The fine art of chiseling timber
Woodworking was a dying industry in Hong Kong until shifting sensibilities and a particularly fierce typhoon prompted a revival. Faye Bradley uncovers what matters most to today's woodwork aficionados.
On SoHo's Peel Street, a restored heritage building houses Crafts on Peel: a nonprofit venue and foundation. Here Hong Kong craftsmanship is celebrated through collaborations between traditional and modern designers and artists. Its current exhibition, Stories Encapsulated: Wood, pays homage to the local tradition of woodworking that once enjoyed a thriving international market.
The three-story space is showcasing a variety of wooden objects, some of them collaborative projects, made by local and overseas craftsmen. The works range from small decorative to furniture pieces, each with its own unique story. Master Siu Ping-keung and Ken Chow were inspired by the Nordic-style tambour cabinet to create Chamber of Time - its doors open to reveal intricate carved scenes depicting life in the Ming and Qing dynasties. A young trio - Yip Chun-hang, Jesse Hao and Roy Ng - carved Wood Tectonics, a pair of flower-shaped pieces, from pomelo and guava branches with a wood lathe. The Passage, a series of lacquered screw-pine utensils, are the handiwork of Master Wong Kin-hung and Jacky Lam.
