At the Venice Biennale opening on May 10th, the Hong Kong curatorial team unveiled their exhibition "PROJECTING FUTURE HERITAGE: A HONG KONG ARCHIVE", adopting an innovative approach to spotlight the city’s often-overlooked public infrastructure.

The curatorial team comprises Ar. Fai Au (founder of O Studio Architects), Dr. Ying Zhou (urban theorist) and Ar. Sing Yeung Sunnie Lau (founder of SOS Architecture Urban Design Studio). From the perspective of these architects, the distinctive allure of Hong Kong's urban landscape extends beyond the skyscrapers in Central and the neon lights in Kowloon. It also resides in the traditional bamboo scaffolding, composite buildings, and public housing estates scattered throughout the community. These structures encapsulate the collective intelligence of Hong Kong residents in optimizing spatial utilization within confined environments.

How can the wisdom of Hong Kong be displayed in the 9000km-away city Venice? Through remarkable installation, curators transformed the Campo della Tana into an imaginary world of Hong Kong land. 

To Kua Wan MSB (Photo: Chris Lu) 

The exhibition is divided into indoor and outdoor areas. At the centre of the indoor exhibition area lies a large archive drawer, filled with design drawings and scaled models. Visitors are invited to open the drawer and catch a glimpse of the urban public facilities in Hong Kong since the mid-20th century, an experience referred to by the curators as "Treasure Hunting". 

Archive Library Physical Model (Photo: Eryn Kam)

Among the exhibits, one that best exemplifies local intelligence is the Municipal Services Buildings (MSB). Introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, these buildings vertically stacked diverse functional spaces such as markets, food courts, public libraries, sports stadiums, and staff quarters, creating compact communities. The interweaving of citizens' daily routines produced a unique social landscape characteristic of Hong Kong. First-time visitors to such buildings may be astonished by the abrupt transitions: from the bustling cries and dampness of markets on ground floor to the serene, air-conditioned reading rooms on higher floors. Only the faint scent of fish lingering in the elevator serves as a reminder of what they have been through.

Bamboo Scaffolding Physical Model (Photo: Eryn Kam and Holiday Chan)

In the outdoor courtyard area, curators reconstructed the scene of traditional bamboo scaffolding structures in Hong Kong. A team of seven skilled bamboo “Shifu” (master) was specially invited to the Venice Biennale site. Within a span of three to four days, they utilized over 1,000 locally sourced bamboo poles to construct the installation. Visitors are invited to enjoy a sandwich within this transparent cuboid structure, experiencing the airflow and sensing the connection between Venice and Hong Kong at that moment. Curator Fai stated, "We want to embody the everyday essence of ordinary life in Hong Kong, with bamboo scaffolding serving as both an artifact and craftsmanship." 

Bamboo has been employed in shed construction in Hong Kong for six decades. As a material, it is cost-effective, flexible, lightweight, pliable and ease of modification, making it ideally suited to the fast-paced and space-constrained environment. The inherent adaptability of bamboo also resonates deeply with the resilient spirit of Hong Kong.

Bamboo Scaffolding (Photo: Unsplash)

Dense population and scarce land have left a profound impression on both residents and tourists in Hong Kong. Local inhabitants have developed the unique survival strategy of building infinitely upwards within finite planar space. The Municipal Services Building and bamboo scaffolding are quintessential manifestations of this wisdom. However, these iconic structures are currently facing the risk of disappearing. Curators emphasized that archiving these materials serves not only as a means for appreciation and nostalgia but also as a way to carry forward these overlooked yet invaluable forms of wisdom into the future.

EVENT DETAILS

Exhibition Theme: Projecting Future Heritage: A Hong Kong Archive

Exhibition Venue: Campo della Tana, Castello 2126 – 30122 Venice, Italy

Date of Exhibition: 10 May – 23 November 2025

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Cover Photo: talkradiance