The City Book by Production Q

The newly-launched 'THE CITY BOOK', is not your run-of-the-mill city guide. A labour of love, the book is littered with quotes or texts from the personal stories of city-based artists, and what it is about the city of Hong Kong that inspires them. The Hong Kong edition features artists such as Au Yeung Nai Chim, Enoch Cheung, Evan Wu, Tsang Kin-Wah, Ho Sin Tung, Lau Ching Ping, Romaine Jacquet-Lagreve, Jin Meyerson, Charles Munka and Lok Ming Fung.

Bound in a luxurious handcover with beutifully embossed text, 'THE CITY BOOK' is any coffee-table book lovers dream. The book comes with an illustrated pull-out map to provide travellers with a new way of looking at the familiar streets of Hong Kong. 

Just before the launch of 'THE CITY BOOK', we spoke to Queenie Rosita Law, the brainchild behind Q Productions and 'THE CITY BOOK' to tell us more about how the publication came about and what to expect from it.

Tell us more about 'The City Book' and why you decided to create it.

'THE CITY BOOK', is an art publication project by Production Q, looking at the city through artists' eyes: a different city guidebook and carries a map of scenes that have inspired art over the years

'THE CITY BOOK' unveils the narratives that breathe life into a city through artwork. We’ve carefully selected artists with strong links to the city. Each Citybook explores a city through their perspectives, revealing a facet of the city's character and identity that travelers may not experience on their own.  

Each artist provides his or her personal story of city life through texts, images or anecdotes, interpreting themes from heritage to language and identity. These stories are then linked to locations on an illustrated map to provide readers with a tangible guide, allowing a kind of dialogue to emerge between the reader and the artist as the reader navigates the city's stories through the book. We’ve packaged it in a luxurious hardcover format, too.

Why have we created it? It’s because I believe there is always more than one story attached to a place, to a street, or to a corner. If a place inspires an individual to be an artist and to create a certain artwork, this artwork reveals a perspective unique to the artist. I want to share that.

How did you go about choosing the artists that are featured in the book?

I did a lot of research on different artists, their work and their background and vision. From there I usually have a rough direction of the angle I would like to create with them. Then I went on to meet with them face to face and hear them talk about their stories and how their artwork relates to the city.

 

Could you tell us more about the artists and their work?

For the Hong Kong edition, the artists that are featured in the book are:

Tsang Kin-Wah. Through his Chinese and English text illustrations, he talks about the language and how Cantonese swear words are unique to the HK citizens’ sense of humor.

Au Yeung Nai Chim. His watercolour paintings, drawings and stories are about the disappearing sites of Hong Kong.

Jin Meyerson. His swirl-like intense paintings are about the intensity and movement of the city.

Charles Munka does mixed media paintings using Hong Kong materials, for example, buttons, wheels and stationery (he also used the materials that are being used to build the city) as elements and inspiration for his paintings.

Lau Ching Ping a photographer who talks about the empty air and spirit of the Hong Kong people.

Enoch Cheung does photography and shares stories of the New Territories and its cultural and physical changes.

Evan Wu uses illustrations and drawings to reveal the basic activities of Hong Kong locals.

Ho Sin Tung, her collection of photographs of guest house names explore how in Chinese culture your name determines your destiny. The guest houses are named after different countries.

Lok Ming Fung. Ceramic works, the creations are a story between her and chef Uwe the Executive Chef at the Mandarin Oriental’s Mandarin Grill + Bar ).

Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze. Photographs, the graphical elements and the abstract form of the city.

 

What are some of your favourite art/culture spots in Hong Kong?

I love seeing a street or an area that changes due to the people who come and go in the city, or because of new trends. A recent favourite is Po Tuck street in Sai Wan. Also Sham Shui Po

Which cities do you plan on covering next?

Singapore or Paris.

 

What are you looking forward to in Asia for 2016?

Growing Production Q as a creator, using art as a medium, nurturing and producing even more meaningful projects that involve various different creative forms.

'THE CITY BOOK' can be purchased online via their website here.

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Images courtesy of Q Productions and Queenei Rosita Law

Any views or opinions in the post are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the company or contributors.