Transcultural Journey on the Orient Express

School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)

Short description

The project imagines a journey on the Orient Express, weaving together different cultures between cities. This tapestry of connections illustrates a transcultural experience that empowers people, creating a dynamic and ever-evolving blend of new cultural expressions.

The project began with the meticulous mapping of cities, towns, landscapes, and borders, and a study of the cultural essence of each country. From this foundation, it introduced a system that packages cultural resources in modular, interchangeable forms. These resources, including objects and programs, are transported in and out of the train through conveyor-belt-inspired mechanisms or existing transportation structures, fostering a dynamic transcultural operation.

The project includes a detailed journey timetable that translates the blending of products and cultural programs into a transcript, showcasing the integration and sublimation of cultural assets. All the elements involved are labeled with a code that indicates both the space-time context and the transfer paths, as shown by dotted adjacent lines. Alongside the timetable, there is a 420x14830mm world-building drawing that illustrates the continuous landscape of the journey, narrating the transcultural world.

This panorama, stretching over 15 meters, adds depth to the story by using windows and frames as 'doors,' connecting the narrative with associated stories in another time-space. The scale of the drawing allows for human-scale engagement, enabling viewers to walk through the entire span to fully appreciate the panorama. From foreground to background, the drawing guides the audience's viewing distance and gaze, serving as a mini-world that invites audiences to join in this journey.