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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