From the snap of a Polaroid to the faint click of an SLR – our city has been captured and recreated infinitely, and in myriad forms. In tribute to this art, and exclusively for Time Out, renowned photographer, artist and creative force anothermountainman, aka Stanley Wong, has curated the following collection of portraits taken of, in and around our ever-changing metropolis –  from Christopher Doyle’s wild eroticism to Almond Chu’s genre-pushing visions. Interview by Edmund Lee, biographies by Oliver Clasper and Louise Lavabre.

Click here to read Stanley Wong's introduction.

ABSOLUTE: HEAVEN ON EARTH
Where: West Kowloon.
When: 2010.
Why: Mirage in his eyes /
oasis from your angle /
for me... it is heaven on earth.

ANOTHERMOUNTAINMAN
anothermountainman, aka Stanley Wong, was born in Hong Kong in 1960 and graduated in 1980 from the Hong Kong Technical Teacher’s College (Design & Technology). After five years as a graphic designer, Stanley began his career in advertising, eventually becoming creative director at J. Walter Thompson in Hong Kong. As an artist, Wong is deeply passionate about photography and fine arts, and is also a strong advocate of human rights and social issues. Wong has won more than 300 awards – for fine art, photography, graphic design and advertising –  and exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2005.
 

[Untitled]
Where: Kowloon.
When: 2003.
Why: The embrace between the couple on the MTR was fleeting, but a beautiful moment during a very strange time (SARS).
What does photography mean to you?
Photography is a reflection. I used to believe that the act of taking a photograph was akin to looking through a window at the lives of others. But it’s not. It’s a glance back at my own insecurities.

ANDREW MOORE ­
Andrew Moore has been a photographer since the mid-1980s, specialising in current affairs and social issues, and has worked for a wide range of international news and business publications. He is currently working towards the completion of projects in Macau and in the post-industrial northeast of England.
 

ABSOLUTE: THE FORGOTTEN
Where: “Cage homes” in Tai Kok Tsui.
When: 2010.
Why: This is a subject often ignored or not acknowledge enough in Hong Kong, and I believe we need to show the public that there are people who live in these conditions. His name is Mr Sin Wai Ming, and he is aged 57. He is unable to work properly because of a bad leg and medical condition. He had to move into this cage home about a year ago.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography for me is a way to express what I love and hate about the world.

ALEXANDRA LEESE
Originally from Hong Kong, Leese is currently in her final year at the London College of Fashion as an undergraduate in fashion photography. Her first exhibition for the “All the lonely people” series in Hong Kong took place in 2008, and she worked on a fashion feature for Hong Kong Tatler earlier this year, entitled “Young Guns and Roses.” As a result Leese’s work is regularly published in a column for Tatler online. Her experience also includes working with the likes of Wing Shya while the photographer/director was working on his first feature film, Hot Summer Days.

ABSOLUTE: RELATIONSHIPS
Where: Heng Fa Chuen.
When: 2007.
Why: I photograph to understand other people’s relationships and lives.
What does photography mean to you?
It is the ability of a photographer to show the unique way in which he or she sees the world.

WEI LENG-TAY
A lot of Wei Leng’s work revolves around capturing ordinary people in their domestic environments, and in their most intimate moments. Having originally studied biology as an undergraduate at McGill University in Montreal, she has since become a prolific photographer of the ‘everyday’. She has had solo exhibitions in Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as group shows in the US, Holland, Italy, Germany, Japan, Canada and Thailand. Tay’s work also forms part of the Public Collection at Hong Kong’s Heritage Museum.

ABSOLUTE: HAPPY VALLEY
Where: Happy Valley Cemetery.
When: 2006.
Why: The first designated colonial cemetery in Hong Kong [dating from 1845]. It is an historical site that almost remains as it was, and still retains its original use.
What does photography mean to you?
When I started photography years ago it was a means for me to record what I saw in front of me. In a certain sense it was what I wanted to remember. As I took more photographs in the following years, gradually I photographed what I wanted to see.

HISUN WONG
Hisun Wong studied business in the United States in the early 1980s before returning to school in 2004 to take up a postgraduate degree in Architecture at the Hong Kong University – at the same time as taking photos in his spare time. Born in Singapore, he was raised  here and now lives in Shanghai. The great diversity of his current professional work – from shots of rural China to pressed flowers – echoes his rich personality.

ABSOLUTE: FREE
Where: Shek O.
When: 2009.
Why: Record.
What does photography mean to you?
Vanishing.

VINCENT YU
Yu has been working for the Associated Press news agency for more than 20 years and has covered many major news events in Asia, notably the aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami and the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. As a result he has received many national and international awards for his photographs. Yu has always remained faithful to the city in which he was born, and after studying photography at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the 1980s he is now a guest lecturer in photojournalism at the University of Hong Kong.

ABSOLUTE: CONTRAST
Where: Chai Wan.
When: March 28, 2008.
Why: I took this picture using a Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera about the time they announced they were going to stop production of the films. I’ve always loved the unique way a Polaroid image interprets light and this model lets you adjust the contrast and make a scene like this, with the strong shadows cast on low rise buildings even more dramatic.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography means documenting and/or creating memories.

VICTORIA TANG
In Hong Kong, virtually everyone knows her father, David Tang - the businessman best known for founding Shanghi Tang and The China Club. But Victoria Tang, who grew up among couture dresses and fashion shows, soon became one of the most talented fashion photographers in the city. She has been published in magazines such as Vogue Paris, GQ China and L'Uomo Vogue and has worked on the advertorial projects for fashion brands such as Christian Dior and Dunhill. But the artist, who lives part-time in Hong Kong, chooses mainly to focus on personal projects of photography and graphic design.

ABSOLUTE: CONTENTMENT
Where: South China Seas, off Aberdeen Harbour.
When: One sunny Sunday afternoon in June.
Why: Hong Kong is one of very few big cities that is blessed with a beautiful harbour. We can all find contentment by escaping the city into the emerald waters
What does photography mean to you?
I use photos as a touchstone to spark off memories. I do not think they could replace memory. It’s important to experience the reality of the subject/situation before recording it with a photograph.

DOUGLAS YOUNG
Best known, perhaps, for being the brains behind the design store G.O.D. (Goods of Desire), Young is a man firmly on the pulse of creative expression. Having spent a few years in England as a young boy (enduring a typical public boarding school education) he returned to find a city alive, moving forward and brimming with opportunity. He’s also never far from controversy – with a desire to provoke and challenge. He’s not a photographer by trade, but has a fascination with capturing the delicacies of the city and its people – whether through traditional design or through a lens.

ABSOLUTE: JUNK
Where: Victoria Harbour.
When: January 2010.
Why: It’s simple, as the junk has [always] been the symbolic icon of Hong Kong. Just like how the logo of the Hong Kong Tourism Board also uses the junk.

ALAN CHAN
Despite little ‘academic’ training, Chan, over the course of a 30-year career, has risen to the top of his field. He has won over 500 awards, was named designer of the year in 1989 by the Hong Kong Designers Association, and his works have been included in the permanent collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He currently works in the fields of product and graphic design and branding.

ABSOLUTE: VITO ACCONCI
Where: Wan Chai.
When: April 12, 2010.
Why: Vito Acconci is a provocative artist who works in many different media including performance, architecture, installation and film. He has been an influential figure in the international art world for almost 50 years.

LEUNG CHI-WO
Photographer, painter, sculptor, video director. Leung Chi-wo is an artist of many guises. Having graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a masters in fine art (MFA) in 1997, he has gone from strength to strength – culminating in him representing Hong Kong at the Venice Biennale in 2001. He is based in Hong Kong but has worked on projects in New York and Italy, and is also the co-founder of the internationally significant Para-Site Art Space – a not-for-profit artists’ forum and organisation that has been making, exhibiting and communicating art since 1996.

ABSOLUTE: PARADE
Where: Central.
When: 2009.
Why: Artist statement.

ALMOND CHU
Chu started his career as a professional photographer and photographic artist after graduating from the Fine Art Photography Department of the Tokyo College of Photography in 1986. In 1993 he was honoured with the Agfa Fellowship Young Photographer Award by the Asian Culture Council, and since then he has held exhibitions across Europe and Asia, and has had his work published in numerous art and photography publications. He has also shot advertising campaigns for major global brands including Sony, Adidas, HSBC and Mont Blanc.

ABSOLUTE: LIVE
Where: Jockey Club, Happy Valley.
When: June 1, 2002.
Why: Now is the future.
What does photography mean to you?
All about understanding.

LAU CHING-PING
Working predominantly as a designer and photographer in the city of his birth, Hong Kong, Lau Ching-ping’s works have been exhibited in various shows over the years, including: “An Exhibition of Contemporary Photography from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan” at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in 1994; “On Hong Kong, an Exhibition of Contemporary Photography;” and the Hong Kong Fringe Festival, at City Hall in 1998. He also co-edited NunaHeDuo (Dislocation), a journal of photography.

ABSOLUTE: JUNK
Where: Random bed.
When: Ever.
Why: If we knew, we wouldn’t.
What does photography mean to you?
What does a dick mean to a monk?

CHRISTOPHER DOYLE
Having worked as the cinematographer (either fully or partially) for all of Wong Kar-wai’s films from Days of Being Wild to 2046 – as well as directing shorts, including a chapter for 2006’s Paris je t’aime – the Australian-born Doyle has also worked as the cinematographer for other notable directors including Philip Noyce, Neil Jordan, Barry Levinson, Jon Favreau, Gus Van Sant and Jim Jarmusch. His tireless work has garnered awards at Cannes, the Asia-Pacific Film Festival and the Hong Kong Film Awards.

ABSOLUTE: WANDER
Where: Causeway Bay.
When: 2009.
Why: Causeway Bay is a major commercial district in Hong Kong packed with high rises and people. However, people there seem to be passers-by, wandering through the streets with no face and no soul as if merging into the lifeless concrete walls of the buildings. This image reflects my love-hate feelings towards Hong Kong.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography requires one to respond quickly to capture the split-second change of an object in space and time. In order for the image to reveal its metaphysical meaning, one is best to avoid complex reasoning so as to free the image from the constraints of rationality.

SO HING KEUNG
So Hing-keung was born in Hong Kong in 1959 and went on to be educated and widely-recognised here. Since he started teaching at the Chinese University he has seen the city grow and evolve. His style evolved at the same pace as the city, as he passed from colour portraits in the early 1990s to gelatin silver prints of urban landscapes in the more modern era.

ABSOLUTE: REALITY
Where: Hong Kong.
When: 2009.
What does photography mean to you?
To capture my hope, disappointment and pray.

JOHN FUNG
Born in Madagascar, Fung moved back to China with his family aged 13. He was educated in Macau, but eventually settled in Hong Kong. He held four exhibitions in the 1980s, namely, “Germs”, “Cocoon”, “Ten Years On” and “On the Road”. Fung then worked for Next Magazine and Ming Pao Weekly Magazine as a photographer from 1989-2004. In 2005 he was invited by Oxfam to volunteer as a photographer to document some of cities that were damaged by the devastating Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. Fung is now a full time artist.

ABSOLUTE: DISAPPOINTMENT
Where: A small lane off Arbuthnot Road, Central.
When: Late 2009.
Why: I admire the tenacity of the tree holding on to life, even managing to sprout new shoots in spite of being sawn off at the top. But three months later, when I revisited the lane, the tree had gone.
What does photography mean to you?
I breathe, I eat, I take photographs.

LEONG KA TAI
Leong Ka-tai was an engineer in England before quitting everything and going to Paris to work as the assistant to a local photographer - before opening his own studio in Hong Kong. He then went travelling, freelancing for The National Geographic, Geo and Stern. He has published a number of books, and has held a dozen solo shows. Leong Ka tai is currently the Chairman of the Hong Kong Photographic Culture Association.

ABSOLUTE: NEON
Where: Causeway Bay.
When: Spring 2010.
Why: The light at this spot is mesmerising, [and] the clash of colour in the water is like nowhere else in the world. Pure Hong Kong energy.
What does photography mean to you?
Validation.

WILLIAM FURNISS
William Furniss is one of Hong Kong’s most prolific photographers, having trained with some of the best image-makers of the modern era, including Patrick Lichfield. Furniss has developed his own unique style that has been recognised by many of Hong Kong’s leading companies including HSBC, Virgin Atlantic, Hongkong Land, LVMH and Microsoft. He is currently the chief photographer for The Peninsula, and a regular contributor to Cathay Pacific’s Discovery Magazine and Kee Magazine.

See also:

• They Shot Hong Kong: Stanley Wong
  
• Larger than life