DETOUR 2012 was an exhibition co-curated by John Bela of Rebar and independent curator Justine Topfer for the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design. The curatorial team worked in partnership with artist and Hong Kong based creative director Aidan Li to develop the exhibition.

The exhibition directed the attention of the public to explore the “right to the city.” Justine and John assembled an outstanding group of artists and designers from Hong Kong and around the globe to act as agents of change, to be Design Renegades. We asked them to imagine how Hong Kong’s public spaces would look and feel if they were designed for our health and wellbeing, to support the sharing of resources and generosity, versus competition and profit.  We challenged artists, designers, and the public to seek niches and loopholes in the social and spatial fabric of the city and to exploit these loopholes for public benefit, benevolence and delight. 

The Wan Chai Police Headquarters building was the central exhibition space and featured site specific installations. From here, artists deployed into the public realm, instigating guerrilla art and tactical design that explored and questioned the social codes that govern behavior in public life and space in the streets of Hong Kong. From subversive and emotive maps and street signs, DIY cargo bikes, snake dances through the street, to contemporary interpretations of the classic Pai Dong, Design Renegade provoked new ways of behaving and engaging in public.

Collaborators

Co -curators: Justine Topfer , Aidan Li.

Artists: ANDREW KUDLESS (USA), RIYAD JOUCKA ( HONG KONG), CAROLINE MAK, Kacey Wong, Raumlabor, N55 (Denmark), Otto Li, START FROM ZERO, THE CAVE, Tim Li, WONG Tin Yan, Candy Chang, Mapopo Community Farm

Exhibition website