1. Creative industries value
A Creative Use of Space
As mentioned, 同心基金's PMQ project strives to provide places for "master artists and designers from overseas with a view to facilitating international exchange and interaction” [1]. It is rented to both local talents and international artists upon application.
Actually some empty spaces are provided for exhibition and art display. The simplicity of green-and-white wall is also expected not to interfere with the artistic creation.
The “Qube” is another highlight of the PMQ revitalization project. Located on the 2/F, the Qube is a multi-functional hall used as a performance and exhibition area. Moreover, according to the official statement of PMQ, the Qube symbolizes the exchange among the tenants by interconnecting Block A &B. Yet, even though the intention of building the Qube is good, there is a question whether the Qube damages the authenticity of the building because it is a new construction added by the contemporary people.
As mentioned, 同心基金's PMQ project strives to provide places for "master artists and designers from overseas with a view to facilitating international exchange and interaction” [1]. It is rented to both local talents and international artists upon application.
Actually some empty spaces are provided for exhibition and art display. The simplicity of green-and-white wall is also expected not to interfere with the artistic creation.
The “Qube” is another highlight of the PMQ revitalization project. Located on the 2/F, the Qube is a multi-functional hall used as a performance and exhibition area. Moreover, according to the official statement of PMQ, the Qube symbolizes the exchange among the tenants by interconnecting Block A &B. Yet, even though the intention of building the Qube is good, there is a question whether the Qube damages the authenticity of the building because it is a new construction added by the contemporary people.
Heritage as communication
On the walls, PMQ also hangs the artwork produced by people outside the PMQ community (i.e. the tenants). Like the followings, the artworks offer another interpretation of the "PMQ", in which "P" stands for "Papa", "M" stands for "Music" and "Q" stands for "Question". Therefore, PMQ is more complex than what people have thought as the short form of "Police Married Quarters". By doing so, it actually tries to imply that PMQ is composed by the imagination of a big community, because it is the people who shape the value of PMQ 元創方, instead of a fixed curatorship led by the PMQ management company.
It again proves the function of "heritage as communication" mentioned by Peter Groote and Tialda Haartsen [2], as it conserves the cultural values proposed by the people. They collectively create the meanings of and identities for the specific heritage. These reinterpretations provided by commoners construct what the PMQ currently stands for, and thus PMQ is an innovative "use of the past by the present".
[1] Conserve and Revitalise Hong Kong Heritage (2012), Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.gov.hk/en/pmq/result.htm
[2] Peter Groote and Tialda Haartsen (2008), "The Communication of Heritage: Creating Place Identities", The Ashgate Research Companion to Heritage and Identity, p.181.