Back Alley Analysis

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SOME UNIQUE SCENES IN BACK ALLEYS AND WHY WE SHOULD KEEP IT JUST THE WAY IT IS - AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL WOLF Back alleys in Hong Kong are very common space, nothing unusual, sometimes it is too dirty to even think of it. However, Michael Wolf, a photographer who had been living in Hong Kong for over a decade, finds it fascinating. He has been taking pictures of back alleys ever since he arrived Hong Kong. So what exactly does he sees in the back alleys of Hong Kong? "Back alleys is Hong Kong's unique culture, it reflects the character of this city," said Michael. Last month the Hong Kong Government spent forty thousand to hire foreign graffiti artists to "beautify" back alleys in Kwun Tong, a district full of factories and commercial buildings,…show more content…
Mostly are high budget commercial movies with plots included undesired, mostly illegal activities that took place in a back alley. To enhance the visual effect mostly the back alleys were filmed through darken and greenish lens filter intended to create an impending nervous feeling. It is quite a general plot that the gangsters always take back alley as a hiding space, or a meeting point for unethical business or even a killing scene. Back alley is a space that is not open up to the public in the first place, it cannot be able to reveal itself completely unless one go looking for it actively. It is a space that is openly there but being disregarded even in broad daylight. It is a negative space, and makes it all too easy to associate with unpleasant imagination without having any actual bad…show more content…
They decided to hold 4 experimental guerilla events in 4 specially selected back alleys set with 4 different themes, intended to raise awareness and encourage people to take a step to enjoy these truly public spaces, a way to take a step out of their mental comfort zone. Event Examples - Movie screening in Tin Hau & Tea Ceremony in Wan Chai "… We chose a back lane in Wan Chai, where you have extreme urban conditions. We wanted to push the feeling about the space as far as we could. We were very happy about our choice and also about the fact that after a while, people [more than 100] were not even thinking about the alley they are pressed into, just enjoying themselves. At the same time, it's not that they were not conscious about it. They were very conscious about the space, but they were no longer conscious about all the negative things that such alleys evoke. But you could not forget this extreme physical condition you were in, and this is the thing we wanted to emphasize . Basically there is nothing in this type of alley, no small shops - it is not inhibited in anyway! So they were conscious, but with the music, we all fill the empty spots in out mental maps with positive things." (Caroline Wüthrich,

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