Hong Kong ‘funeral-like’ white roses installation blooms again with new colours but still gets withering comments
- Authorities earlier delayed the launch of the LED flower showcase at East Kowloon Cultural Centre until the end of March after online users criticised its design
- New look draws mixed response from social media with some praising its colourful display while others mocked it as having a ‘toilet vibe’
A light flower art installation in Hong Kong’s East Kowloon has been spruced up with a variation of pink and pinkish orange hues, after drawing a wave of criticism online that mocked it for its “funeral vibe”.
The Saturday makeover of the light-emitting diode (LED) roses flower bed, originally white in the daytime and blue at night, was still incomplete, according to the Home Affairs Department, which is in charge of the installation.
The department said it wanted to review the visual impact during the day and at night.
“We need to make further adjustments to the design. We hope to complete it in March and to make an official opening,” it said.
Authorities earlier delayed the launch of the showcase until the end of March.
Images of the sea of LED roses displayed at the East Kowloon Cultural Centre in Kowloon Bay went viral on social media from Wednesday, with users commenting that the area resembled a funeral parlour.
The flower bed was covered up on Thursday and cordoned off by police following the online criticisms. Part of the display remained covered on Saturday.
The new look drew a mixed response from social media with some praising its colourful display while others mocked it as having a “toilet vibe”, given the likeness of the flowers’ material to toilet paper.
Light art installation in Hong Kong’s East Kowloon slammed for ‘funeral vibe’
Kwun Tong district councillor Cheung Ki-tang earlier revealed that the project cost more than HK$500,000 (US$64,000) and was planned as a photo-taking hotspot for young people.
Cheung said the committee members switched to LED flowers rather than the fresh ones because the latter “took too much effort in watering”.
He added that the colour and design of the flowers and its display were not discussed in the meetings because these were “minor details”.
Cheung said on Saturday he did not have any issue with the original design and that the authorities tweaked the design in response to public criticism.
“The new look is more colourful now. It’s good that the government is receptive to public opinion,” he said. “But the original design also looked good to me too.”
Councillors and members planned in January to spruce up the landscape of three locations in Kwun Tong district – the pier, city centre and the staircase outside the cultural centre – with decorations and the installation, according to the district council’s meeting notes.
Planting fresh flowers for the staircase installation was first brainstormed in the same meeting. But it was not until earlier this month that the proposal was rejected, after an interdepartmental meeting and an inspection of the venue.
“Due to technical concerns and budget limitation, the original proposal on planting flowers failed to execute,” according to the district council’s document on March 7.
Some residents who had an early peek of the display criticised the budget spent on LED lights as a “waste”, while some on social media quipped sarcastically that it was a “fair deal” to spend HK$500,000 on a “mourning hall”.
