Archive Home About
油漆部 Painting & Fiber team
May 19, 2025
I met Kan sifu (master), the man who is responsible for painting and signage designs of the trams, just outside the control area at the depot. As we chatted, he mentioned how he had to pass a very tough assessment to get the job back in the day. He said people are often quite surprised to learn that he paints the trams by hand with brushes – most assume the colours come from factory spray machines. What I found most interesting was his point that the best brushes are the old, well‑used ones, as they handle far more smoothly. Together we then set about designing the logo for the fictional R&D department we’d dreamt up for this project — "Ding Lab". Kan sifu offered plenty of professional advice on both the design and the colour palette, and in the end we came up with something we were all pleased with. Afterwards, he went off to the Machining Team to cut the plates needed for the logo. We agreed to carry on the next morning.
00:00 / 00:00
我喺電車廠控制區外約好嘅地點,同負責上色電車及標誌設計嘅簡師傅見面。傾談之間,簡師傅提到當年應徵要通過嚴格嘅考試。佢又話,好多人聽到佢係用油刷幫電車上色嘅時候都會好驚訝,大家都以為係用工廠機器噴色。佢特別提到,最好用嘅油刷其實係用過好多次嘅舊油刷,因為畫起上嚟最順手。 我哋仲同簡師傅一齊合作設計為呢個計劃特別設立嘅虛構研發部門— 「Ding Lab」嘅標誌。簡師傅喺設計同顏色選擇上都畀咗好多專業意見,最後我哋一齊完成咗一個大家都滿意嘅設計。跟住佢就去咗機械零件加工組度切割標誌要用嘅金屬板。我哋約好第二朝早再繼續。
00:00 / 00:00
About
DING LAB: The Birth of the City Cyborg

A City resembles an organism. It is always in a state of flux, moulded by interplays of preservation and abolition, nostalgia and transformation, as well as identification and alienation.


The tram is the city’s vessel. Herald as one of the earliest forms of public transportation in Hong Kong, trams have been circulating the city's lifeblood— it’s people—since the dawn of the 20th century. They cultivate and nourish stories that have arisen from every corner of the streets, fuelling the city’s relentless development. For over a century, this organic network developed into an urban ecosystem, bearing witness to the city's kaleidoscopic transformation.

Foreseen Agency, an artist duo comprising Pat Wong Wing-shan (Flyingpig) and Kachi Chan, employs a field research-driven anthropological approach to craft speculative institutional narratives that challenge social norms in relation to nostalgia and urban development. In October 2024, the duo created the fictional R&D Department “Ding Lab” – at the Tram Depot to connect with the community of workers at the Hong Kong Tramways. By visiting and learning about various departments in the Tram Depot, they explore the philosophies behind each industrial process of tram construction and its associated structural community, driving a reimagination of tram’s future. In turn, the duo developed their prototype, Tram0, a cyborg integrating biotechnology with biomechanical structures and systems.


This art project manifests a tram journey exploring Tram0. It examines the dynamics of heritage transformation and sustainability while navigating the tension between historical roots and future aspirations. This journey invites viewers to reflect on the delicate balance between critical engagement with the past and forward visions.
主辦 Presented by
節目伙伴 Programme Partner
DING LAB:城市賽博格的誕生


城市,猶如一個擁有自主意識的個體。保存與消弭、記憶與更迭、認同與差異碰撞交匯,勾勒出一座城市獨一無二的風景。


電車是城市的載體,作為香港歷史上最悠久的公共交通工具之一,電車自上世紀初開始勾勒城市的生命線,輸送她的「血液」——人們滋養每個街角萌生的故事與記憶。一個多世紀以來,這個活躍的網絡漸漸建構出一套完整的生態系統,見證這個都市永無休止的變遷。


「Foreseen Agency」由藝術家組合黃詠珊(飛天豬)和陳家智創立,他們憑藉實地考察與人類學研究方法,建構出富思辨價值的結構敘事,挑戰有關保育與發展的社會規範。2024年10月,兩位藝術家於電車廠創造虛構研發部門「Ding Lab」,以此與香港電車的師傅和車長群體緊密連結。透過走訪電車廠不同部門,藝術家深入探討電車工業的製作流程,了解其背後哲學及社群結構,藉此重新想像電車的未來,並結合生物技術與生物力學結構系統,開發未來仿生電車原型《Tram0》。


本藝術計劃借《Tram0》的探索之旅,探討文物保育與可持續發展的交錯互動,並探索過去與未來願景之間的張力。是次旅程邀請觀者深思——一座城市如何在安置自身的過去與未來之間取得微妙平衡?
Archive