\nAlways at the edge of things and between places \u6c38\u9060\u5728\u908a\u7de3\u6c38\u9060\u5728\u904e\u6e21<\/b>
\n\u958b\u5e55\u5178\u79ae Opening Reception 13\/05\/2017 (Sat \u516d) 18:00 – 21:00
\n\u5c55\u89bd\u6642\u671f Exhibition Period\uff1a14\/5 – 03\/6\/2017
\n\u958b\u653e\u6642\u9593 Opening Hours\uff1a\u661f\u671f\u4e00 \u81f3 \u661f\u671f\u65e5 Monday to Sunday 10:00 – 19:00
\n\u5834\u5730 Venue\uff1aConnecting Space Hong Kong G\/F, Fort Street 18-20, Wah Kin Mansion North Point, Hong Kong
\n\u5317\u89d2\u5821\u58d8\u885718-20\u865f\u83ef\u5065\u5927\u5ec8\u5730\u4e0b
\nhttps:\/\/stairculture.com\/archive\/exhibition\/<\/a>
\nhkstairculture@gmail.com
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/alwaysathedge<\/a><\/p>\n
We are pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition, Always at the edge of things and between places \u6c38\u9060\u5728\u908a\u7de3\u6c38\u9060\u5728\u904e\u6e21<\/b>, which pairs archival and design research, photography, and architectural drawings from the project Hong Kong Stair Archive: Documenting the Walkable City<\/i> with multimedia art and design works. The project actively extends the public\u2019s notion of stairs as not only physical objects but also as places where cultural life is situated and explored. The title, borrowed from the poem Images of Hong Kong<\/i> by Leung Ping Kwan, situated the work within a reflection about the past, present and future of Hong Kong\u2019s vernacular, cultural landscape, asking, \u201cWhat is the role of stairs in creating and preserving a walkable, livable city with a vibrant cultural life?\u201d The time-based, socio-cultural works in the exhibition invite the public to participate not only as viewers, but also as catalysts and contributors who can simultaneously reflect upon and build history, while envisioning the future of Hong Kong\u2019s urban landscape. For more information please visit: http:\/\/stairculture.com\/archive\/<\/a> December 15, 2015 The Hong Kong Stair Archive (beta) website<\/a> is up and running, with more materials being added everyday. Keep an eye out for updates and announcements about the site, exhibition, workshops\/talks and call for artists and the publication. Also, please contact us<\/a> if you want to take part in our crowdsourcing efforts to collect photos, stories and other information about stairs in Hong Kong or if you have other suggestions or comments!<\/p>\n The first phase of the project examines archival and government records in combination with basic site investigations to confirm an initial list of historically significant stairs which will structure the framework for the documentation and stair inventory content management system prototype. This system will be a repository for the data collected throughout the project. Local models for the system include the HK slopes database and the Old and Valuable Tree list, but our system will be based on open source principles with a goal to use it as a model for a more complete inventory of HK stairs. The third phase of the project organizes and synthesizes the data into five types of output: a website\/content management system, a coffee-table type book, a public exhibition, an academic symposium, and a journal paper. Recent work and events:<\/p>\n October 11, 2016 (forthcoming) Melissa has been invited to present the Hong Kong Stair Archive project at Taipei Tech in October. Looking forward to a productive and engaging discussion with Louis Lo and colleagues and students from the English and Design Departments! October 5, 2016 Melissa presented the history, background and current status of the Hong Kong Stair Archive project as part of Walk21 Hong Kong<\/a>, the annual international conference on walking and liveable communities. May 20, 2016 Jessica Wei’s article<\/a> includes interviews with Melissa about HK’s stair culture as well as with Google about their recent inclusion of several HK stairs as ‘see inside’ imagery on Google Street View. May 5, 2016 DeWolf<\/a>‘s article “Stair Culture: Digging Into the Past and Present of Hong Kong\u2019s Ladder Streets<\/a>” gives a short overview of the Hong Kong Stair Archive<\/a> project and the importance of stairs to Hong Kong’s history and culture. Thanks Chris for the profile! March 7-12, 2016 {image 84}Melissa presented her research-in-progress on the RGC funded Hong Kong Stair Archive project at the Island Cities and Urban Archipelagos conference on March 09, 2016. From the conference abstract:
\n![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/new.transversestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/transverse\/7254879_Screen-Shot-2017-03-23-at-11.06.46-AM_1010.png\")
![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/new.transversestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/transverse\/7254879_Screen-Shot-2017-03-23-at-11.07.02-AM_1010.png\")
<\/p>\n
\nHong Kong Stair Archive online<\/b> (beta version)<\/p>\n![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/new.transversestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/transverse\/7254879_header_image_stair14_edited_1627.jpg\")
\nProject abstract:
\nThis project creates an inventory and archive of outdoor stairs located primarily in the Central and Western District, HK Island. A significant and often historic part of the urban fabric, staircases evidence a unique stair culture which is increasingly threatened by careless maintenance practices and construction projects. The aim of the project is to consolidate archival research on the history of HK stairs, documentation of their present state through the work of contemporary professional and amateur photographers, architectural drawings, and a physical and social inventory, and to theorize the research through scholarly publications and conference presentations. The primary products of the research will be a book and accompanying exhibition and symposium, academic articles and a stair inventory content management system\/website.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/new.transversestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/transverse\/7254879_Screen_Shot_2014-02-05_at_4.59.56_PM_o.png\")
\nThe second phase of the project collects detailed data and measurements to facilitate architectural drawings and a physical and social inventory. This part of the project will also involve collaborations with artists and photography students, a crowdsourced effort to collect stair photos and stories, and Google Streetview to capture stair routes, 90% of which are not currently available on Google Maps. <\/p>\n
\n![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/new.transversestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/transverse\/7254879_Screen_Shot_2014-02-05_at_5.01.12_PM_o.png\")
\nUltimately, this work seeks to raise public awareness about the value of stairs to HK’s history, its everyday life, and its continuance as a liveable city. As key components of a rich, walkable pedestrian environment which occupies steep topography, the physical and social life of stairways needs to be documented, recorded and celebrated, both to increase the likelihood of their protection, and to contribute to a broader historical archive of the continuing development of the city. The HK Stair Archive captures a typology of infrastructure which has never been systematically or thoroughly researched in Hong Kong, despite their ubiquitous presence and absolute necessity in the efficient navigation of the city.<\/p>\n
\nStairs as public spaces: Stair culture in Hong Kong<\/b>
\nNational Taipei Technical University, Taipei, Taiwan<\/p>\n
\n![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/new.transversestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/transverse\/7254879_Screen-Shot-2016-09-09-at-10.45.14-AM_1064.png\")
<\/p>\n
\nWalking, heritage and public space: Stair Culture in Hong Kong<\/b>
\nWalk21 Hong Kong
\nHong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
\nWan Chai, Hong Kong<\/p>\n
\n![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/new.transversestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/transverse\/7254879_at-walk21_presenting_1267.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nArticle on Hong Kong stairs published in HK Magazine<\/b><\/p>\n
\n![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/new.transversestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/transverse\/7254879_Screen-Shot-2016-09-03-at-2.50.30-PM_1636.png\")
Image credit: HK Magazine<\/p>\n
\nArticle by Christopher DeWolf on Stair Culture project published in Zolima City Magazine<\/b><\/p>\n
\n![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/new.transversestudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/transverse\/7254879_Central_District_1946_Hedda_Morrison_RESTORED_4172217394-copy_1400.jpg\")
Pottinger Street, 1946 (Photo credit: Hedda Morrison)<\/p>\n
\nUrban Stairs as Public Spaces in High-Density Island Cities:
\nThe Case of the Central and Western District of Hong Kong Island<\/b>
\nIsland Cities and Urban Archipelagos 2016 Conference
\nUniversity of Hong Kong, Hong Kong<\/p>\n
\nThis conference brings together researchers from across the globe to explore urban life on islands and archipelagos. Islands are often associated with peripherality, yet they have long been important sites for the growth of cities. Physical separation from the mainland and spatial limitations can encourage the transport of products and ideas, improved defence infrastructure, construction of social capital, consolidation of political power, formation of vibrant cultures, and concentration of population. Some island cities were located on inland river islands and have since expanded far beyond their original borders while others are still strongly associated with their island cores. Fostering dialogue between the fields of island studies and urban studies, this interdisciplinary conference will feature presentations that explore and critique the varied connections between the urban and the insular from a diversity of perspectives on culture, planning, politics, architecture, economy, and environment in island cities worldwide. We welcome papers and panels focusing on individual case studies as well comparative analyses and conceptual frames.<\/i><\/p>\n