Notes

Privatising Public Space: Times Square Incidents in Hong Kong

Timeline
Author’s note
Leung Po Shan Anthony BIO

This timeline first appeared in AAA's previous publication Field Notes, Issue 04. To read the "Note from the Editors" for full context, please click here.

 

A working timeline of events compiled by Leung Po Shan Anthony with contributions by Seth Denizen.

1991–1994
Wharf (Holdings) Limited officially announces plans to develop a residential site into a 186,000 square metre retail and office space in 1991. The project is completed in April 1994.
Place: Russell Street, Causeway Bay

12 July–1st August 2007
Times Square hosts a retrospective of Huang Yong Hu presenting paintings, sculptures, woodcarvings, and calligraphic works.
Place: Times Square
Source: 1

July, 2003–March 2005
Times Square leases a corner of Open Piazza (a 3,010 square metre piazza on the ground floor of Times Square) to Starbucks Coffee Company for a daily rent of HK$124,000.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

31 January 2008
Activists Local Action and local art community circulate video Frozen Grand Central, a performance by Improv Everywhere that takes place in New York's Grand Central Station.
Source: 1

22 March 2008  
Joao Vasco Paiva and Hector Rodriguez lead a series of sound performance pieces State Change. Two groups of 20 participants constantly ascend and descend the same escalator system in a cycle while making sounds.
Place: Times Square and Festival Walk
Source: 1, 2

Repeated throughout March 2008
Mr Funny dresses as a clown. Passers-by watch and give him money. Police and security officers attempt to stop the performance on the grounds that it violates Summary Offences Ordinance. They declare he is not allowed to earn money from his performance. The situation is resolved when onlookers take their money back.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1, 2

5 March 2008
Legislative council member, Hon Margaret Ng, asks the Hong Kong government about the required public open space at the street level of Times Square. The Secretary for Development, Carrie Lam, responds that the space dedicated for public use is located on private land. The title of the land belongs to the owner of Times Square, who has the obligation to manage the public open space. The rights and obligations are governed by a Deed of Dedication.
Place: Government News
Source: 1

5 March 2008
An anonymous group of Hong Kong Polytechnic University students deposit a sofa in Times Square with a "no sitting" sign. Security guards remove it.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

5 March 2008
Jeff Leung, Jaspar Lau, Lee Kai Chung, Lam Tung Pang, Lee Kit, Luke Ching, Leung Po Shan Anthony, Man Ng, and Thompson Tong have a picnic with blankets, food, and tea.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

16 March 2008
Sanmu, Au Yeung Tung, Mok Chiu Yu, Fung Sai Kuen, and FM Theatre Power perform a political satire of China's political oppression at the same time as the kick-off ceremony to launch the 51st Festival of Sports.
Place: Times Square

16–18 March 2008, 12–1:30pm
Leung Po Shan and Tsang Tak Ping perform Walking Under the Greens. One artist holds a large, green leaf over the head of the other while they walk. Security guards ask them to leave.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza and International Finance Centre
Source: 1, 2

20 March 2008
FM Theatre Power organises a group "freeze" performance. Participants simultaneously hold still for ten minutes and resume movement.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1, 2

23 March 2008
FM Theatre Power hosts a picnic as the first in a series of weekly performances by Local Action and artists.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza

23 March 2008
Yuk Man and friends perform a piece in which one person stares at and kneels next to a message written on the ground about Tibet. Security officers and police rope off the area and erase the message.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

24 March 2008, 11:30am
Yuk Man, Yang Jin, Liang Hongxi, Liang Susu, Lu Guojian, and Huang Wenhui mop Times Square in unison.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

24 March 2008
Local Action and artists wander around in aprons with "This Is Public Space" written on them. They give away flowers and take pictures with onlookers.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

28 March 2008
The Hong Kong Government Lands Department issues background information on Provision of Public Facilities within Private Developments.
Place: Government Decree
Source: 1, 2

30 March 2008
Percussion group Love and Drum perform for three hours with passers-by joining in.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

30 March–September 2008
Ah Fun sits in Times Square listening to any stranger who is willing to speak to him. Ah Fun visits every weekend until September, and is asked to leave by police.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza

30 March 2008
Local Action and artists walk while reading, the second in a series of performances.
Place: Times Square

March–April 2008
Paul Ho and friends play chess together in a performance piece titled When Time meets Flying Chess.
Place: Times Square

1 April 2008
Carrie Lam, Secretary for Development, takes caller questions on government policy on radio programme "On a Clear Day."
Place: Commercial Radio

4 April 2008
Wong Mo Chi and friends play dominos.
Place: Times Square

6 April 2008
"Chie" exhibition organisers, Hong Kong In-Media, "Hijack Garden" column, and Ming Pao Daily host the "Hijacking Public Space at Times Square" awards ceremony.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

9 April 2008
Tsang Sui Ming publishes "Confusing Public: Uncontrolled Space" in Hong Kong Economic Journal, bringing forth the notion of public-ness or public sphere in the discussion on "what constitutes the public space"
Place: Hong Kong Economic Journal
Source: 1

13 April 2008
FM Theatre Power initiates a performance by local activists called Stars of April that celebrates all the April birthdays of their friends.
Place: Times Square

17 April 2008
Fung Sai Kuen and FM Theatre Power perform Girlfriend Wanted.
Place: Times Square
Source: 1

27 April 2008
Civic Party Working Group on Public Space opens "Pseudo-Public Spaces" photography exhibition. The works point to pseudo-public spaces around Hong Kong.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

30 April 2008
Wharf (Holdings) Limited publishes in major local newspapers a full-page response to the accusations that Times Square's commercial use of public space are misleading without legal ground.
Place: Local Newspapers

1 May 2008
Cheng Wai Pang publishes "The Colonization of Living Space" in Hong Kong In-Media as a response to Tsang Sui Ming's "Confusing Public; Uncontrolled Space."
Place: Hong Kong In-Media
Source: 1

6 May 2008
Citizens' Radio delivers live broadcasts in Times Square instead of their usual location in Mong Kok's pedestrian area, which violates the Broadcasting and Telecommunication Ordinance as stated by the government.
Place: Times Square

17 May 2008
Mr Funny mimicks the Statue of Liberty. Security officers confront and surround him.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

18 May 2008
International Day Against Homophobia hosts an exhibition of LGBT Stories.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

22 May 2008
Luke Ching writes the article "People Can’t Be Too Times Square!" criticising the government's management of Times Square's public space.
Place: Hong Kong In-Media
Source: 1

25 May 2008
Mr Funny continues to mimic the Statue of Liberty. Members of Local Action and artists dress up as security guards as a show of support.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza

27 May–15 June 2008
Times Square and Hanart TZ Gallery present artworks by three Beijing-based artists. The works include sculptures of smiling-faced figures by Yue Minjun entitled Contemporary Terracotta Warriors, an installation simulating a park by Huang Chihyang, and pop images by Hung Tunglu.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza and Atrium
Source: 1

30 May 2008
Chu Hoi Dick publishes "The Management of Public Space from the Viewpoint of Private Enterprises" (excerpts from his HKU Thesis which include a transcript of an interview with a PhD Candidate at the University of Hong Kong) in Hong Kong In-Media.
Place: Hong Kong In-Media
Source: 1

31 May 2008
Legislative Council Panel on Development holds a meeting to discuss "public facilities within private properties." Carrie Lam, Secretary for Development, responds to queries from Designing Hong Kong, Hong Kong Institute of Real Estate Administration, Yau Tsim Mong District Council Member Lam Ho Yeung, Hung Chiu Wah, Sai Kung District Council Member Chan Kai Wai, Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, The Hong Kong Institute of Architects, and Chu Hoi Dick of Local Actions on the stringent restrictions faced by art creation. They are joined by artists and arts organisations such as Yeung Ping Kei of FM Theatre Power, Leung Po Shan, Tsang Tak Ping, and Andrew So who voice similar sentiments. Legislative Council members agree to establish a better-defined policy to promote arts development, but underline the possibility of regulating art activities. This causes the community to worry for the future.

1 June 2008
Luke Ching publishes "19 Years After The Square" in Sunday Ming Pao and Hong Kong In-Media where he points out that the art pieces of artist Yue Min Jun centre on the theme of open public space while evoking the June 4th incident.
Place: Ming Pao and Hong Kong In-Media
Source: 1

2 June 2008
Times Square sends a letter to the management of Ming Pao, complaining about Luke Ching's inappropriate "act to deliberately associate the ongoing Yue Minjun Art Exhibition held at Times Square with the June Fourth Incident." They deny Luke's claim that the exhibition "is open to the charge of inciting readers to perform unauthorised activity," and hence request a "correction" of the article on Ming Pao.
Place: Ming Pao and Hong Kong In-Media
Source: 1

4 June 2008
Asian People's Theatre Festival Society organises "Hong Kong On the Move June Action: In Memory of June Fourth."
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1, 2

6 June 2008
International Association of Art Critics Hong Kong, C for Culture, and Hong Kong In-Media issue a joint statement in response to the complaint letter from Times Square defending Luke Ching and freedom of expression.
Place: Hong Kong In-Media
Source: 1

16 June 2008
Department of Justice accuses Times Square Causeway Bay of violating the Conditions of Grant by leasing out the open space. A claim is lodged at the High Court against The Wharf (Holdings) Limited in demand for indemnity.
Place: High Court, Hong Kong

17 June 2008
Ng Wing Chi publishes "Rethinking the Private 'Public' Space" that challenges the notion of privately owned public space in Hong Kong.
Place: ArtsLink and Hong Kong In-Media
Source: 1

22 June 2008
Luke Ching publishes "Huang Chihyang's Art in Times Square" in Ming Pao and Hong Kong In-Media, commenting on the sculpture exhibition.
Source: 1

13 July 2008
Local Action organises a gathering called "Sunday March: Build a Civic Society, Say No to Excessive Police Powers in Article 23."
Place: Hong Kong Police Headquarters to Chater Garden

18 July 2008–2010
Initiated by Local Action, David Biddlecombe launches "Freedom Ball: Say no to no fun" in which participants roll large, red balls through Hong Kong Parks. They are asked to leave or stop by security guards or police.
Place: Various Parks in Hong Kong
Source: 1

30 July–19 August 2008
Times Square and Hanart TZ Gallery host "Art. Times. Square," an exhibition of Sui Jianguo's large scale sculptures that doubles as a celebration of the Beijing Olympics.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza

13 August 2008
Luke Ching, Law Man Lok, Tsang Tak Ping, and Jaspar Lau invite then legislative council pan-democracy member Szeto Wah to lead a guided tour of Sui Jiang Guo's exhibition. They publish the article "Uncle Wah Hijacking Art Too?" in newspapers and online.
Place: Times Square, Hong Kong In-Media, YouTube and Ming Pao
Source: 1

24 August 2008
Facebook community "Kick FM Theatre Power out of Mongkok" protest against FM Theatre Power's performances in Mongkok. FM Theatre Power rebuts by holding a public forum in Mongkok.
Place: Mongkok
Source: 1, 2

Repeated throughout September 2008
An anonymous acrobat performs multiple times with a sign in his mouth reading "Times Square pays back the money."
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

9 September 2008
"Slow Development Hong Kong" builds a fake vegetable farm on the square in support of villagers from Choi Yuen Tsuen that faced destruction due to development plans for a high-speed rail link between Kowloon and Guangzhou. Passers-by are encouraged to help with the mock farm.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

20 November–31 December 2008
Carrie Chou and Times Square host Indigo Child exhibition during the holiday months. It includes Christmas-themed large forests and fairy-like creatures.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza and Atrium
Source: 1

16 November 2012–2 January 2013
LEGO celebrates its 80th anniversary by turning Times Square into a LEGO Christmas village.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza
Source: 1

27 September–31 October 2013
LeBasse Projects and Times Square host Yoskay Yamamoto's exhibition Submerged. It features wooden installations of faces ranging from 30-feet-tall interactive works to three-inch, hand-carved sculptures.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza and Atrium
Source: 1

30 November 2013–1 January 2014
Javier Gonzalez and Times Square put on "A Whimsical Christmas with Javier Gonzalez Burgos" exhibition. It features Christmas villages, nature scenes, and characters drawn from his paintings.
Place: Times Square, Open Piazza and Atrium
Source: 1

 

Author's note: This timeline was originally produced for a presentation at the City of Desire: Alternative Strategies of Place-Making exhibition and seminar, curated by Hilary Tsui in 2008 in Vienna. Due to its value for researchers, I chose to make it public. Correction of information is most welcome. Thanks for Asia Art Archive's effort in producing this English version to widen the readership.

Leung Po Shan Anthony is a PhD candidate in cultural studies at Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a member of the Art Appraisal.

Imprint

Authors

LEUNG Po Shan Anthony, 梁寶山

Seth DENIZEN

Topic
Notes
Date
Wed, 1 Apr 2015
Tag
Field Notes Issue 4
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