Spaces can be old, new, truly fantastic in its interior design, or tackily furnished – but it will always lack if no relationships are being fostered.
The idea of having, or more so, of needing a hub, has been ever growing in the packed city of Hong Kong. People are not only yearning for more space so to speak, but a stronger community. While for work, there are co-working spaces, and for living, there are co-living spaces; art seems to be taking a while to develop its own ‘hub’ here in this city – but we’re not far from it becoming a reality.
Scheduled to open in Spring 2019 is the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT). A heritage conservation project by The Mills – the former Nan Fung Textiles cotton spinning mill will be transformed into a multi-faceted hub which offers not only exhibitions and educational programs, but also gives contemporary art, design, science, heritage, community, and craftsmanship a new space to gather themselves at.
Located in Tsuen Wan, the over 17, 000 square fee space features “three exhibition spaces, a permanent collection space, multiple studios as well as creative rooms” for the public to experience. Aiming to present “a holistic series of programmes that weave together different communities, disciplines, and practices, concurrently telling stories of history, politics, trade, and social economics”, their permanent exhibition will showcase archival objects of textile arts from the 1940s onwards. On top of that, there will also be the Seasonal Exhibition which includes the Spring Exhibition of textile experimentation; the Summer Exhibition of local artistic productions; and the Winter Exhibition of forums that initiate dialogue on fashion, textile, and design.
Not to mention, CHAT will also be offering strong educational programs through collaborations with different schools, collectives, NGOs, artists, designers, as well as their very own CHAT Lab, which is “formed by a group of textile veterans, experienced sewing workers, and craftsmen”. Their Artist-in-Residence will be maintained as well to continue support emerging international artists.
Literally ‘weaving’ different fields and voices together under one single roof, we can’t wait to see the fabrication of CHAT in the upcoming year.
