S T O R I E S
Life Above the Water
This series documents daily life in Tai O, a fishing community on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. With roots dating back several centuries, Tai O is one of the region’s oldest coastal settlements, where traditional ways of living continue to exist within one of the world’s most developed cities. Homes range from metal-clad and timber-supported structures raised on stilts, to more permanent concrete houses connected by narrow wooden bridges. Fishing boats remain closely integrated into domestic space, moored beneath homes or along tidal channels, while seafood is dried in open-air racks beside shared walkways. Cats move freely through these spaces, becoming part of the working landscape. Movement within the village depends on bridges rather than streets, linking households across water, mudflats and mangroves. Daily routines unfold between land and sea, shaped by tides, weather and access to fishing grounds. Rather than presenting a nostalgic image, the photographs observe how traditional livelihoods and improvised architecture continue to function alongside gradual urban change. Shot in natural light using an observational approach, the series records the structure, rhythm and lived reality of a community where living above water remains a practical and ongoing condition.
