AIR

Winner

Siu Wai Hang - The Roadsider

Siu Wai Hang Container Port Road, the main roadway to Kwai Tsing Container Terminals, is one of the most crowded ports in the world.
Siu Wai Hang At Kwai Tsing Container Terminals, trucks and lorries always cause traffic jams on nearby roadways. The air quality is abominable due to extensive vehicle emissions.
Siu Wai Hang Causeway Bay, is one of the districts in Hong Kong in which air pollution levels are always high due to heavy traffic.
Siu Wai Hang Lau Fau Shan, there are many container yards in this area. Close to Shenzhen, trucks and lorries are often passing through the area.
Siu Wai Hang Hennessy Road, is one of the busiest roadways in Hong Kong. There are always traffic jams of buses and cars emitting exhaust fumes.
Siu Wai Hang Lung Kwu Tan Road, only one road passes through Lung Kwu Tan Village. Every truck takes this route to both the landfill and the power station.
Siu Wai Hang Mong Kok is another highly polluted district in Hong Kong, because of its serious vehicle emissions problem.
Siu Wai Hang Nim Wan Road, is the only route for garbage trucks dumping our everyday waste in Lung Kwu Tan landfill. Most vehicles carry construction waste.
Siu Wai Hang Tseung Kwan O, has the biggest landfill in Hong Kong. Trucks transfer 4,800 tons of waste every day, dust and truck emissions remain along the road, absorbed by roadside vegetation and breathed in by pedestrians.
Siu Wai Hang Municipal waste, including food waste, is dumped in the Tseung Kwan O landfill. The foul smell emitted from the landfill has affected the surrounding districts for over 10 years.

Biography

Siu Wai Hang graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Media from The School of Creative Media, The City University of Hong Kong. He went on to obtain his Master of Fine Art from the Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 2010, Siu presented a solo exhibition Metropolis Chlorophyll in K11 Art Mall Hong Kong. He has participated in various group exhibitions such as Pingyao International Photography Festival 2013, Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards 2012, Hong Kong EYE, Image on the Run and Dine at Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate. His works are represented in the collections of The Legislative Council of Hong Kong, The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong, and various private collections. Both Hong Kong and China cultural media have written about his artworks as well.

Project Statement

Vehicle emissions are a major source of air pollution at street level in Hong Kong — particularly in urban areas. Of specific concern are emissions from diesel commercial vehicles including trucks, buses and public light buses, which produce large amounts of particulates and nitrogen oxides. In a crowded urban environment with busy road traffic, like Hong Kong, pollutants can be trapped at street level.

The aim of this project is to photograph collected samples of roadside vegetation from several districts in Hong Kong located close to or in landfills, container yards, and urban areas. These include Lung Kwu Tan, Tseung Kwan O, Lau Fau Shan, Kwai Chung, Mong Kok and Causeway Bay. The plants were easily collected, because the roots and branches were weak and fragile due to the adverse conditions in which they lived. Dust, particles, and toxic gases block the sunlight, and stop photosynthesis, killing roadside vegetation. The same toxins that roadside vegetation absorb, is actually what we breathe on the streets everyday in Hong Kong. The death of vegetation is a reflection of Hong Kong’s abominable air quality.

Polluted plant specimens were photographed using a standardized typological photography methodology. Details of tiny particles and dust covering each sample of roadside vegetation are visible in each photo, emphasizing that vehicle emissions is a main culprit of air pollution in Hong Kong.