Archive in Exile: At Home in the Liminal World

Alex Wai Yin Yuen, MArch (Year: 5)

Hong Kong Over the past 30 years, the city’s history has been rewritten by waves of urban renewal. A lot of landmarks symbolizing Hong Kong’s diverse culture were demolished. The lost architecture remains as a relic, like a pole of magnetic field pulling the younger generation to commiserate the loss of multi-dimensional identity. With the ongoing repression, many people were forced to leave their home city. They have decided to start their journey of exile, and to continue their lives in places where they don’t belong. An airport is a canvas to cultivate high hopes for exile community to embark on their next journeys. It is emblematic of the lost city, culture and collective memory of the lost architecture, like a giant aircraft ready to take off to all parts of the world. As residence of the Terminal, the exile Hong Kong community features concourse as living room and the former offices on the top floor as temporary living space. Here, people are always waiting to return home.