How old furniture is defining Hong Kong's urban spaces

Every so often, while walking down a quiet alley or waiting for a minibus, you’ll notice a collection of mismatched furniture that seems to have been plucked from someone’s living room and deposited on the sidewalk. What’s up with that? Rosly Mok and Vanessa Chan wanted to know, so the two young designers set out to investigate the phenomenon, which has led to an ongoing project about Hong Kong’s so-called “abandoned furniture.” 

Venturing out into the places where the furniture is most common -- next to transport hubs, outside shops, in green areas where public benches are either absent or uncomfortable -- Mok and Chan interviewed the people using the chairs. “At first they were afraid to talk,” says Mok. “They thought we were from the government and we were going to fine them or take their chairs away.” Eventually, they were won over by the pair’s ready smiles and started to share the stories behind the furniture. 

“The people who design the streets in Hong Kong ignore the need for seating areas, so people in the neighborhood put some furniture they don’t need to good use,” says Mok. Shop owners put old chairs outside to give customers a place to hang out. Poh-poh and gung-gung -- grannies and gramps -- pass the day playing cards, chess or mahjong in the street or in parks. People waiting for the bus in the New Territories, where service isn’t always frequent but benches are rarely provided at stops, wait in chairs brought from home. 

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