gateway to Southeast Asia, while Hong Kong is the gateway to China. We can think about how to build a bridge between us and the result could be very powerful. There is Business of Design Week every year in Hong Kong. In the past few years, we have run the Brainstorm Design with the financial magazine Fortune to invite thought leaders and designers from all over the world to share the insights in the forum. We can’t change the social fabric of Hong Kong, but we can offer advice and exchange ideas through this kind of platform.
Another possible approach is the collaboration between the President’s Design Award and the Design for Asia Award in Hong Kong. DFA is an international award, while P*DA is an award for local talents. I believe that a strategic collaboration of the two parties could bring great influence on a regional scale.

William:

We can showcase the winning designs at PMQ and we have done similar events in the past for young talents to gain more exposure. We have been using PMQ to connect with other design cities. The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong and the Nordic Innovation House are both located in PMQ. We also maintain a close connection with countries like Poland, Japan, Belgium, Italy and Sweden.

Emily:

PMQ is also a place for finding talents and I met One Bite Design here.

William:

Apart from nurturing designers within PMQ, we also devote ourselves to creative education for kids as well as initiating collaborative projects with external creative units so that young designers can showcase their talents here. PMQ’s effort in nurturing talents and its influence are not bounded within this site. Every project is a creative seed. Once it’s sown, it will grow. We will continue our mission of cultivating design and creative talents, providing shelter for them to grow and attract global attention.

william to

Executive Director of PMQ

A veteran talent in advertising and the Executive Director of PMQ.
William joined the Hong Kong Design Centre in 2005 and was responsible for their flagship events – Business of Design Week (BODW), Knowledge of Design Week (KODW) and Design for Asia Awards (DFAA 2006-08).
In Aug 2012, while retaining his role as a senior consultant to Hong Kong Design Centre, William joined PMQ – a newly launched creative site for design entrepreneurs.

marisa yiu

Co-Founder & Executive Director of Design Trust

A registered architect and the CoFounder and Executive Director of the charitable organization DESIGN TRUST, Marisa aims to support creative research in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. She is also the Founding Partner of ESKYIU, an award winning multidisciplinary architecture and research design studio. She was the Chief Curator of Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture. Her works and writings have been published in many internationally renowned publications. She was often invited to different global forums as a speaker.
She has taught at London’s Architectural Association, Parsons School of Design, School of Architecture at HKU and CUHK. Yiu is also an AIA member, HKIA associate, member the Board of Advisors for RTHK and formerly a Board member of the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design.

emily ong

Deputy Director General of Singapore Design Council

As the Deputy Executive Director of the DesignSingapore Council, Emily Ong is responsible for the development of creative policies and projects under the Design 2025 Masterplan, which aims to make Singapore an innovation-driven and lovable city by design.
Emily has more than 25 years of private and public sector experience in the infocomm, media, design and arts & heritage. She also took up key positions in the Ministry of Communication and Information, Economic Development Board, Media Development Authority and the advertising industry. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore and Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia. Emily is currently pursuing her Master of Design (Design Strategies) at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Bring The Brand To
The World

From 2014 to 2020, PMQ has organised around 2,400 events which attracted over 20 million visitors and linked local and overseas design talents through design, creative living and education, introducing international masterpieces to the city as well as showcasing local creativity to the world.

The Creative
Composition Of PMQ

The Place Where Creativity Coverages

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A successful project is all in the people

Planned and Designed by
◎ Trilingua Design
Edited by
◎ Elise Yau, Joey Chan
Text Edited by
◎ Elise Yau
Translation
◎ Venice Lau
Printing
◎ Suncolor Printing Co., Ltd.
Photography by
◎ Jeremy Cheung (@rambler15)
Website design
◎ React Digi Limited

Special thank to

◎ Musketeers Education & Culture Charitable Foundation
◎ M.K. Lau Foundation
◎ Debbie Lo Creativity Foundation
◎ Board of Directors of PMQ
◎ Advisory Board of PMQ
◎ Commercial Tenants Selection Committee of PMQ
◎ Studio Tenants Selection Committee of PMQ
◎ Tenants Assessment Panel of PMQ
◎ The Government of
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Create Hong Kong
Architectural Services Department
Antiquities and Monuments Office
and all the individuals of the creative community who supported and contributed on our journey
www.pmq.org.hk
info@pmq.org.hk
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PMQ NOW: In Between
THE PAST
AND FUTURE

PMQ NOW: In Between
THE PAST AND FUTURE

The story of PMQ originated over 100 years ago – from the 19th-century Central School interlinked with Chinese and Western academics to the former Police Married Quarters in Hollywood Road and today, the first creative landmark for design in Hong Kong. The stories that happened here are all about people, those who had and have the foresight, the will, and the determination to drive the city forward.

As the bridge linking up the past and future, the local and international, design communities, we invite people from all walks of life to collectively compose the future of PMQ and create inspiring miracles together with us.

Since its establishment seven years ago, PMQ has continuously interacted with local and regional creative culture to promote and shape a more dynamic ecosystem with development opportunities for young designers. PMQ does not exist as an independent unit. It is a member of the greater design community, actively engaging in plenty of exchanges and collaborations while working with like-minded peers to harness the power for creating a better city.

As William To, the Executive Director of PMQ, says, “A creative landmark is a dynamic concept. It requires constantly new contents and spirits to keep up with the times, while the sharing of experiences can help us move forward into the future. Here we had Marisa Yiu, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Design Trust who is based in Hong Kong with a global vision. We also invited Emily Ong, the Deputy Executive Director of DesignSingapore Council who constantly looks out for Hong Kong and promotes design in Singapore. We talked about the two cities and discussed issues around design. We also explored how to move forward with PMQ for a more dynamic and better future.”

Promote Talent Development

William:

Design is a macro ecosystem with interactions. We come from three different organisations that represent different scopes of works in promoting design. PMQ is a landmark for the creative industry with more than 100 young designers stationed here. Design Trust, which is led by Marisa, is a platform to fund different projects and advocate design researches and creative projects. Emily works in the DesignSingapore Council to develop design policies and is currently pursuing a Master of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She has been engaged in creative industry in Hong Kong for many years.

The design industry in Hong Kong has gone through many changes in recent years. Regarding your working field, could you share your thoughts on the development of creative design in Hong Kong and in the region?

Marisa:

When I moved back to Hong Kong in 2007 after living in the US and UK as a trained architect, I became an academic professor in The University of Hong Kong. I joined the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design as a board member in 2008 and became a member of the Advisory Committee of PMQ in 2013. During my teaching in the university, I was always very impressed that there were so many talents but there weren’t many opportunities for them. Therefore, Design Trust was born out of this desire to build up funds and offer opportunities for designers.

This was an agitating journey. I always hope to break through the barrier between ‘professionals’ and society so as to explore how design can drive positive development. During the process, we continuously worked with multiple stakeholders to support local and international research and design projects. Based in Hong Kong, we also promoted a culture of design free from regional boundaries. We believe that we can build up a vibrant and vital ecosystem of design through multi-disciplinary and cross-regional collaborations.

Emily:

I came to Hong Kong so often before embarking on my studies because of my work and family and I also regularly participated in Business of Design Week. People often say that Hong Kong and Singapore are two sides of a mirror and we compete with each other. But I don’t feel that there is such competition as the fabric of the two societies is so different. However, we speak the same language and there are so many synergies that we can come together fairly seam.

I have been in the public sector for 18 years now. I incubated the DesignSingapore Council 18 years ago and then I worked at different departments responsible for arts and heritage policies. I officially joined the DesignSingapore Council later in 2016. Unlike the Hong Kong Design Centre, we are fully funded by the government and we literally set up and drive the policies as part of the public sector. For talent development, we create jobs and promote skill development for designers. We have strategic plans covering children at preschool all the way to adults in the workforce. Talent development is the core of the DesignSingapore Council.

William:

I agree that talent development is essential and creativity has to be cultivated at an early stage. That’s why we started our summer creative camps for children as we’re so lacking in creativity in our existing education system. We can’t change the system as we are totally an outsider. But we still want to make changes for the society, so we participated by running different events and programmes so that the children could learn directly from young designers and architects. I strongly believe that creative education at the early stage is very important to the development of a child’s mind.

Collaboration with Various Sectors in the Society

Marisa:

A strong leadership is the success of Singapore. For me and PMQ, it’s our fundamental operation practice on how to cooperate with the design industry, the government, private sectors, the community, and the local grass-roots. Perhaps every city has its own practical changes and revolutionary approaches.

Emily:

To many people in Singapore, design was all about a bohemian way of life. But definitely, society’s recognitions of creative design has improved over the past 20 years. Our Prime Minister always says that Singapore is a nation driven by design. Everything that we have comes from design. Design is a very powerful tool for us, and that’s why the DesignSingapore Council is part of the Economic Development Board.

William:

We have made efforts through different channels to convince the government on how important design is for burgeoning economic development. The government has set up CreateHK and we work closely together. We’re fortunate to have the support and funding from them for our projects. However, the government has an existing system to evaluate creative projects and our role is to explain why these projects are important, and why government funding is vital. It’s a learning process for both parties. The creative industry is unique in its own way and we need to use a guideline different from other industries to manage it.

Emily:

That’s why we tried to promote the Thought Leadership. We collected official data of people working in the creative industry through national surveys and such data serves as the facts we can present to the government and schools. We have an alliance with all the educational institutes in Singapore and this is the coordination among the whole ecosystem that only we can do. Whereas for the industry, you guys are the best to run different programmes. If there is such a platform like PMQ in Singapore, I’ll be happy to provide funding for designers to do what they want. We need different organisations to develop the vital parts of the ecosystem together.

Creating Experimental Opportunities

William:

I have been working in the design industry over the years and what resonates with me so strongly is the fact that we’re lacking opportunities for experiments in Hong Kong because the cost of time and space is too expensive for the average artist. Fortunately, we’re able to provide a creative site in PMQ for young designers to experiment and realize their dreams and our annual programme deTour, for example, serves this purpose. deTour allows designers to go beyond the regular practice and try to explore the concepts and projects that they don’t normally have the chance to materialize. We’re facing a new future – especially in the virtual era driven by social media. We desperately need new ideas and these all come from the opportunities to experiment.

Emily:

We always say that Singapore is so boring and the government tells us everything on what we should do. We think that Hong Kong people are so effective, agile, adaptable, and always think out of the box. We always look up to you guys.

William:

It’s the lifestyle here that drives us to have such qualities embedded into our DNA. You have to adapt to the environment as everything happens so fast. We have that DNA but we don’t have enough opportunities to innovate.

Marisa:

William is one of the most important friends of mine when I returned to Hong Kong and we’ve been through a lot. There are a few people like William who make efforts in lobbying and bringing back global experiences to encourage change. On one hand, Hong Kong people are agile and flexible to get things done, but perhaps we have to slow down and think about what this city is missing. Let’s say there were no archives on neon signs and so Design Trust committed to helping on this. And if Polly Ho from Loom Loop didn’t get her studio in PMQ, she couldn’t have the experiment on Canton silk. Our foundation funded her filming in Guangzhou to look at the 400 years of Canton silk.

In my opinion, design is borderless. The city can become more prosperous only if we connect with the past culture and interact with the neighbouring cities. How can we play a significant role in this ecosystem? I think this dialogue is valuable as it’s not only about Hong Kong but on a regional aspect.

The Hong Kong DNA of PMQ: Connecting the Past and Future

Emily:

When talking about the past and present, I really love the buildings in Hong Kong. Singapore is so clean that every place seems identical. But in Hong Kong, Wan Chai is different from Mongkok, while Mongkok is not the same as Sham Shui Po. It’s messy but yet it’s authentic. Hong Kong people might take it for granted, but for Singaporeans it’s just so beautiful.

Marisa:

“Real life” is fascinating to me. I spent a long time in New York and it was dangerous and gritty during the early 90s. And now, the city has become healthier with all the gentrification and development. But I do miss the locality and that’s something vital about Hong Kong. PMQ, to a certain extent, possesses this kind of vitality and spirit.

William:

There would be no PMQ without open minds. With the generous donation from the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation and Debbie Lo Creativity Foundation, the site, which has been locked up for 12 years, now becomes a new space to nurture young designers and let them run their businesses. This was a completely new approach at that time. You have to take risks sometimes and nothing would happen if we always played it safe.

PMQ has made continuous efforts in working with young designers to accelerate the development of creative projects. Michael Leung and Trilingua were the curators of deTour 2019 and 2020, respectively, and we took a chance on these young designers who didn’t have much experience in such a capacity. We let them try and experiment and they did a wonderful job.

Marisa:

William is one of the members in the nominating committee for Design Trust: Critically Homemade, which was a response to the challenge of the pandemic. We asked the designers to craft an object from home that could be a way to bring our community together. There were so many innovations including an antibacterial door handle, Lego set and the Canto silk scarf by Polly Ho etc. The outcome was not the key but the most powerful part was the organic spirit of creating things together. We got support from commercial companies to turn the works into products and sold them in retail stores. We also had the support from PMQ to host a pop-up exhibition during Chinese New Year. All these works demonstrated the resilience of the design community. The whole community is more generous and united than I expect.

The Spirit of Creative Landmark

William:

I also want to talk about the role of PMQ as a creative landmark and its development. Apart from PMQ, The Mills and Tai Kwun have also opened recently and l often say these examples are the epitome of the “revitalisation” of old sites. We have to bring new value to it rather than merely fixing it up and then reopening it. We hope to set a good example for the rest of the world. Ever since its opening, PMQ, as a case study, has attracted almost every cultural department of countries and cities around the world. Personnel members came here to learn about our business model and how we created new value to an abandoned site.

Marisa:

And to sustain them!

William:

Yes, we have to sustain this spirit. It’s also another experiment that we strive to improve ourselves. For me, revitalisation is not about visuals of a historical building. I also want to know your thoughts on revitalisation and creative landmarks.

Emily:

The relevant department in Singapore is going to “digitalise” some of the old towns. Of course, it could be one of the approaches in revitalising the neighbourhood. But can we look into the characters of those towns? You have to understand the characters and build up a system, rather than forcing digitalisation in every shop.

We don’t have something like PMQ and The Mills in Singapore. The Gillman Barracks was a total failure in the past decade as people didn’t understand how to use this place. There were lots of problems on the creative sites operated by the government and we don’t have strong support from private sectors like Hong Kong to drive it. The business sector would make donations to hospitals and educational institutes but not to the creative industry. They will just ask: Is there any profit? Do you have government funding?

William:

They need to see the value behind creativity. People always think that PMQ is fully funded by the government, but we’re not. And we’re not civil servants. PMQ is funded by the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation and also the Debbie Lo Creativity Foundation.

Marisa:

If we learn from history, the city is actually driven by many different landmarks. In recent years, Hong Kong has many new landmarks coming up. I think it’s not just about the physical shape of the structure but the soul and spirit within the place.

There are many new museums coming up in China every day and some of them don’t really have enough content. It’s about the reassessment of the values of Hong Kong and how we present the true culture but not simply a nostalgic touch to the audiences.

Local Connection with Global Vision

Emily:

I want to know about the interaction between design institutes and PMQ.

William:

Hong Kong Design Institute, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design and The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Architecture have all been collaborators of ours in different form. We are very close.

So, what do you think of the interaction between Hong Kong and Singapore? How could we strengthen the collaboration of the two regions?

Emily:

I keep looking for more opportunities for collaboration. Singapore is a gateway to Southeast Asia, while Hong Kong is the gateway to China. We can think about how to build a bridge between us and the result could be very powerful. There is Business of Design Week every year in Hong Kong. In the past few years, we have run the Brainstorm Design with the financial magazine Fortune to invite thought leaders and designers from all over the world to share the insights in the forum. We can’t change the social fabric of Hong Kong, but we can offer advice and exchange ideas through this kind of platform.

Another possible approach is the collaboration between the President’s Design Award and the Design for Asia Award in Hong Kong. DFA is an international award, while P*DA is an award for local talents. I believe that a strategic collaboration of the two parties could bring great influence on a regional scale.

William:

We can showcase the winning designs at PMQ and we have done similar events in the past for young talents to gain more exposure. We have been using PMQ to connect with other design cities. The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong and the Nordic Innovation House are both located in PMQ. We also maintain a close connection with countries like Poland, Japan, Belgium, Italy and Sweden.

Emily:

PMQ is also a place for finding talents and I met One Bite Design here.

William:

Apart from nurturing designers within PMQ, we also devote ourselves to creative education for kids as well as initiating collaborative projects with external creative units so that young designers can showcase their talents here. PMQ’s effort in nurturing talents and its influence are not bounded within this site. Every project is a creative seed. Once it’s sown, it will grow. We will continue our mission of cultivating design and creative talents, providing shelter for them to grow and attract global attention.

william to

Executive Director of PMQ

A veteran talent in advertising and the Executive Director of PMQ.

William joined the Hong Kong Design Centre in 2005 and was responsible for their flagship events – Business of Design Week (BODW), Knowledge of Design Week (KODW) and Design for Asia Awards (DFAA 2006-08).

In Aug 2012, while retaining his role as a senior consultant to Hong Kong Design Centre, William joined PMQ – a newly launched creative site for design entrepreneurs.

marisa yiu

Co-Founder & Executive Director of Design Trust

A registered architect and the CoFounder and Executive Director of the charitable organization DESIGN TRUST, Marisa aims to support creative research in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. She is also the Founding Partner of ESKYIU, an award winning multidisciplinary architecture and research design studio. She was the Chief Curator of Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture. Her works and writings have been published in many internationally renowned publications. She was often invited to different global forums as a speaker.

She has taught at London’s Architectural Association, Parsons School of Design, School of Architecture at HKU and CUHK. Yiu is also an AIA member, HKIA associate, member the Board of Advisors for RTHK and formerly a Board member of the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design.

emily ong

Deputy Director General of Singapore Design Council

As the Deputy Executive Director of the DesignSingapore Council, Emily Ong is responsible for the development of creative policies and projects under the Design 2025 Masterplan, which aims to make Singapore an innovation-driven and lovable city by design.

Emily has more than 25 years of private and public sector experience in the infocomm, media, design and arts & heritage. She also took up key positions in the Ministry of Communication and Information, Economic Development Board, Media Development Authority and the advertising industry. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore and Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia. Emily is currently pursuing her Master of Design (Design Strategies) at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Bring The Brand To
The World

From 2014 to 2020, PMQ has organised around 2,400 events which attracted over 20 million visitors and linked local and overseas design talents through design, creative living and education, introducing international masterpieces to the city as well as showcasing local creativity to the world.

Preface IN BETWEEN

Preface IN BETWEEN

Between IMAGINATION & APPLICATION

Between MAGINATION & APPLICATION

Cross-disciplinary Designs Gateway to International Stage

Cross-disciplinary Designs Gateway to International Stage

Go Beyond the Boundary in Fashion & Architecture

Building Social Circle at PMQ

The Memorable Moment of Growing up in PMQ

PMQ as the Starting Point of Success

Yip Chun Hang & Otto Ng, Architecture Director & Director of LAAB

Harrison Wong, Founder & Creative Director of HARRISON WONG

Project LAAB

Colourscape, deTour collaboration with MT Tape

Cotton Run, deTour 2015

Jellyish Fermata, deTour 2016

Project Harrison Wong

Shanghai Fashion Weeks, Harrison Wong SS 2019

Design Journey

POLLY HO Founder and Fashion Designer of Loom Loop

LOOM LOOP S205

YEUNG CHIN Founder and Fashion Designer of Yeung Chin

YEUNG CHIN H406

BELINDA CHEUNG Co-founder of Obellery and Jewellery Designer

OBELLERY H403

BEN CHUNG Founder of EYEPOPPER Design Limited

EYEPOPPER H407

KEVIN SIU, BOB PANG and SHUYAN CHAN Co-founders of AaaM Architects

AaaM Architects S501

Design Showcase

1

Xmas' T (RE) e Nursery

2

Eone Watch

3

Invisi Pen

4

URBAN FARM CHANGSHA

5

Forbidden Walled City

6

DiSCARVERY

7

Swirl Jade Ring

8

Stackable Vase

9

SS18 COLLECTION - SOULMATE

10

Kendall International – Preschool

11

Living Hollow

12

Mils Reading Glasses

13

Hong Kong Skyline

14

CHEESE TO THE WORLD

15

Oh!T

16

Lumio

17

The Next Talents by Vogue Italia

18

Uphold Cup

19

With The Flow

20

Plover

21

Kenny Li Cheongsam Capsule Series

22

MTR board game

23

EX!! cupholder

OTHER TENANTS SHOWCASE

Between INSPIRATION & NURTURING

Between INSPIRATION & NURTURING

We Grow With PMQ

Preface
IN BETWEEN

Between
IMAGINATION
& APPLICATION

Cross-disciplinary Designs
Gateway to International Stage

POLLY HO
Founder and Fashion Designer of Loom Loop

LOOM LOOP
S205

YEUNG CHIN
Founder and Fashion Designer of Yeung Chin

YEUNG CHIN
H406

BELINDA CHEUNG
Co-founder of Obellery and Jewellery Designer

OBELLERY
H403

BEN CHUNG
Founder of EYEPOPPER Design Limited

EYEPOPPER
H407

KEVIN SIU, BOB PANG and SHUYAN CHAN
Co-founders of AaaM Architects

AaaM Architects
S501

Xmas' T (RE)
e Nursery

Between
INSPIRATION &
NURTURING

About Dreams —
Between Career and Dream

CHAILIE HO
Founder

Chailie Ho and Jade in Style
S409

ARIES SIN
Founder

MODEMENT
H301

FELIX
Founder

POMCH
S204

PINKY WONG
Founder

The Little Finger
H206

NICK GU
Co-Founder & Designer

EONE TIMEPIECES
H206

Between
EXPERIMENT AND
PRACTICE

The Past and
Present of deTour

BENNY AU
Graphic Designer & Curator

GAO YAN
Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, HKU

AMY CHOW
Interdisciplinary Designer and Curator

SHIN WONG
Creative Director of PMQ

SAMUEL YIP
Co-founder of multimedia company WARE

SOILWORM LAI, MIC LEONG
Stickyline, Local creative unit on paper art

KEVIN KWOK, TET CHAN
WEEWUNGWUNG, Web design creator

KAY CHAN
Sustainable Designer

TACHIKAWA EISUKE
Japanese designer and the founder of NOSIGNER

JULIUS HUI
Chinese typeface designer

BONG YEUNG
Architect and founder of Littleurbanmountain Design Ltd

MATCH CHEN
Co-founder KaCaMa Design Lab

CHRIS CHEUNG
New media artist and artistic director of XCEPT, XCEED and XPLOR

MORAG MYERSCOUGH
British designer and artist

Between
LIFE AND
INNOVATION