From Hong Kong to Quebec City: Championing Art-Led Placemaking at EXMURO PRO
Expanding our curatorial vision on a global stage, our Co-Founder Alan Cheung recently travelled to Quebec City to join a distinctive line-up of speakers at the EXMURO PRO International Public Art Forum. As a studio deeply invested in how communities interact with their built environment, this forum provided a fantastic opportunity to exchange insights on urban creativity and the transformative power of art-led placemaking with international peers.
Site-Specific Interventions: The Sai Kung Hoi Experience
During his presentation, Alan represented our studio’s approach to site-specific interventions. He delved into the pioneering Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival —a milestone project where we successfully blended local heritage and nature to formulate a truly unique cultural experience.
The core message we shared at EXMURO PRO was simple but vital: public art and placemaking should never exist in a vacuum. Successful placemaking relies on a deep, empathetic understanding of the site’s history, its natural environment, and, most importantly, the diverse public who will interact with it.
The Transformative Power of Urban Creativity
When we design public installations, we are not just placing objects in a space; we are actively curating how people move, feel, and connect within that space. The discussions in Quebec City reinforced that the most successful urban creativity bridges the gap between aesthetic ambition and public accessibility.
Community Integration: Art-led placemaking turns transitional spaces into destinations.
Tactile Engagement: Encouraging the public to interact physically with their surroundings creates a lasting imprint.
Cultural Storytelling: Site-specific design acts as a physical narrative of the local heritage.
From Quebec to Clerkenwell:
What Comes Next
The philosophy of inclusive, site-specific design that Alan championed in Quebec City is exactly what drives our upcoming projects. We believe that public installations must cater to every member of the community, which means rethinking how we design for different sensory experiences.
As we prepare for our upcoming public installation at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026 in London, we are taking these principles of inclusive placemaking a step further. Partnering with Leigei Stone, we are challenging the industry's reliance on colour to create a multi-sensory, sustainable installation that addresses colour blindness in the built environment.
Because true placemaking means designing for every eye.
