Experiences: Critical Reflection

Experiences. That’s a very broad 11 letter word. I will attempt to break it down into sensory understanding.

Smell:

 Scent was the most significantly different thing about Hong Kong in comparison to Sydney. The first thing I could smell in the air was fresh meat. And the visuals soon followed. As a Sydney-sider I’d never seen so much dead fauna lining the streets. The first word that sprung to mind was ‘contamination!’, but I feel like this is a common placebo of Western society because I did not encounter any sort of food related illness during this trip.

Sight:

 As far as the eye can see, Hong Kong is crowded - with people, with architecture, with possessions, and most of all, with bamboo. I initially wanted to document bamboo for T1 simply because there was so much of it, but being a rebel I decided to photograph teapots which were harder to find. Hindsight says bamboo would’ve been just fine. The idea of crowded, claustrophobic living really hit home when we visited Canton Road for the first time. At first I hated the idea of basing T2 at this location, but I became increasingly drawn to it as the days went on. Stallholders seem to have the whole contents of their house cluttered in and around their stalls.

Touch:

 Or lack of wanting to touch anything. This year marked Hong Kong’s hottest summer ever, and there was no questioning that. Touching things or people was an unwelcome activity. However, we noticed that in the MTR it is encouraged to ‘hold’ the handrail whilst using the escalators. This was also encouraged in shopping malls. I also noticed that whilst eating you should have both arms resting on the table top, and not hidden in your lap. I think this is just a simple etiquette thing more than anything, but I was always conscious of it.

 If the weather was warm, the people were too. Throughout the trip I experienced moments where a local attempted to give me a hug or pat me on the shoulder, and I found this very comforting. I’m not a space bubble introvert so I do like when strangers break the ice! On the contrary though, there were many things that were strictly ‘Do Not Touch’, such as product displays in certain stores. I’m not talking clothing, I’m talking toys. In one of my reflections I mentioned a toy store complex, and in this environment touching products was strongly discouraged and frowned upon.

Taste:

 Hong Kong has a distinct flavour to all of its edible products. It’s called MSG and it comes in large doses. For me, every meal in Hong Kong was followed by a bottle of water, and to be super pedantic, even bottled water tastes different in Hong Kong. But you get used to the MSG/water combination after a few days. Then things like Wonton soup, Dim Sum and Dong Lai Cha begin to taste wonderful. I put this down to a process of eliminating Western tastebuds one dumpling at a time.

Hearing:

 Sounds educate us the most when visiting a foreign place. In Sheung Wan, particularly on Possession St, there was the constant sound of construction, which continued throughout the day and night without ceasing. On Canton Road, especially in the fresh produce area, the sound of butchers advertising daily specials could be heard from a mile away. And in the temples we visited, the sound of a humming chorus, accompanied by the sizzling sound (and smell!) of incense burning away. The most intriguing sound I heard was on Cheung Chau island, where we came across a tent full of locals dressed in white robes, chanting a happy tune and playing cheerful music. Little we knew at the time, but this was a funeral. I became very curious as to why certain cultures play celebratory music to send off the dead, and why any funeral I have attended doesn’t sound like that.

To conclude, my experiences in the Hong Kong Global Studio were constantly thought provoking and definitely kept me on my toes. I learnt to ‘go with the flow’ as far as group work and group decision making was concerned, and I also became fascinated with the idea of repurposing common objects. I feel like I want to spend the next 6 months focusing on how I can minimise waste and up-cycle everything I buy. More so for my own content than for my carbon footprint, but I guess thats part and parcel.