Aqua Regalia, Hong Kong, 2016

FAITH XLVII’s fascination with abandoned spaces has led her to discover buildings across the world that are saturated with layers of histories and memories; in this case an expansive and desolate five-story apartment block in central Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The material residue of the former residents were sifted through in search of personal relics and sentimental treasures which formed the building blocks of the installation.

Once-cherished objects, imbued with emotional value by the strangers that used to own them, are aligned with the monumental in this reconstruction process. Treating these discarded remnants in this way allows for a reinterpretation of the mundane as valuable, and everyday, personal narratives as sacred. Ultimately, creating these shrines beg to question one’s invested value in objects and the inherent symbolism in the items that surround our lives.

The project culminated in a short film which documents the creation of the installation and weaves images of the building with the nuanced interactions outside in the city.