MOTION PICTURE

“Bamboo City” captures the most commonly applied construction method in congested urban settings, alluding to the (un)expected transformation behind the curtains. Observed under various resolutions, the film records the making and disassembling of bamboo scaffolding as part of the urban spectacle that is often overlooked in daily life. The juxtaposition of wavy fabrics and solid building blocks is an example that explains the complexity and adaptability of Hong Kong. While architectural representations are dominated by well-varnished images or propaganda, the birth, maintenance, and even death of a building in an urban context provide a rare visual experience. Whether it's an act of wrapping up the entire building that simplifies the architecture to pure geometries, or intervention that stands on limited footing space with flimsy-looking skeletons, such temporary visual alterations ceaselessly reconstruct the collective experience of Hong Kong. Even though slowed down by the constraints of the pandemic over the past years, the pace of change never suspend. In the foreseeable time, bamboo scaffoldings will continue to rebirth and grow repeatedly, along with the city's changing appearance.