(Hong Kong, 16 July 2017) Nearly 100 youngsters, elderly people, terminal frontline workers, and Kwai Tsing residents turned into 20 teams of graffiti artists at Kwai Tsing Container Terminal 8 (East) today by transforming 10 containers into dazzling works of art. The winning works from the community art event will soon go display across Kwai Tsing area.
Organised by Hongkong International Terminals (HIT), COSCO-HIT Terminals and Asia Container Terminals, the eye-catching event, known as “Community Graffiti Day @ the Terminals", promotes community harmony through graffiti art that engages the young and old alike. The community initiative was also an occasion to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of HKSAR. Aged between 10 and 70, the event’s participants were openly recruited from schools, elderly centres and community centres in Kwai Tsing district. A total of 20 teams – each consisting of three to five members – took the containers as a canvas for their imagination. Their creativity showed that graffiti is an accessible, lively, stimulating art form that is easy for anyone to pick up no matter their age. At today’s event, the teams keenly contested four prizes: “Best Participation”, “Best Teamwork”, “My Favorite Container Design”, and “Diversity and Inclusion”. The participants had earlier learned basic graffiti techniques at workshops that were specially arranged for them by The Warehouse Teenage Club.
As early as 2014, HIT organised Hong Kong’s first-ever graffiti art workshop in the terminal. The following year, the initiative extended to local elderly centers and secondary schools as large rubbish skips in the terminal were transformed into “colourful dragons” to promote workplace cleanliness and inter- generational integration. In 2016, HIT reached out to the community and collaborated with Lai King Estate residents and local students to create the first graffiti wall in a Hong Kong housing estate.
HIT's Managing Director, Mr Gerry Yim, said, “A rich cross-section of our community, from the elderly to youngsters and families with small children, joined hands today to create artworks that capture the event’s theme: Diversity and Inclusion. We hope to continue working with a broad range of members in the local district to build a better and more harmonious community.” Mr Yim especially thanked Kwai Tsing District Council and The Warehouse Teenage Club for co-organising the event, and CMA CGM (Hong Kong) Limited and T. S. Lines Ltd. for their generous sponsorship of containers, which gave the participants an unforgettable graffiti art experience.
Participants take a picture with guests at the award ceremony of “Community Graffiti Day @ the Terminals" activity.
Participants “Community Graffiti Day @ the Terminals" activity take the container as a canvas and turn it into dazzling works of art.
Participants take a picture with their graffiti artwork.