Like many who actively participated in the city’s democratic struggles, Clara and Gum emigrated from HK when the national security laws were forcibly implemented in 2021. Their relocation to Sheffield has come with some unexpected familiarities, most notable of which are the names of streets: Pitt Street, Duke Street, Stanley Street and many more can also be found in HK. But for this long-term research and community engagement work, we have chosen to focus on Harcourt Road. A leafy residential street in Sheffield with underexplored histories of migration and community organising, Harcourt Road is, in contrast, an arterial route prone to traffic in HK’s city centre. With government buildings and the Golden Bauhinia Square nearby, the road was crucially also the heart of the Umbrella Movement when, in 2019, it was occupied by protesters for over three months.
In collaboration with residents, researchers, activists and wider publics in both places, C&G Artpartment will spend the next 18 months retrieving the vernacular and intangible heritages of the streets in Sheffield and HK, bringing together stories of migration, colony and socio-political belonging. This programme in April 2023 is an introductory look to the Harcourt Road world so far, which includes: a rich mapping of street names in both Sheffield in Hong Kong, via cartography and postcard making; public interventions; and a painting exhibition. Join us also for a day of outdoor sketching on Sat 29 April! Check back for more information on these events throughout the weeks of March 2023.