Specific Feelings・具体的な感情

“私は普通にイヤホンで映画を聞きます。
ただ対話。
どうやってこんな音程やトーンが表れられますか?
こんな考えよくあります。”
—DEAN, R&Bソングライター

“Usually I listen to movies through my earphones,
just their dialogues.
How do I express these tones or sounds visually?
I think about that alot”
– Dean, R&B Artist

What inspires you? How can you get inspired?
Sometimes it is hard to find the right inspiration and we would get the writer’s block and have trouble delivering good work, no matter what medium you are working in, be it food, music or art.

あなたは何のことからインスパイアされましたか?どのようにインスパイアされましたか?
我々はたまに創作の行き詰まりを会って、ひらめきも来させにくくて、料理や美術や音楽どんな媒質でも、いい作品を作るのは難しいです。

以前、演劇のクラスで私たちが学んだ大事なことは「感情は単独なものではない」ということです。
もし私たちがただ喜、怒、哀、楽をそれぞれに演じたら、人間のような演技ではなくて、ロボットのようになります。
人間の感情は時々わけがわからなくなり、悲しみと憂うつさを感じると同時に怒りも含んでいます。

I remember back in my theatre class days, a prominent thing that we learnt is that emotions are not singular.
We don’t just feel “happy, angry, excited, sad” by itself, that would be robotic.
Sometimes our feelings are mixed up and complicated, you feel sad and depressed but at the same time its embedded with some anger.
 
 
 
 

(TOP-LEFT) Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong 1970s/1980s
(TOP-RIGHT) Kawasaki Warehouse, a Japanese arcade inspired by the Kowloon Walled City
(上左) 以前の香港九龍城
(上右) 現在九龍城インスパイアされたゲームセンター、Kawasaki Warehouse

 
 

The same could be said about design projects.
We are often briefed to make a work “friendly, cute, cool or professional” and sometimes the result we produce are just like that.
It doesn’t touch their hearts, their reactions would just be “Oh, that’s cute” and that’s it.

デザインでも同じことが言われています。
クライアント の要求に応じていつもフレンドドリー、プロ、かっこいい、可愛いなど基本的な特徴を表現させます。
作った作品も書いたとおりにそのままです 。
人の心も動かないし、「ええ、あれは可愛いですね」と言ってこれで終わり。

特別に感じられた作品から、具体的な雰囲気と性格が見えます。
実際の場所、時代と行動の精神が描写されています。
1980年代VHSの懐古・懐かしさ、パリアールデコの魅力、香港九龍城のさびた雰囲気。
このような特徴が作品の中に表れています。

I observed in works that makes me feel something special, that they have very specific feelings.
They portray the spirit of real places, eras and movements.
The nostalgia of the 1980s VHS style, the glamour of Parisian Art Deco, or the dystopian vibes of the Kowloon walled city.
There is soul in these kind of inspirations.
 
 

 
(ABOVE) Songs by DEAN inspired from movies like Bonnie & Clyde.
From the lyrics to the acting and ambient sounds added, the spirit of the movie can be felt.
(上)「俺たちに明日はない(ボニーとクライド)」とかの映画がインスパイアされた歌手DEANの歌。
歌詞、PVの演技、入った雑音とか映画の精神が感じられます。

 
 

An example can be found in the Korean hip-hop fashion brand Nonagon.
Like hip hop music itself, the brand’s personality is partially mischievous and sometimes aggressive yet is very chill and relaxed at times.
Such flexible and multifaceted vibes are apparent through their logo, website, social media, advertisements and videos etc.

ノナゴンという韓国ヒップホップファッションブランドに、その一例がみられます。
ヒップホップのような茶目っ気と余裕があるのに強い感情もブランドの性格に入っています。
こんな人間のようにフレキシブルで、多面な様子がロゴ、ウェブサイト、広告、動画などのところに表れています。

 
(ABOVE) Nonagon’s Brand Film.
(上) ノナゴンのブランド動画。

 
 

これから作品がもっとはっきり分析できるようになりたい。面白い話題を研究して、もっと具体的な感情を作品に現したい。

I wish to be able to analyze works better from now on, researching into interesting topics and making works that carry specific feelings.
 
 

 
 


DISCLAIMER☞The writing and content have seem odd during the attempt to draw a parallel between my limited Japanese ability and English expressions. This is for my practice, let me know areas of improvements thanks.

DESIGN TRAVEL GUIDE ☞ Hong Kong’16

DESIGN TRAVEL GUIDE ☞
Hong Kong’16

Previously:  DESIGN TRAVEL GUIDE ☞ Taiwan’16

Back in 2016 July, I visited Hong Kong and although long overdue I have been wanting to post about it. When I think of Hong Kong, I think of Wong Kar Wai. It is a city with a unique soul. I listed a few places of my personal interest, as mentioned before, it would not just be places of design interests, but anywhere I enjoy. I merely named it “DESIGN TRAVEL GUIDE” because it is a list made by a designer, me in this case. 

DISCLAIMER☞All these photos are shot and edited in 2016 so the state of the shops reflect that time.

 

 

 

 

#1 Morning Hawks

China Cafe 中國冰室
★★★★★

Address Hong Kong, Mong Kok, Canton Rd, 1077A舖
Access  2 minutes walk from Mong Kok Station exit A2
Price  I can’t remember but pretty sure that it’s really cheap

Hours
Mon-Sun: 6:00~19:00

I tried hard to find a place with the Wong Kar Wai vibes. The very unfortunate thing is that the very western restaurant where “In the Mood for love” was filmed, had closed down a year prior to me coming to Hong Kong. Rather than actual locations I have only managed to find retro places reminiscent of Wong’s movies. One such place was “China Cafe”, established in 1963. It has terrazzo tiling on the walls and floors and they serve ovaltine but no milo. LOL. Absolutely no regrets going there as the feeling was definitely there. It makes the mostly drab trip sort-of worth it. I also learnt that eating macoroni for breakfast is a thing in Hong Kong.

The photos had the vibe of the painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper and just nice, Wong Kar Wai once said that he compose his scenes as though they are like the paintings of Edward Hopper.

 

 

 

 
 

#2 Exotic
and Happy

Happy Lemon 快樂檸檬
★★★★★

Address 65 Argyle St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Website  www.happy-lemon.com/tw/global/address.php?id=10
Access  1 Minute walk from Mong Kok Station Exit B2
Price Same as most bubble tea

Hours
Mon-Sun: 11:00~23:00

The highlight of my trip. Even though it is just a drink franchise, I have long ties with it. Back in my secondary school days, Singapore used to have Happy Lemon and it truly gave me happiness. That was the time when Taiwan milk tea was starting to get popular but they offered a totally exotic range of beverages–Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese, Milk Tea with Cream Puff(蛋糕奶茶), Matcha Latte with Coffee Jelly, Lemon Yogurt with Aloe. Needless to say, they were amazing, but they were too ahead of their time and their prices were considered too high then, leading to its eventual closure in Singapore.

They had one of the most brilliant brand identity deisgn as well. I tried so hard to find the studio and creative director who designed the brand and years later I eventually found that it to be Lawrence Choy, a creative director who heads a studio in Hong Kong. It actually casted some doubt onto my appreciation for design, I’m a big believer that design should be functional and support the business, so having Happy Lemon close down in Singapore bothered me. However today I realised that there are many other aspects to make a business work as well and their timing in Singapore was not good, but their branding is still effective. Today they have over 800 stores in many countries.

Ok, back to the main topic, I found Happy Lemon in Hong Kong and I bought 2 large cups straight away;since it is a rare occasion. Of course, I tried menu items that I’ve never tried before. “Salted Cheese Osmanthus Lychee Green Tea” (right) and “Milk Tea Smoothie with Oreo and Creme” (left). It tasted as interesting as the names sound.


 

#3 Pink Dolphins

Tai O Fishing Village 大澳
★★☆☆☆

Website  www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/great-outdoors/…/tai-o-stilt-houses.jsp
Access 2 and a half hour bus ride from the city

Tai O is a fishing village a bus ride away from the city. You see a different Hong Kong but frankly I was not impressed. I saw dolphins and ate decent fish cakes. I tried to look for hidden gems in the backstreets but I could not find anything particularly interesting. Unfortunately.

 


 
 

#4 Homegrown design & zines

PMQ 元創方
★★★☆☆

Address 35 Aberdeen Street
Website  http://www.pmq.org.hk/
Access  10 minute walk from Sheung Wan Station

Hours
Mon-Sun: 07:00~23:00

I actually had a hard time finding design savvy places as opposed to say–Taiwan. However I did manage to find one cool place in Central called PMQ. It is like one hotspot where many design brands, indie bookshops and other craftsmen gather. The bookshops were particularly unique as they carried locally-published books. I got myself 2, the first is a play on Hong Kong film classics and the second the magazine “100, an icon in chinese typography. The title of this issue of “100” is pretty controversial, it says “We are yellow skin, black hair but we are not chinese(mainland)”

 

 

 

 

 
I went to victoria peak as well, when I got up I realised you need an extra fee for the grand view.
 

I am a cheapskate so I just got a cheap shot from the sides.


 
 

 

Next stop ☞ Christmas in Tokyo ’17