Hong Kong Modern Architecture of the 1950s - 1970s
《香港摩登：一九五零至七零年代建築》
by Walter Koditek
A solo exhibition at Blue Lotus Gallery
Exhibition Dates: 14 January – 26 February 2023 (Extended!)
Venue: Blue Lotus Gallery, G/F, 28 Pound Lane, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: Tue – Sunday, 11am – 6pm
The exhibition “Hong Kong Modern Architecture of the 1950s-1970s” is a thematic exploration of post-war modern architecture based on Walter Koditek’s book of the same title at Blue Lotus Gallery. By combining photography and research, Koditek creates a comprehensive overview of architectural design during that transformative period.
In the post-war decades, Hong Kong architects, many of them having migrated from China or studied overseas, embraced modern principles when forced to face the problems of housing shortage, mass construction and limited budgets in the British colony. Although economic efficiencies often prevailed over design, their buildings were rooted in their time and place, reflecting the local climate, social values, materials, technique and use in an often unique and pragmatic fashion.
As Koditek documents and captures building facades for this project, he invites us to notice the different designs stemming from the international Modern Movement and how it has been adapted to suit local needs and conditions. Each facade, uniformly framed and composed, draws our attention to architectural details that are often overlooked, as well as the variety of appropriations that transformed their modern characters over time. The arrangement of facades, ranging from famous landmarks to mundane structures that dominate Hong Kong’s cityscape, presents an underlying relationship between these built forms.
With this exhibition and book, Koditek’s project not only serves as a visually compelling record of modernist architectural heritage found in the city, but also as a reminder and call to buildings that are on the verge of disappearance or redevelopment.
Blue Lotus Gallery 誠邀大家參加《香港摩登：一九五零至七零年代建築》展覽，本展覽根據由城市規劃師、作家及攝影師 Walter Koditek 的同名著作所策劃，全方位結合攝影、詳細背景資料和學術論文，概述了香港於五十至七十年代的轉型時期的建築。
在戰後的數十年間，許多從中國大陸移民或於海外學有所成的香港建築師，他們領會到如何以現代原則去處理房屋短缺、大規模建設及預算有限的問題。儘管經濟效益往往高於設計考量，但建築師們仍然以設計植根於他們所處的時期，以一種獨特且務實的方式反映出當下的氣候、社會價值觀、材料、技術和用途。
當 Koditek 為這個項目記錄和捕捉各座建築物時，同時亦在邀請我們細看現代建築運動的影響下所帶來的不同設計，以及當中為對應本地需求和條件下所呈現的細節。每座建築外牆均採用一致性的框架和組合，視覺上往往將觀者的注意力吸引，導致容易忽略了建築物的細微之處；不同建築外牆的設計及排列，不論是著名的地標或是主導香港城市景觀的常見建築，都反映出建築形式之間的潛在關係。
透過本展覽及同名著作，Koditek 不單止從視覺上記錄了我城的現代主義建築遺產，更喚醒我們對於瀕臨消失或面臨重建的建築群應有的關注。
Walter Koditek 生於德國，是一名城市規劃師、作家和攝影師，現居香港。在柏林工業大學畢業後， Walter 第一階段的職業生涯讓他在各種規劃/設計諮詢公司獲得近二十年經驗，其後於大學任教。 於2006年他移居亞洲，在柬埔寨和越南擔任城市規劃專家；於 2014 年移居香港，以這座城市作為顧問工作的基地，儘其所能去以相機記錄香港獨特的建築景觀。 Walter 一直致力於作為文化遺產保護的倡導者。他出版過攝影集Battambang Heritage》（2018 年，Apsara Books，香港），並合著了《Architectural Guide Phnom Penh》（2020 年，DOM Publishers，柏林），其後專注於香港的現代主義建築遺產。
