Initiated by the School of Architecture and the School of Journalism and Communication, the programme 'Magic Carpet: Re-envisioning Community Space in Sai Ying Pun' was held at the Mid-Autumn Festival on 19 September. By unfurling a carpet and hanging up a screen, the sloping Centre Street in Sai Ying Pun was transformed into an outdoor cinema. Under a full moon, community members and the general public enjoyed a video of Sai Ying Pun produced by secondary students and CUHK students.

Magic Carpet is an outreach project combining documentation of daily life, community engagement and urban design. It is an official part of the 2013 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-city Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. From March to May 2013, the project team visited King's College, a long-established secondary school in Sai Ying Pun, and conducted a series of workshops with more than 20 teenaged students. The workshops informed the students of the district's history and current development, and equipped them with skills for conducting video interviews with community members. After the workshops, the participating students interviewed people from all walks of life in Sai Ying Pun, capturing their life stories, views on the district's development. The students then produced the video that was shown at the 'Magic Carpet' cinema. 

The project is supported by the Knowledge Transfer Fund of CUHK. The background research of Sai Ying Pun is funded by the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong. 

For details, please click here.