After the Deluge

2018

Promenade exhibition at one of the largest underground water tanks in Asia

Among residents of the Mong Kok and Prince Edward areas in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Peninsula, a collective memory from the 1990s was mighty floods during heavy rains. Such floods later became history for rarely noticed reasons: large-scale underground sewage infrastructure and drainage working tirelessly on flood control. The Tai Hang Tung Underground Stormwater Tank stands witness to the city’s evolution as it sits silently under sports playgrounds. The site as once a squatter settlement, housing thousands of immigrants before a historic fire. Through field research, we gathered stories about the place. An old gentleman recalled corpses of infants, floating in the now covered nullah.

After the Deluge dissolves winding histories, neighbourhood memories, regard for the city’s unsung guardians, mixed feelings towards urban developments and the ancient Chinese myth of Yu the Great in an experiential journey comprising sound, text and an media installation in the gigantic utility-turned-sanctuary, a big as 40 Olympic-size swimming pools. Drawn by the enigmatic space, close to ten thousand visitors went underground. Some concluded their trips with further stories to tell: an elderly lady came for the stand-by queue thrice; when she finally made it, she reminisced, “My daughter went to kindergarten over there. I remember, carrying her to school through the floods.”

Curator / Writer: Stephanie Cheung

Composer: Angus Lee

Sound Engineer: Anthony Yeung

Lighting Designer: Lee Chi Wai

Website Designer: Cheuk Wing Nam

Floor Manager: Tsui Wai Hong

Guided Tours Coordinator: Wong Yan Yan

Research Assistants: Wong Wai, Mandy

Production Assistants: Zachery Ting Lap Tak, Kazaf Tsang, Rivian Cheung

Technical Management and Support: Stage Tech Limited

Presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and the Drainage Services Department