Instigating the Collective Natures of a Kowloon Neighborhood
廟街廿三號天台樹關注組: 來問天台樹—召喚油麻地街坊的共同生態
Published in Chun-Fung Lee (ed.), Wooferten AAiR 2011-12: Art/Activist in Residence, (pp. 151–159) October, 2014. Hong Kong: Wooferten.
There is a resilient fig tree growing out of nothing (from a slab of concrete) on the rooftop of 23 Temple Street. Nothing is known on the origin and story of this pioneer plant which is our mission to research. Project Save Rooftop Tree 23 Temple Street was an attempt to spark the imagination of local residents and neighbors around a wild-grown tree on the rooftop of a mostly vacated 5-story building. Through collecting signatures towards a petition, organizing rooftop events, and asking neighbors with tree view to take photos from their homes, the project facilitated a network of fresh conversations and unusual connections. The resulting stories and (moving) pictures capture something of the diversity of people and opinions and the of this old Yaumatei neighborhood.
在 廟街二十三號的天台上有一棵來歷不明的大葉榕； 它從石屎牆壁爆破而出，表現頑強的生命力。有關此樹的起源及 故事正是這計劃的探究開始。由瑞士藝術家 Markus Wernli 聯同一群年青義工團隊合作策 動，「廟街廿三號天台樹關注組」希望藉著一棵 生長在幾近荒廢的唐樓上的野生榕樹來燃起鄰 近街坊對這個社區的想像。這個計劃透過收集 簽名的請願行動、天台上的聚會及街坊分享從 自己的窗前拍攝天台樹的攝影展等……從而在社區中促使一個嶄新的對話網絡和不尋常的連結。
Keywords: Fig tree, urban wilderness, collective meaning, participant-led documentation, social practice art.
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