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"Duologue Between Islands” reveals the lost cultural, social and political connections between a small quarrying village and the metropolitan city of Hong Kong through the discovery of an unorthodox colonial history engraved upon the abandoned remains of a Kowloon Peninsula quarry.
Using the primary material of Hong Kong’s colonial heritage - granite - the project rethinks the role of material in artistic, cultural and political practice. The design continues the story of its stone, connecting the village to the city through materials, skills and architecture, juxtaposing history, artefacts, the natural and the human through learning, crafting and conversation.
In response to a deteriorating colonial heritage and a continued marginalisation of the village, the scheme aims to resuscitate the story of granite and preserve its cultural identity, proposing maintenance facilities and a sculpting school within the quarry itself. The scheme also provides space for discussion and council, empowering the villagers to run the facilities and dictate their own future.
Embedded gently within the quarry, a hierarchy of courtyards enables gathering, maintenance and teaching.
The interconnectedness of space reveals the connection between industry, cultural and politics within the quarrying village.
A training school for sculpting and stone carving, upholding craft and preserving its history.
A casting workshop becomes a crucial part of the scheme, where copies of artefacts are made for the purpose of learning, later being synthesised into the building itself.