Archive Home About
油漆部 Painting & Fiber team
May 20, 2025
I arrived at the tram depot at eight in the morning. Walking along the tracks, I met a sifu (master), who’s been working here for forty years. He was wonderfully kind – he handed me a tissue to wipe my sweat and reminded me to watch my step carefully inside the depot. When I reached the Painting & Fiber team, Kan sifu was busy spraying grey paint onto the inside of a tram roof. As soon as he spotted me, he rushed over so we could carry on with the "Ding Lab" logo. He'd already prepared the printout for us. First we used spray paint on the metal plate, then started cutting the stencil we'd need for colouring. The stencil was very delicate. Kan sifu reminded me to keep small details connected to the overall template while cutting, so the design would look sharper in the end. I sat down on a tiny children’s stool and got to work. At first I found the craft knife hard to control, but once I started treating it like a pen, it became easier. After about an hour I’d only managed half and my hand was sore, so in the end I passed it back to Kan sifu to finish. When it came to painting, Kan sifu reminded me to press away any extra ink on scrap paper first, then build up the colour slowly, layer by layer. He also suggested adding a few more shades to make the stencil stand out. We were both really pleased with the result, and decided it should be displayed in our temporary office. As we chatted, I remembered Kan sifu once mentioned that the green paint used on trams had changed over the years. So I asked if he remembered the difference. The new green is deeper and more elegant; the old one, he explained, was too stiff and difficult to work with.
00:00 / 00:00
我朝早八點就到咗電車廠,沿住路軌行嘅時候,遇到已經喺度做咗四十年嘅師傅。師傅好好人,特登遞張紙巾畀我抹汗,提我喺廠入面行要小心睇路。 到咗油漆及纖維組,簡師傅忙緊為電車車頂內側噴灰油,一見到我就趕過嚟同我繼續整「Ding Lab」嘅標誌。簡師傅已經幫我哋準備好打印稿。我哋首先用噴漆幫金屬板上色,然後就開始裁剪上色要用嘅模版。 張模版做得好精細。簡師傅專登提我,裁剪嗰陣要保留啲細節同整體模板相連,咁樣會好睇啲。我坐咗喺張小朋友凳仔度,開始裁剪工作。初時我覺得把𠝹刀好難控制,但後尾當佢筆咁用,就慢慢上手。剪咗一個鐘剪咗一個鐘之後,我先完成一半,手開始痛,所以最後都係交返畀簡師傅接手完成。 到上色階段,簡師傅就不停提我,落墨之前要喺廢紙度印走多餘嘅墨,同埋要一層一層輕輕力咁上色。佢仲建議加多幾隻色,令個模版更加突出。我哋都非常滿意成品,仲打算將佢掛喺我哋嘅臨時辦公室度展示。 閑談之間,記得師傅之前提過電車用嘅綠色油漆都經歷過演變,於是我就問簡師傅仲記唔記得有咩分別。佢話宜家嘅再沉啲、優雅啲;舊時嗰隻油漆就因為唔夠柔軟,所以好難上色。
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