What is Hong Kong like?
It is the pedestrians walking in a hurry between the towering buildings, the boats coming and going against the blue sea and blue sky of Victoria Harbour, or the momentary time shadows left in the memory of classic films such as "Chongqing Forest" and "Infernal Affairs".
West Kowloon Station is filled with people every day and is the starting point for many tourists to explore Hong Kong. The fastest high-speed train from Guangzhou to West Kowloon takes less than an hour, while it takes only 14 minutes to get from Futian, Shenzhen. Tourists arriving in Hong Kong gather here, eager to cross the sea to embrace the prosperity of the other side.
△View of the M+ Building in the West Kowloon Cultural District from Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. Photo: M+ Museum
Like most hurried tourists, we tend to think of West Kowloon as a mere transport hub, and inadvertently ignore the rich cultural and art exhibitions and pleasant waterfront scenery of the West Kowloon Cultural District.
The stunning waterfront is home to the M+ Museum, Asia's first global museum of contemporary visual culture. It's one of the world's largest museums of modern and contemporary visual arts in the arts and culture, and there's so much more to explore for visitors.
It is the most beautiful museum in Victoria Harbour
When the lights are on, whether you look out from Central, Sheung Wan or Victoria Peak, you can be attracted by the bright colors of the high-rise buildings, and the building that looks like a giant "LED" screen is actually a visual culture museum standing at the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula.
Walking distance from West Kowloon Station, you can reach the foot of the building in about half an hour. Designed by Herzog and de Meuron in collaboration with TFP Farrells and Arup, M+ is an inverted T-shaped building with a horizontal podium and a slender longitudinal building, which caters to the needs of exhibition space on the lower level and office space on the upper level.
△Exterior of the M+ Building Photo/M+ Museum
"Buildings should not only be designed to respond to their surroundings, but also to complement them...... "Designers Herzog and de Meuron agreed. The overall industrial appearance of the building and the seaside curtain wall all show the visual and avant-garde side of the museum, echoing the modern cityscape on the opposite bank.
When visitors walk into the building, they can see many traditional and humane details. At the entrance of the museum, a cluster of translucent chandeliers, neatly arranged, caught our attention first.
△The giant chandelier at the entrance of the M+ Museum. It is also the first stop for many young people to visit the museum to check in and take pictures. Photo/Xiaohongshu @ Huang Thirty
At first glance, the chandelier looks like a traditional hat, but in fact it is a more modern design of the red plastic lamp that is standard in Hong Kong's markets, referencing the design of the lamps that have been carried over from the end of the last century. The Hong Kong-inspired lamps are a silent tribute to the local culture and echo the passing years.
If the lamps represent the smoky and lively city of Hong Kong, then the terracotta wall decorations like ink and bamboo represent the secluded and profound side of traditional Chinese culture.
△The façade of the M+ Museum. They are both a habitat for small birds and a reflection of the blend of ancient and modern. Photograph/Xiaohongshu@kk photograph
Borrowing from the glazed tiles used in traditional Chinese roofs, the M+ building features a columnar tubular terracotta tile layer on the platform that covers the walls and columns of the basement lobby and the windows of the building's curtain wall.
△The hollow design in the M+ Museum allows sunlight to shine in on sunny days, full of architectural lines. Photo/Xiaohongshu @ Huang Thirty
Entering the museum, the cold and hard industrial wind transforms into a more leisurely and warm form. The interior of the building is very well lit, and the sunlight splashes through the glass at will to create irregular blocks of light and shadow. The spiral staircase that connects the space is bathed in soft daylight, so that even if the space is deep, visitors will not feel oppressed.
△ Sunlight is the most natural filter, and many young people take photos in the museum against the sunshine. Photo/Zhiwu
The application of bamboo and wood materials in space can be seen everywhere. Benches made of bamboo and wood, column partitions, lockers, bamboo-decorated floors, walls, wooden floors, spiral staircase treads, etc., combined with the blue sea and blue sky outside the fence, make people feel as if they have entered a ship that is about to sail into the sea of art.
The M+ Museum's 17,000 square metres of exhibition space is divided into 33 galleries, three cinemas, a multimedia centre, a learning house, and a rooftop garden with panoramic views of Victoria Harbour.
△The rooftop garden is an excellent place to watch the sunset over Victoria Harbour. Photo: M+ Museum
This museum is not only a temple of modern visual art culture, but also a check-in place for trendy youth in the Bay Area. At the end of the day, you can climb to the rooftop garden and enjoy the sunset over Victoria Harbour.
The towering Victoria Peak and distant islands form a curtain of sea and sky, and with the embellishment of boats, the Harbour City, the Hong Kong Observation Wheel and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the other side of the river are gradually presented in a splashed golden frame, which together outlines the most beautiful scenery of Victoria Harbour.
In the museum, meet the crit of art
For anyone who wants to immerse themselves in contemporary visual culture and art, the M+ Museum is a must-see. If you want to get a closer look at the different exhibitions, it's best to dedicate a full day to them, because for no other reason than to be too informative.
In an international metropolis with a colorful cultural life, what characteristics should a museum have? When the public has a public exhibition space, can it be used as a medium to embrace more?
△Visitors to the M+ Museum with cameras and notebooks. Photo/Zhiwu
Ikko Yokoyama, Lead Curator of Design and Architecture at M+, has travelled to all corners of the world before moving to Hong Kong, and has a deep understanding of cultural integration. In an interview with the media, she said: "Human creation and thought are interconnected, so the focus is not on celebrating the uniqueness of the individual, but on the universal sharing of knowledge and culture." ”
As a result, we can see many exhibitions and works in the museum that span continents and oceans and span centuries of historical dialogue. As a visual museum, the exhibition hall not only contains paintings and sculptures under the traditional art classification, but also many architectural design, industrial design and installation art that mobilize the five senses.
△ The ongoing "Objects, Spaces, Interactions" exhibition showcases more than 500 pieces of furniture, architecture, graphic art and other design works made in or influenced by Asia over the past 70 years. Photo: M+ Museum
Currently on display on the first floor is the Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Black and White – Photographic Narratives, co-organized by M+ and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. This is not only the M+ Museum's first special exhibition dedicated to photography, but also the opening programme of the 2024 French May Festival.
The beauties dressed in cheongsams on the streets of Hong Kong, the lonely streets of Paris at midnight, the sparkling landscapes, and the remnants of the dry ponds scattered with a few branches...... Between 1950 and 1960, although color printing technology was popular, those who insisted on black and white photography left a legacy for future generations.
△ "Black and White - Photographic Narrative" Exhibition (swipe right to view) / Little Red Book @ Orange Xiaoyu
This major monographic exhibition features the work of more than 170 internationally renowned photographers, including the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, which is on public display on a large scale for the first time in Asia. The history emanating from the black-and-white images spanning nearly a century evokes not only nostalgia but also a perception of reality.
From black and white light and shadow to a bright and colorful world, you only need to climb the stairs. The exhibition hall on the second floor is on display with the theme of "Rainbow Rainbow", focusing on the works of Japanese "rainbow artists" from the early 1950s to the 2000s.
It is an exhibition hall surrounded by rainbows, and the rainbow canvas that pours down from the center of the room is so bright that just stepping into it is a pleasure to step into.
△ "Vomiting: Rainbow Rainbow Rainbow" exhibition (swipe right to view) Photo: M+ Museum
The ability to create works that bring joy to all is due to the fact that he has a universal mentality in the process of artistic creation, and he firmly believes that art should be as accessible as possible. This anti-elitist mindset led him to create his signature rainbow motifs, which have been embodied in countless canvases, sculptures, and environmental creations over the past six decades. (Another: The exhibition period ends on May 5, hurry up the last train of the May Day holiday!)
On the second floor, the M+ Sigg Collection: Beyond, opens with the dynamic work "Old People's Home", in which thirteen simulated elderly people sit in slow-moving wheelchairs, occasionally colliding like bumper cars. This absurd and bizarre scene reflects the artist's thinking about the world order.
△ Surrounded and watched by visitors, the old man in a wheelchair slowly collided and then separated. Photo/Ah Zhen
In the exhibition, we can also see many familiar video records and daily objects from the back and forth of the millennium, while the great changes in society are pieced together in the clues of life.
M+ Sigg Collection: A Farewell Biography is a visual exploration of the style and practice of contemporary art in China from the 1990s to the present, focusing on artists' reflections on cultural identity and confusion about the new era in the midst of China's rapidly transforming social and economic development in the 90s of the 20th century.
If the Sigg Collection uses different forms of artistic presentation to deconstruct social development, then the exhibition "Mountains and Waters" not only soothes our impetuous minds, but also brings more thoughts about man and nature. In the post-industrial era, the relationship between landscape and human beings is becoming more and more complex.
△ "Mountains and Waters" Exhibition Photo/M+ Museum
When we shuttle through different exhibition halls, the biggest feeling is richness. This enrichment is not only due to the number of exhibitions, but also to the constant viewing, thinking and feeling of visitors.
Tan Jing, the manager of "White Night", once compared space to a box, which can hold everything or be extremely empty. In the process of changes in the world and the passage of time, people's new knowledge is constantly born. And a public space can do more than just fill a box.
The most chill museum in Hong Kong, I nominate it
What is it like to enter a "jungle-style" museum?
During the tour, a colleague suddenly exclaimed, "This is a great place for dating." For young people, a day out at a museum is a great way to wash off their social juices.
The M+ Museum has just that magic in mind. Floor-to-ceiling glass allows the museum to be lit through, and the divided pavilion can stimulate visitors' desire to explore.
△Interior view of M+ Museum. Through the wooden fence, you can see the sea view of Victoria Harbour. Photo/Sang Yu
Like all the "Crispy Youth", we were exhausted after two or three enthusiastic visits to the exhibition halls. If you want to swim in the ocean of art, it is necessary to have just the right rest.
For visitors who want to spend a full day in the museum, the public rest facilities are like a life-sustaining artifact. In the museum, the seats and interactive areas that can be seen everywhere allow us to take a breather after walking tens of thousands of steps a day.
The small divided spaces in the exhibition hall and the areas where you can sit and admire the works are both open and private, and the "jungle feeling" also gives people a rare relaxation from the forward-driven viewing route.
△The grand staircase in the M+ Museum is an open space for resting and enjoying daily short films. Photo: M+ Museum
The museum's multimedia center and grand staircase are both resting spaces and allow visitors to embrace art in another way: in the multimedia center you can watch artworks on demand for free, and in the grand staircase, you can sit with friends and watch and discuss short art films that are shown in public.
A large staircase like this, which can accommodate many people to rest, is not only present in the museum, but also outside the building, which faces the Victoria Harbour. When we want to take a short break from the artwork during the tour, sit on the steps, blow the sea breeze, and listen to the whistle of the departing ships not far away, our brains are also empty.
△Visitors sit on the steps outside the M+ Museum. Photo/Sang Yu
For ordinary people, they can embrace art, or they can simply want to find a "spiritual refuge" in the crowded city to spend a day in the crowded city, which is not only a free choice of humanity, but also the meaning of the existence of the city's public living room. Fortunately, M+ is able to meet both of these needs.
Even the rich cultural creativity can accurately hit the hearts of young people. Facts have proved that more and more young tourists have gradually abandoned the cookie-cutter souvenirs of tourist attractions, and the unique cultural and creative peripherals of museums, art galleries and other places have become everyone's favorite to prepare souvenirs.
△The M+ Shop has a lot of exhibition-only merchandise and cultural and creative goods, and it is also the last stop for many young people before leaving the museum. Photo/Little Red Book@AmandaHK
For example, a new collaboration between M+ Stores and Zaha Hadid Design brings legendary architect Zaha Hadid's concept of 'artificial geology' to young people's daily lives, using everyday objects such as tableware, enamel pins, T-shirts, and backpacks as carriers.
△ In 1983, architect Zaha Hadid attracted international attention with this project. The complex and fragmented form of the architectural scheme presents what Hadid describes as "man-made geology" – the design of this untouched architectural landmark seems to soar and float above the congestion and tension of Hong Kong, defying gravity. Photo: M+ Museum
At the end of the day, the sunset was shining, and the large grass outside the museum was unconsciously "grown" with tourists resting and taking pictures, and locals walking their dogs and working, and there were also groups of people sitting and chatting on the big steps facing Victoria Harbour. Unlike the hectic life in Hong Kong, the sense of freedom and comfort here is like a sea breeze blowing on Victoria Harbour.
△ M+ Museum at sunset. After closing, the inside of the museum is empty, and the open space outside the museum begins to liven up. Photo/Sang Yu
At this point, you feel that the building is not just a museum, but a breathing, relaxing public space of the city. The meaning of travel is probably to find the freedom at your disposal in the crevices of life and enjoy it as much as possible at the most suitable time and place.
#头条创作挑战赛#