• Corporation
  • Project Period
  • Project Type
  • Approved Budget
  • St. James' Settlement
  • Completion on 31 March 2016
  • 1st Round Approved Project
  • Around HK$3,000,000
Objective To Kwa Wan district has once played an important role on Hong Kong industrial development. To Kwa Wan House of Stories became a platform for community participation and engaged local residents in discovering and unfolding the indigenous histories and local culture, with the purpose of cultivating people’s sense of belonging to the community. Together with art groups in To Kwa Wan, art and cultural programme engaged community stakeholders in revitalizing the old urban district in the long run.
Activities

“Toka” To Kwa Wan House of Stories
With the generous support from Urban Renewal Fund, “Toka”was found in 2014, aims to raise the sense of identity, rebuild the public image of To Kwa Wan, as well as to revitalize this old urban district through art and culture. In the past two years, around 200 programmes and events were organized with over 18,000 man-times of participants engaged.

We started with digging out the community histories with local residents to build their identity. We interviewed over 30 residents in the community, and the oral histories collected was edited into publication, namely, “On the same page, To Kwa Wan”- community map, 4,000 copies made and distributed to schools and public. Also, two exhibitions were organized on the former glory of manufacturing industries and the livelihood of To Kwa Wan respectively. We trained up locals to be the community docents to share the histories and development of To Kwa Wan.

Also, “To Ka“ bring art, culture and upcycling to the community. We collected wasted material from shops, e.g. clothes, moon-cake package box, onion peeling etc, and invite artists and designers work on products make out of these wasted material, series of upcycled products were launched, e.g. Racks making of moon-cake package box, furniture making of pallet packing. And we organized grassroots women to form “Jik Jik Team”. They make tie-dyed and sewing products out of wasted material, which are warmly welcomed by the public. In collaboration with art groups, we held Chinese opera shows and movie screening, hope to revitalize the community with art and culture.