Toy designer draws on creativity and commerce
Toy designer Michael Lau believes in making the most of his life and career, writes Rachel Mok
For Michael Lau Kin-man - the so-called "godfather of toy figures" - time is money. "Time is precious," the artist says, half jokingly, near the end of this interview. "There will be a few less drawings done the longer I talk with you."
Word has it that Lau is arrogant and a difficult interview subject; his quick mind and sharp wit can leave the unsuspecting speechless amid an awkward silence.
If you really love something, do it from the second you open your eyes in the morning until you sleep
Given his valuation of time, I suggest it was unwise to stay up until the early morning to catch World Cup matches as he did during the tournament that finished last month. But he has a different way of looking at it.
By his reasoning, if he lives to be 100 years old he can experience the quadrennial soccer festival only 25 times. "We don't start watching it immediately after we are born and not many of us live to be 100 years old, so we don't actually get that many chances to watch the tournament," he says. "So why not make the most of it?"
Lau has applied this mental arithmetic to his life and his profession, planning every step in his two-decade career. He first shot to fame with the Gardener vinyl-toy figure series in 1999. Since then, he has held several toy exhibitions, and been commissioned to work on campaigns with international brands including Nike and Levi's. But these days he is not interested in leading or following any trends.
One of the first things he says is: "Are we going to talk about trends in this interview? I haven't looked at any in a while." And that's why he doesn't, like many of his peers, sport tattoos. "Are you kidding me? Permanently inking on something that may be outdated tomorrow?"
Accordingly, Lau's latest project, A Walk in Fashion, a campaign commissioned by Causeway Bay's Fashion Walk, is a look back at a classic: the street installation series, on until August 31, features new characters inspired by the iconic British children's book series Mr Men & Little Miss as designed by Lau. These colourful and all-smiling characters are quite a contrast to Lau's cool and chic Gardener series, but the young-at-heart artist enjoys the creative process no less.