Karin Weber Gallery

Leo Wong | Luk Pei Seung: Doctor's Bag is gradually disappearing from the city of Hong Kong When I first saw the bag, I felt its 'heaviness' Creases are everywhere on the brown leather When I open the bag, its emptiness echoes its longing for memory
黄振钦 | 陆皮箱: 医生手提包在香港这个都市和制度化的城市中,已经慢慢消失了。当我第一眼看到它时感觉到一种沉重啡黑的皮革渗透一度度痕迹一种历史和经历但打开时却有种空洞的感觉沉重阔大,却空无一物余下只用有泥啡色黑洞般渴求一切能记忆他,填满他的被遗忘的气息

Leo Wong | Luk Pei Seung: Doctor's Bag is gradually disappearing from the city of Hong Kong When I first saw the bag, I felt its 'heaviness' Creases are everywhere on the brown leather When I open the bag, its emptiness echoes its longing for memory
黄振钦 | 陆皮箱: 医生手提包在香港这个都市和制度化的城市中,已经慢慢消失了。当我第一眼看到它时感觉到一种沉重啡黑的皮革渗透一度度痕迹一种历史和经历但打开时却有种空洞的感觉沉重阔大,却空无一物余下只用有泥啡色黑洞般渴求一切能记忆他,填满他的被遗忘的气息。

Leo Wong | Luk Pei Seung: Doctor's Bag is gradually disappearing from the city of Hong Kong When I first saw the bag, I felt its 'heaviness' Creases are everywhere on the brown leather When I open the bag, its emptiness echoes its longing for memory
黄振钦 | 陆皮箱: 医生手提包在香港这个都市和制度化的城市中,已经慢慢消失了。当我第一眼看到它时感觉到一种沉重啡黑的皮革渗透一度度痕迹一种历史和经历但打开时却有种空洞的感觉沉重阔大,却空无一物余下只用有泥啡色黑洞般渴求一切能记忆他,填满他的被遗忘的气息。

Leo Wong | Luk Pei Seung: I found several pieces of tools in Mr. Chan's fabric shop including scissors and a wooden chair. Although they have long lost their original lustre, Mr. Chan still looks after them very well and believes they are much better in quality than those mass produced.
黄振钦 | 陆皮箱: 在陈先生的店内我发现了不少旧工具,一把裁缝剪,一把椅子等,虽然它们已经脱落旧日光彩,但陈先生却很珍而重之地使用和打理它们,更说出它们的万般好,并不是现今在消费文化下诞生的新生儿可以相比的。

Leo Wong | Luk Pei Seung: When I stepped into Mr. Chan’s shop, I was pleasantly surprised that he arranged the fabric neatly. It seemed that a kind of order existed amongst the fabric. This feeling of tidiness echoed Mr. Chan who wore a plain white shirt and a pair of black dress pants. He maintained an upright posture in his every move. The shop was like an extension of his personality. Nothing more and nothing less. It reminded me of Hong Kong in 1970s and 80s.
黄振钦 | 陆皮箱: 当我进入陈先生的店铺时,我不禁哗然,他的布匹真的排列得很整齐,犹如有一种规则存在于布料彼此之间,笔直地站立于彼此之间,互相支持着对方。这种感觉不禁和陈先生串连在一起,当天他正穿着一件简洁朴素的白恤衫和一条挺直起骨的黑西裤,他的一动一静都是笔挺而立,没有半点弯下腰来。这不禁令我联想店铺的一切犹如是他个性的伸延,整齐的排列,简洁的摆设,建构一个怎样的他,简单朴素,没有多余的,充满着70至80年代老香港的味道。

Leo Wong | Luk Pei Seung: I was very intrigued by the fact that whenever Mr. Chan talked about fabric in his shop, he unknowingly touched the fabric back and forth with his thumb. It was like he was having a conversation with it. He could tell its origin, brandname, thread count and history effortlessly. Whereas most shops nowadays really make an effort informing customers the fabric or maybe they do not know much about it.
His gesture triggered me to contemplate the meaning of fabric or clothes. Are they only products which make people look fashionable or keep them warm?
黄振钦 | 陆皮箱:
当陈先生说起布料时,他一个不自觉的动作一直令我很感兴趣,拿起布料后用他的母指轻轻来回磨擦,如像和它对话般,之后便能说出布料的由来,那个品牌、用了多少针、和一些有关它的历史。这和现今其它从事布料买卖的店家很不一样,他们只管买卖,从不多说明,可能亦不了解自已手上的布料,它们只是一件死物、货品,用作买卖,并没有太大的意义。
但他这个举动,不禁令我思考布料、衣服对我们的意思,它们只是一件产品,让我更时尚或功能性上为我保暖呢?

Mr. Chan Sun posed in his fabric store 'Lee Loy Piece Goods Company'
陈申先生于他的店铺「利来呢绒行」留影

Event Details

Event

'Luk Pei Seung'

Date + Time

1 November 2016 - 31 December, 2017

Location

Karin Weber Gallery, Central, Sheung Wan

Info

‘Luk’ in Cantonese pronunciation stands for ‘six’. In Chinese, it is written as either 陸 or 六.
This art project involves six young emerging Hong Kong artists, each of them will be given a vintage briefcase to create artwork. Hence ‘Luk Pei Sheung’.

‘Luk’ in Cantonese pronunciation stands for ‘six’. In Chinese, it is written as either 陸 or 六.
This art project involves six young emerging Hong Kong artists, each of them will be given a vintage briefcase to create artwork. Hence ‘Luk Pei Sheung’.

We kick off our project with artist Leo Wong, click here for the promotional video.

Leo Wong | Luk Pei Seung | Lee Loy Piece Goods Company:

Mr. Chan Sun is 75 years old. He has worked in the fabric industry since 1962. His shop is named Lee Loy Piece Goods Company which used to be located at Wing On Street which is near The Centre in Central nowadays. Decades ago, the whole Wing On Street was full of shops selling fabric. His shop was relocated to Western Market in 1992 because of redevelopment. Although he enjoyed cheap rental for his current shop, business is not so good. The future of his shop is uncertain as there is possibility of redevelopment of Western Market by the government next year.

A lot of the fabrics in his shop are made in UK which he imported many decades ago. He praised their quality for they last a lifetime. He can tell the origin and and quality of each fabric with ease. Mohair is favored by Japanese in making suits in the 1960s as they believed Mohair has the quality of reducing radiation. And there was a UK tourist who visited his shop several years that pointed out the logo of Reid & Taylor Scotland is designed by him many years ago. As usual, Mr. Chan took out the fabric by saying ‘Let me show you and we talk about it.’ The word ‘vicuna’ is embroidered onto the edge of the fabric. ‘This fabric is not prohibited from export now. If you touch it you will know how superior it is.’

On the day of photography, an old customer bought two yards of camel color cashmere fabric for making suit. He was a tailor before and remarked that he would love to buy the British wool fabric that is shipped via Suez Canal meaning he missed the quality in the good old days. During their conversation, names of fabric shops no longer exist in Nathan Road were mentioned.

As to why Mr. Chan’s shop is named ‘Piece Goods’? He explained that shops selling fabric for making suits were all called ‘Piece Goods’ in those days in order to differentiate from shops selling cotton fabric.

The work by artist Leo Wong is long awaited. It will be the result of his encounter with Mr. Chan.

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