Winding behind the high-rise housing of the Cheung Wan Estate in Tsing Yi, a vast mural stretches across a cement wall like a dragon. Its primary colours and optimistic vision of a green future Hong Kong - with wind turbines, butterflies and happy children - are in shocking contrast to the surrounding monotone sprawl
At 128 metres long and seven metres high, it's the longest mural in Hong Kong. The work, by the Hong Kong Mural Society, was commissioned by the Housing Authority to transform a retaining wall dividing a children's park from wild hillside. Over four months, a group of 11 artists, including graphic designers, fashion designers and novices, worked under Johnny Lee Siu-wai - and the watchful eyes of the local residents. It was publicly unveiled yesterday.
'It's public art - that's how we like to describe it,' says Joel Ferraris, vice-chairman of the mural society. 'Visual art needs to be seen by many people. If it's hidden away, it defeats the purpose.'
Artist Arnel Agawin says Hong Kong 'is a good place for the government to put a lot of money into public art. We have so many concrete areas. Even in places like Brazil, where there's not a lot of development, you can still see mural art.
'It doesn't pay very well, but the work is exciting. I could see the reaction in the children when we did this.'
Agawin and Joel Ferraris, who are well known to Tsing Yi residents after spending months on ladders working on the mural, make up the core of the mural society, with Lee and Siu Wing-tat.