Home Coming Exhibition • Education

About exhibition

Sham Shui Po (“SSP”) is not only known for its fashion accessories and fabric, but also famous for caged homes  and “nano” flats clustered in an unusual district. Yet, their Residences are just as perseverance as any other neighbourhood. The Mothers  in SSP strive very hard to protect their children in this challenging environment, and want to guide them onto a right path.

Hong Kong has one of the lowest crime rate in the world.  For 175 years, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is like a mother of the family, faithfully contributing everyday to the

stability so that we could grow up in a happy and safe environment.

In this exhibition, we are showcasing five former police stations including one “Yamen”.  Through arts and craft, we want to tell their stories on how they balanced the needs of the people with the Law and Order.

Whilst the formation of Kowloon Walled City, the overcrowded slum and fetid alleyways, was due to the political situation at the time, it also lead us  to reflect if Hong Kong housing issue is unprecedented or familiar ?

What could justify the upraise of today’s nano flats? How can we find a new path out of this situation ?

The Old Tai Po Police Station was key to shaping the development of today’s New Territories.

After World War 2, there were wars and riots between citizens and authorities. What position did the team at the Old Tai Po Police Station took to calm down the tension and eventually pushed forward the construction of railway in building today’s modern and peaceful Taipo.

Tai O stilt-house residents who swam across the border arriving as salt farmer and fishermen reside on small “boat house” to remain in Hong Kong. Their urge to move into a proper home is also a symbol of urgency in Hong Kong housing history . Have the urgent call of housing been heard? Is the problem still unsettled, and why ?

In the past decades, corporates and factories had gradually moved away from Hong Kong. Part time job opportunities for mothers is hard to come around. How should the society support and encourage them? Can they expand out of their comfort zone, even joined hands with other groups in need to recreate opportunities for themselves ?

Thanks to volunteers all who have devoted their hearts and time to this exhibition. We research, propose ideas and hope that collectively we can go further and be stronger.  Together we could inspire each other, ignite new design, and may be even create next chapter for us and for our city.

We hope the design of this exhibits can provoke our audience to redefine “Love Your Neighbours” and how helping others can eventually help ourselves.

This is our second annual HOME COMING exhibition at Shamshuipo SoCo Gallery to celebrate the success with our sewing mothers and their neighbours.

Exhibition details

• Exhibition Date:  11/5/2019 to 30/6/2019
• Exhibition Time:  11:00 – 18:00 (Sat /Sun ), Others by appointment
• Venue: 

1/F, 269 Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po (close to Sham Shui Po railway station Exit C2)

• (Free Admission)

Co-organisers:

Les Beatitudes

 Society for Community Organization (SoCO)    

Sponsor：

Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation

世上有無  . . . . 點都WIN (贏)?

有

盲人凹凸點字＋縫紉媽媽巧手＝Sure  WIN

點都WIN Tote Bag

Women Work Empowerment 

Project by Society for Community Organization

To support the women to grow out of poverty, Society for Community Organization (SoCO) advocates more childcare support, stronger legislations to promote family-friendly culture, and support for women’s entrepreneurship. At the same time, SoCO also partners with social enterprises, NGO and companies to offer women the opportunities to work at home, receive training and develop entrepreneurship. This could help unleash the potential of the grassroots women and may improve their livelihood.

These women are all from grassroots families and they devote themselves on caring of the family. They may be plain and ordinary, yet they are all diligent mothers. Their skillful hands, can-do spirit and the urge for a happy and fruitful life for the family lead them to sew and make leather goods for Les Beatitudes. Every stitch and thread represents these mothers’ love for their family and most of hope for the society!

Hong Kong has 1.37.7million people living in poverty and over 744,000 are women (54%). Many women are at a disadvantaged position, as they have to take care of their family and cannot work full time. In order to support women in need, SoCO has partnered with Les Beatitudes to provide training to over a hundred mothers on hand made bags and leather goods. We encourage men to support by donating their neckties as material to re-use and recycle, a ”HeForShe” project. Through the hand made art and craft, we retell the story of the city through interesting and uniquely Hong Kong heritage and transportation all via collage designs.

Underprivileged women poverty situation

HK Population  7.40 M

Poverty Pop.      1.37.7M

Female Poverty  0.744M

No of people live in

inadequate housing : 0.21M

No of women live in inadequate housing: 0.11M

Subdivided Flat : avg 100 ft

Subdivided Flat : avg $40/ft

Cage home : 15 sq ft

Cage home: HK$ 126/ ft

Source :  Statistics and Censue Department, 2017 “Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report 2017”

Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

Article 3: “States Parties shall take in all fields, in particular in the political, social, economic and cultural fields, all appropriate measures, including legislation, to ensure the full development and advancement of women, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men..”

Article 11: “States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of employment in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women,  the same right……”

Story of the mothers, please click to https://soco.org.hk/soco_past/womenexh/index.htm#story

Acknowledgement:

Co-organizer :

Les Beatutides & Ms Margaret Leung

Sponsor for exhibition in Sham Shui Po :

 Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation

Whole series of exhibition:

 Ng Teng Feng Charitable Foundation、Sino Group

Panel Design : Henry Lee

Exhibition Mounting : Henry Lee & Leo Chow

Handbags Sewing Mother:

Ling POON、Susan CHI、WONG Kwai Ying、

LAN Renjiao、LI Yuet Kam、CHEUNG Yuet Ming 、

XlAO Hao Ying、CHAN Chuen Foon 、DU Kaiyun、

CHAN Fung Sin、XIAO Ru qun、FENG LinLi、

Carmen Ling、Sofia Lam、Wong NgaNa、

Kathy CHU、Huang Xiaoqun

Advisor for Les Beatitudes:

Principal at Chun Tok School, LAI Mi Har

Vice Principal at Chun Tok School,  CHING Sau Man

SoCO Funding Partners:

Misereor

Bread for the World

The Community Chest of Hong Kong

Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic

劉卓然慈善基金 Lau Cheuk Yin Charitable Foundation

查詢 Enquiry: 27139165