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A classic shot of a rooftop-skimming plane approaching Kai Tak airport in the Retro Kowloon exhibition by Henry Chung.

Retro Kowloon: step back in time to 1990s Hong Kong at 3D photo exhibition

Photographer Henry Chung’s images revive memories of the city just as it was passing back to Chinese sovereignty

A sight once synonymous with Hong Kong – low-flying planes over Kowloon coming into land at Kai Tak – is showcased in a new exhibition of retro 3D photographs by one of Asia’s top cinematographers.

The Retro Kowloon collection particularly focuses on planes that used to pass over the area on the way to Hong Kong’s former international airport during the late 1990s.

The 12 images by photographer and lifelong Hongkonger Henry Chung were captured using stereoscopic lenses to merge two very similar photographs into a 3D landscape.

Photographer Henry Chung began experimenting after acquiring his first 3D camera in 1993. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
“It is really special,” he said. “It is like nothing in the world that a big aeroplane can come close to human beings. It is much clearer in 3D pictures.”

Chung took all the photographs, which have gone on display at the LCX department store in Tsim Sha Tsui, between 1997 and 1998, just as the sovereignty of Hong Kong was passed from the British back to the Chinese.

The Nathan Road parade on July 1, 1998, that marked one year since the handover
“Looking at the photographs is like going back in time,” he said. “There were no tall buildings back then. Now it has changed. It is like a forest. People have told me they love the old Hong Kong view because the scene is quieter.”

Chung, 61, who lives in Sai Wan Ho, began experimenting with 3D photography after being given a 3D camera by a mentor during a trip to Japan in 1993.

A month after its closure in July 1998, Kai Tak had become a deserted lot.
He has since moved into the world of cinematography, working with the likes of film directors Tsui Hark, Ann Hui, Jae-Young Kwak, Wayne Wong, Allen Fong and Patrick Tam.

In more recent years, he contributed to the 2012 documentary Space Junk 3D.

For Retro Kowloon, one of his images captured on Nathan Road shows the July 1 parade in 1998, which marked one year since the handover.

“It was just a celebration,” Chung said. “It was not political. But nobody stopped me even though I did not have a permit.”

The Star Ferry, a fixture in Hong Kong since the 1880s.
Another photograph shows the Star Ferry docked at Tsim Sha Tsui before it would have travelled to either Central or Wan Chai piers.

“[The Star Ferry] has a history – it is a symbol of Hong Kong,” Chung said. “It is very meaningful because it is the place where the exhibition is being held, too.”

The exhibition comes as retail outlets seek new ways to attract and retain customers.

Kathy Lee, director of research and consultancy at Savills Hong Kong, said shopping malls were under increasing pressure to set themselves apart in a highly homogenous market.

A plane comes in to land at Kai Tak.
Ad hoc exhibitions, rather than seasonal ones, were perhaps more effective for generating interest from shoppers, she said, as they faced less competition.

Locals were also more likely to be enticed by artwork than mainland tourists, she suggested, as the latter group was often more attracted by promotional deals.

“Part of it is that they are trying to create a different feeling,” she said. “The offerings are quite similar to each other – this is the only thing they can do by having these artistic events. It is a tactic that is being used. They want to create a collective memory around the shops. It is a good idea depending on when you hold [the exhibitions]. It is better when other shops are not holding them.”

Kowloon City after dark.
Mixing art and retail is not a new concept in Hong Kong. The six-storey K11 mall in Tsim Sha Tsui was heralded as the world’s first art mall in 2009. Its owners, New World Development, spent HK$20 million on permanent artwork, much of it by local artists, for the shopping centre. Exhibitions are rotated every three months.

When it was launched, Dr Adrian Cheng Chi-Kong, executive vice-chairman and joint general manager of New World Group, said K11 revolutionised the retail concept by combining art with commerce.

A spokeswoman for LCX said it hoped the Retro Kowloon exhibition would engage customers with its brand by offering art which they can identify with.

“This is not quite related to the economic side, but we just wanted to bring a mix of emotions to our shoppers, such as fun and excitement, as we create a collective memory,” she said. “By launching different exhibitions or events related to the shoppers’ life, we aim to engage them with LCX and further bring our brand value to their daily life.”

Retro Kowloon runs until June 30.

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