现代摄影技术虽然能近乎完美的将建筑外表作极仔细记录，但如果在文化保育的过程当中注入一些本地艺术元素， 这更能够将这社区盛载着的人文价值作更好的传递。

于香港成长的我时常游走于旧区之间，偶然发现某些定格于几十年前的建筑物与老店，彷彿能管窥时代的变迁。尽管我这代年轻人并没有在老一辈的香港活过，但奇怪地，喜爱旧日文化的年轻人为数亦不少。怀旧或许能让人更了解自己的根源与身份，我有幸生于这个时代仍能见证这地方的旧文化，但每当想起旧建筑即将因为配合市区重建而清拆，或以活化的名义将它们虚有其表地高档化时，便会发现社会上「新」与「旧」的二元对立日趋严重。旧建筑遭清拆不只从我们眼前消失，更代表着我们的集体回忆也一并失去。现代摄影技术虽然能近乎完美的将建筑外表作极仔细记录，但如果在文化保育的过程当中注入一些本地艺术元素，这更能够将这社区盛载着的人文价值作更好的传递。

本作品源于利用数码媒介重塑现实空间的想像。透过利用摄影测量技术 (photogrammetry)，把即将面临清拆重建的社区空间转化为可供探索与互动的虚拟扫描复制品。碍于技术限制，我们无法将场景百分百极细致地还原，输出的模型偶尔呈颗粒状，但这种不完美不失为有趣的润色，使场景建模的呈现更具我们从脑中碎片化的记忆一点点地重组的意味。在扫描的基础上，场景里更加入声音景观以及与该空间有关之人物采访录像，以丰富观众听觉的感受与对人文历史的认知。作品亦在视觉效果上进行了不少实验，使扫描场景的外观更配合回忆潺潺流淌、万物无常不定的意境。位于北角的皇都戏院是我扫描旧建筑的起点──早于2019年初，我已经开始进行一连串位于皇都戏院的空间扫描以及口述历史访问工作。然而，过程中我意识到香港仍有许多蕴含历史价值的地方值得使用这种方式进行保育，故此我正式将这概念延伸为持续性虚拟保育计划《The Lost Metropolis 情迷香港》，并招揽了一批同样对历史记录有兴趣的大学生合作，试图以艺术价值、创新科技以及人文故事等不同切入点探寻更多保育的可能性。计划仍在起步阶段，我打算定期公开新的虚拟场景互动体验，同时实验以昔日历史照片重组早已拆卸的建筑，期望能提高公众自身对本土历史的联系，以及为市区重建计划提出思考空间。

With the modern abundance of photography, we are now given the power to almost perfectly document the appearance of these spaces; but by integrating art into the process of cultural preservation, we can better convey the emotional value these spaces hold for their community.

I enjoy pacing through old districts in Hong Kong to discover buildings and shops that have remained unchanged for many decades. It provides me a glimpse of a bygone era I have never experienced in person, and it makes me feel nostalgic and comfortable during these times of uncertainty, a feeling shared by many of Hong Kong's younger generations. These spaces are a living remnant of local history, but as society moves on they may have lost their original importance, and most of these locations already have their fate set in stone to be redeveloped, or be gentrified into a tourist destination. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to see these places in their most authentic form, but at the same time, it feels helpless that there is not much you can do to keep them around, to know that soon they will disappear, and slowly fade into obscurity. This is why I feel a sense of mission to preserve and document them, in a way that is faithful to its physical appearance as well as being able to express the emotional value they hold for their surrounding communities. With the modern abundance of photography, we are now given the power to almost perfectly document the appearance of these spaces; but by integrating art into the process of cultural preservation, we can better convey the emotional value these spaces hold for their community.

This piece explores the concept of using digital media to virtually reincarnate now lost community spaces. Through photogrammetry, I was able to preserve snapshots of physical spaces that will be developed into detailed, explorable worlds. The technology is not perfect, and the digital point cloud produced at times contains fuzzy and grainy artifacts, yet these imperfections serve as a fitting representation of human memories, which are inherently incomplete images of the past. Some parts of the 3D environment were also manipulated to invoke the sense of reliving a memory, and to symbolise the impermanence of matter. The building that first inspired the project was the State Theatre in North Point, where I began 3D scanning and conducting interviews in early 2019. As I progressed further into the preservation project, I realized many other urban spaces in decay are also facing redevelopment and would greatly benefit from being documented in a similar format, incorporating immersive art experiences, 3D scans, and oral history interviews. As a result, this project has been formalised into a collaborative effort called The Lost Metropolis. We consist of a small but diverse team of university students, passionate about experimenting with an approach composed of art, technology, and journalism. While the project is still in its infancy, we plan to release new experiences regularly, and experiment with recreating locations that have been gone for many decades through historic photographs. Through bringing these experiences to the public, I hope to shine light on our collective connection with the past and promote a dialogue about the role of conservation in urban renewal planning.