#WOOD CRAFT HOW TO#

Law and Chan met while they were studying contemporary wood sculpting and wood working in Taipei. ‘We’ve recently been busy creating tutorial kits and online tutorials that will be released very soon’. ‘We want to spread our passion for wood carving to the Hong Kong audience by creating artworks with them,’ say Law of the work she and her partner Justin Chan, who joined the initiative in 2017, have dedicated themselves to. In 2013, wood carver Vivian Law co-founded accessories brand Bespecial Wood Carving & Woodcraft, which has since evolved into a platform that aims to introduce wood carving to the wider public through tutorials. Wan is not the only one who sees value in Hong Kong’s woodcraft heritage and the importance of passing it on. I want to leave tangible objects for future generations.’ I don’t want to end up in a world made of digital files on a computer hard drive. ‘Whenever I had the chance to meet craftsmen and contractors, I would invite them to have tea and ask them a lot of questions about woodcraft,’ he explains.

#WOOD CRAFT HOW TO#

Like many other contemporary craftspeople, Wan didn’t acquire his skills from a formal apprenticeship, but instead learned how to craft hardwood furniture by watching video tutorials on YouTube and seeking advice from other carpenters. ‘I wanted to preserve Hong Kong’s history by studying the designs and crafts of the past and continuing to produce them,’ says carpenter Kanok Wan, who founded HK Bros & Co., a local woodworking studio that specialises in reproducing and reinterpreting traditional Hong Kong furniture. Recent years, however, have seen the emergence of local organisations and businesses that aim to preserve and practice traditional crafts, renewing the public’s awareness and interest in woodwork. But as industrial production began to decline from the 1970s onwards and most of Hong Kong’s factories relocated to the Pearl River Delta, the city became increasingly reliant on its growing service industry, leading to the gradual disappearance of timber manufacturing. In the 20th century, many of the city’s factories specialised in shipbuilding and furniture production, and timber - alongside textiles, plastic and clothing - was one of the city’s most thriving industries throughout the 1950s and 60s. Woodcraft has been a part of Hong Kong’s culture and history for a long time.

Wood craft