New | Occupy Central activists craft a more comfortable sleep in Admiralty

Old T-shirts are being transformed by Occupy activists into works of art with a practical purpose – providing a little comfort for protesters sleeping on Hong Hong’s hard streets.

Pieced together on a wooden frame, the mats are the work of a group of friends already known for designing posters and stickers still visible throughout the Admiralty protest zone.

“We were thinking what else we could do after making the posters and stickers,” design graduate Ho Chan, 24, said, explaining how they came up with the idea for the mats.

“After all, everyone needs a good night’s sleep,” he said.

It took about three hours for three to four people to make a sleeping mat long enough for an adult of above-average height, he said while showing others how to do the work.

One mat featuring a yellow umbrella against a grey-scale backdrop has been on display since October 22 at “Umbrella Square” on Harcourt Road where Occupy leaders make their speeches.