Project Description

2007

2 Bovine Bags, Cow Leather, Plastic Vinyl

As the name suggests the »Cattle Depot« originally was Hong Kong’s place for the trading of cows: thousands of cows a day were herded into the various stables, counted, weighed, and eventually slaughtered. Today however it is actually quite difficult to find even a single living cow in the territory, the industry has long moved to the mainland.

At the times when the Cattle Depot was still in operation, cows were used to produce meat, but of course also for their leather. These days are gone too: pork has replaced beef as most popular meat and plastic-textiles have taken over the duties of the cow-skin.

The best-known example for the latter effect is Hong Kong’s Red-White-Blue-Bag: a heavy-duty, all-purpose bag that dutifully carries every sort of content, reliable, patient.

»Cattle Depot« plays on this background. It combines the design of the Red-White-Blue-Bag with the leather-material into a stylish accessory. Merely by exchanging the material the originally bland and cheap everyday bag becomes a design-object.


To be seen in the exhibtion Restore at 1a space, Hong Kong, October 4 until November 4, 2007.