David Hilgier Photographs

In the midst of a world that progresses towards the automated, impersonal, and homogenized, a craftsman carries on unabated with his daily tasks.

From the Sheung Wan Market and Cooked Food Centre we observed the street below and appreciated another point of shelter from the rain. The constant moisture a contributing factor to the weathered textures we found throughout the city.

Built into the steep hills of Hong Kong Island exists a building whose color starkly contrasts the faded and weathered color palette typical to many of the buildings we encountered throughout the city.

It is hard to convey the smell and sound of such a site. We encountered these large incense coils in a few of the temples and ancestral halls near our accommodations in Sheung Wan. To me, the scent they produced that drifted through nearby alleys and streets represented something tangible for the memory of those whose honor these were lit. While inside, the amount of smoke would be overwhelming. A constant drone of numerous fans would dull ambient noise from the city and attempt to provide a breath of fresh air to those inside.

Throughout Hong Kong exist pockets of specialized individuals and storefronts offering uniquely tailored services. Sometimes a lone vendor on a corner, other times an alleyway or block dedicated to a particular craft. Crisscrossing our way through the narrow alleyways, sidewalks and stairs in Sheung Wan we pass this vendor selling stamps and other related ephemera.

The produce stands of Hillier Street were the bookends to our days in Hong Kong. Open when we would pass by in the morning and often still doing business in the evening when we returned from the day’s adventures.

Two prototypical forms of Hong Kong transit pass by the Kam Wa Street Wet Market during the evening rush hour.

I’m constantly drawn to markets like these in my travels because they provide a candid view into daily life in the locations I am visiting. The constant chaos, movement, and noise serves as a thin veil to my presence in a foreign space as an enamored witness. For a brief moment, my mind wanders from reality allowing me to be a resident of this fine city.

A gap between the stalls that line the streets utilized by this market provides a glimpse at the vendors who have established their presence on the ground level of the surrounding buildings. The narrow alleyway between stalls and buildings restricts the movement of patrons to a limited area at times making this area more chaotic than the middle of the street. The sights, smells, sounds and textures of this area are amplified as a result of the variety of vendors who occupy these storefronts and require the infrastructure they provide.

A common thread found amongst the vendors of Hong Kong and the photos I took while exploring the city were these utilitarian lamps. Something so simple yet when grouped together and illuminated they add a vibrancy to the happenings of street markets I was drawn to. For the vendor they focus the eye on their items for sale. For me, they helped create a focal point on the primary subject matter in addition to casting subdued glow on the immediate surroundings.