Since 2006, the Sino Group has been supporting local communities and those in need through Sino Art, which was founded to promote arts and culture through events, workshops, public art, and community engagement. One focus of the programme is partnering with local artists to paint murals on community facilities, and to organise art-related workshops and activities for underprivileged children and teenagers. Seven outdoor murals have been completed during the last three years, allowing the programme to engage with the public in a visible way. Chan Gua, an illustrator and graphic designer, was invited by Sino Art to take part in a mural project for a kindergarten. “After they had explained the project, I realised how meaningful it would be. The project became very important to me,” he explains. The opportunity to use his craft to bring joy to the public was an important motivating factor for Chan. He was inspired by the idea of sharing creativity. “I considered the definition of creativity as an expression of something beautiful. Even though the form of what we find beautiful is different for everyone, it’s important to us all – isn’t it another form of happiness?” he asks, adding: “I hope bringing art to the community, and letting the audience connect with it, helps them to feel happiness in their hearts. That is how the community benefits.” After receiving some guidelines from Sino Art, Chan started putting together his idea for the Hong Kong Christian Service Tai Hang Tung Nursery School. His research started online, looking at other murals and art ideas for kindergartens. He also discussed the project more deeply with Sino Art, with a view to drawing on their experience. “They knew what to expect, so I realised that their advice would be a plus for me,” Chan says. Chan started by using animals to express his idea. He drew a sketch showing animals playing at an amusement park, experiencing rides, such as a merry-go-round. “I showed them as friends, having fun together, and supporting each other, because I wanted to show the children they could live like that too,” he explains. The biggest challenge was getting the colour palette right. “Sino Art suggested that I shouldn’t use any bright colours, because it might feel too ‘sharp’ for little children. So I picked a very soft, pastel-based palette,” he explains. Sino Art were very open to his ideas. Chan notes: “They didn’t challenge me, they only gave advice. I felt that they pushed me to do the best project I could. It was a great experience.” One of the challenges for Chan was working with children between the ages of four and six, as he had only worked with primary and secondary school students before. He simplified his workshops by using fewer materials and letting the children do more. “I described some simple ideas to them, and then let them draw while I listened and watched. I took note of what they created, and adapted my style to reflect their thoughts,” he says. The purity of their ideas affected how they expressed themselves, he notes. “For instance, they would draw a lion in a very simple way. They wanted to show how strong lions are, and then they might roar, like a lion. It was a very real reaction – adults are not like that,” he says. In another workshop, Chan asked the children to look at the animals he was using in his illustration, and then to create their own. The idea was that the animals would have a picnic together, and the children would later pretend to be the animal they had imagined and drawn. “When you ask them why they would like to be a particular animal, they usually have very interesting answers – they are very honest,” he adds. With such bold imaginations, it’s no wonder that children benefit from a visually vibrant environment. “Art makes them happy, and I think different illustrations and styles can inspire their thinking and creativity,” Chan says. The “canvas” makes an impact, too. Painting a mural has two qualities that make it stand out. First, it’s big, and second, it’s permanent. “When you make a large banner or poster, it has a shorter lifespan. There is something long-term about painting on a wall – it merges into the fabric of life,” Chan says. A mural becomes something that community members interact with every time they pass by, and it hopefully triggers their imagination. The walls amplify everything about it – its size, its permanence, and even its standing in society. After the workshops, Chan took the children to take photos of their work in front of the large mural. “It reminded me how simple children are in their approach. I had become like a big brother figure to them, and one of the children called me “Brother Gua”as we went upstairs. It was very heartwarming,” he says. It was also the first time Chan had seen his work on such a large scale, and it inspired him, too. “I want to get people to remember what’s deep inside their hearts, because when we find that, we feel more positive,” he says. In another project, Sino Art reached out to underprivileged boys who study and live at the Shing Tak Centre, run by the Society of Boys’ Centres. Residents at the site are aged between nine and 18; those participating in the Sino Art project were around 15 to 16 years of age. Many of the boys have experienced difficulty adjusting to the normal school system. They are often from single-parent families, or they have parents who live in the mainland and have been raised in Hong Kong by their grandparents. Cheng Ching-yee, superintendent at the Shing Tak Centre, says that they are usually referred to the school by a social worker or their teachers. The Shing Tak Centre gives the boys classes similar to those at a mainstream school, but the classes are smaller, so they can receive more attention. “They also have counselling so that they can learn to cope better when they leave us. Some students go back to mainstream schools, if we decide that they can cope – and others don’t,” Cheng says. The after-school activities include learning a range of social and communication skills, which help them to manage their emotions better. “We teach them how to cope with any problems they might have with their families, and how to manage their relationships. This includes how to understand themselves as teenagers, and how to relate to others,” Cheng explains. The creative focus of the facility is on learning life skills and activities. “We look at things like cookery, dancing, and making music, because these help them find out what they are good at. It might help them think about a future career,” says Cheng. Sport is also a popular activity, and one of the exterior walls of the centre is used as a climbing wall. When architect Stanley Siu and artist Sim Chan met staff at the Shing Tak Centre to develop a Sino Art project, the ideas developed out of the centre’s motto: “Self-respect, self-discipline and self-reliance.” During a two-day workshop, the boys were given a brief grounding in art history, which moved from Renaissance to Impressionism and Pop Art. Then, the group went on a field trip to Central – a first-ever visit for many – where they looked at buildings and discussed their style and history. The boys took photographs, which they used on the second day. “It was the first time they had come across what I call graffiti art, mixed with contemporary art. After our discussion about art history, they were very inspired,” says Siu. It was something of a revelatory experience for the boys. Cheng says: “It was the first time in their lives they had closely engaged with a young and energetic professional in this way.” Meeting professionals like Siu and Chan is important for those at a facility like the Shing Tak Centre, Cheng says. First, it teaches them to express themselves, which is generally a challenge for the boys. Second, the professional artists take the boys’ lessons outside the classroom, and this inspires them. “Learning how to develop ideas, how to display artwork, and how to make your idea a reality gives them ideas for their future work,” says Cheng. Siu adds: “I made it clear that they would participate in this process by making their own version of a mural in the workshop.” This was something different for the boys, he notes: “They were used to making something in class and then putting it on a shelf.” The visit to Central was a pivotal experience, because they combined the experience with their own materials – the photos. “That is when they realised that this project was going to take place on a large scale, and it fascinated them. They understood the artwork was going to be part of real life.” The boys had to make a collage to express their own personal messages, and then share it with the class. It was an intense learning experience. “They were embarrassed, as they hadn’t done that kind of thing before,” Siu recalls, adding that one student was scared of sharing his thoughts in front of everyone. “He expressed those feelings in his work, which is what I wanted. They learned that they can express themselves visually. They also understood that one day they would be a part of society and would not have the protection of their school.” Cheng was impressed with the students. “Seeing how the boys transformed during the programme was very touching. I saw how they could be part of a large project and that they could work with professionals visiting our centre. It was incredible,” she says. Prior to the experience, the boys wouldn’t have dreamed of becoming artists or architects, or of entering any profession. “They opened themselves up to new ideas, and now they have aspirations and a desire to chase their dreams. We want to build on that,” she adds. It took three weeks to paint the mural on the outside walls of the centre. All the boys watched the process taking place. While this was going on, the dorm interiors were renovated by another Sino Group team as part of the Sino Art in Community project. “We asked the boys to bring the workers dessert, and we encouraged them to talk to them,” says Cheng. With so many volunteers and helpers on site, the boys learned what might end up being their greatest lesson: one day, they might be able to help someone else too. “They got to see their place in society and how they relate to the community,” Cheng says. “Many of them were grateful and wondered if they could help others themselves one day.” Nikki Ng, group general manager of Sino Group concludes: “We are humbled and fortunate to work with great artists, who have designed murals for the children’s community facilities filled with colours, hopes and dreams. They have also led tailor-made programmes for over 600 children and young people, using their creative energy and positive encouragement. Whether for a collage re-constructed from contemporary images of our city’s architecture or a green education workshop filled with smiling cartoon characters, all participants enjoyed the collaborative process of bringing their creative ideas to life.”
