Interview Date: 28th August, 2024
[The interview was conducted in Hong Kong Cantonese. Transcript in English translation is provided.]
C: Clara Cheung, G: Gum Cheng, F: Franco
| I. | C: | A quick comparison: You rented places elsewhere before you lived on Harcourt Road. Does Harcourt Road give you more of a community feeling, or is it basically similar? |
| F: | I do think it’s friendlier here. Previously, I lived in Nether Edge, farther out—which might be an area with Indian or Middle Eastern communities. It was about 45 minutes to campus, but the rent was super cheap. My landlord was a Chinese friend who gave me a good deal to support my PhD. It was extremely quiet there; I barely saw anyone. | |
| G: | You’ve lived on Harcourt Road for five years now. Do you feel it’s like “home” there? | |
| F: | Good question. I’ve never thought about it, but I’d say yes. Although I’m not sure if it’s because of Harcourt Road itself or not. But if you ask about No. XXX where I live, I genuinely feel a homey vibe. Aside from our bedrooms, the main common area is the kitchen. We have to go down one level from the front door. From the street side, it’s basically a basement, but from the back side, we have a garden. The kitchen design feels very home-like—maybe a bit old, but not in a run-down way. It has some of Philippa’s paintings hung up, giving it a homey vibe. Honestly, I have at times thought about moving out to find a “fresh environment,” hoping for new stimulation, but I always change my mind. That might be how you know it feels like home. |
| I. | C: | 想問一點點，譬如你之前都有租其他地方，就不是在夏慤道了。比較以前那個社區... 就是這條夏慤道會不會給到多一點社區的感覺呢？還是其實都是差不多的呢，這些屋主so far你都遇到很nice？ |
| F: | 我覺得真的會親切一點的，那個感覺。雖然我就沒有怎麼主動去接觸或者去認識... 但是我不知道怎麼說。因為我以前住的可能有點極端，因為我以前住是住在Nether Edge那邊的... Nether Edge再遠一點的，那裡好像是... 是不是印度人呢還是中東人區那邊，我沒有記錯的話。那時候因為遠是遠一點， 就是九個字[45分鐘]才去到大學，但是[租金]很便宜，所以我還有一個華人包租公，朋友來的，他也很便宜的租給我，就是support我PhD。但是我就印象中那裡真的很靜，就是真的人都很少見到... 但是這裡的夏慤道... 好像因為我去完Simon的家，我見過他其實都很多在大陸買回來的一些擺設啦，然後...我不知道怎麼說... 就是夏慤道給我感覺的是什麼背景的人都有，挺有趣。但是住在Nether Edge那邊再遠一點那裡就沒有什麼這個感覺了，但是可能都會因為我就很早回到大學這邊，很晚才回到那裡，所以就我未必有接觸，可能是這樣 | |
| G: | 那你住了夏慤道五年了。會不會有一個家的感覺呢？就是在這裡 | |
| F | 好問題。這個很好的問題，我要想一下... 我沒有想過這個，但是我會覺得是的，但是你說是不是夏慤道本身給到的...我不敢說是不是，但是如果你說是我住[XXX號屋]那裡的話，我覺得真的是有那個感覺。一來是我不知道你們David有沒有帶過你參觀那間屋？ |
harcourtroad.art@gmail.com
info@blocprojects.co.uk
info@candg-artpartment.com
Instagram: @harcourtroad
Gallery address: Bloc Projects, 71 Eyre Lane, Sheffield S1 4RB
Postal address: 4 Sylvester Street, Sheffield S1 4RN
C & G Artpartment: 71 Holme Lane, Sheffield, S64JP
Harcourt Road
Curated by Bloc Projects.