Murray House, a 19th century colonial relic that was relocated from Central to Stanley in the early 2000s, has served as both venue and muse to Hongkongers. But for a year now, it has lain vacant of commercial tenants, a casualty of Hong Kong’s current economic quagmire. Yet not all is lost: in its latest metamorphosis, the building has been taken over, albeit temporarily, by the Design Trust Futures Festival. The initiative looks at sustainability, culture and heritage in Hong Kong and the wider region.
The coastal colonnade of Murray House, designed by Joyce Wang Studio, will be where the Design Trust Futures Festival is being held. Photo: Design Trust Futures Festival
Themed “The Art of Transformation”, the festival brings Murray House’s public areas to life with site-specific installations, featuring works by some of the biggest names in contemporary Asian design, including material innovation by Joyce Wang, Lidia Ratoi’s community-driven designs, and Editecture’s playful reimagining of architectural remnants. The “Hong Kong Islands & Material Ecologies” programme presents speculative projects by grantees such as MAP Office and the Inter-Island Festival, probing themes of ocean sustainability and island communities. “‘The Art of Transformation’ is a layered but sentimental and projective series of questions: how do we participate and how do we collectively create in a city and culture that is undergoing transformation?” says Marisa Yiu Kar-san, co-founder and lead curator of Design Trust.
Marisa Yiu, co-founder and lead curator of Design Trust, at the Design Trust Studio in Shek Tong Tsui. Photo: Jelly Tse
Interdisciplinary collaboration is another guiding principle at the Futures Festival. The “Sea Garden” – a former restaurant – will host a lighting installation by Japanese designer Hokuto Ando, who explores the application of non-edible seaweed in a design inspired by Po Toi Island, located southeast of Stanley, and Japanese papermaking techniques. Visitors can also take part in workshops, talks and cultural tours, including a project led by Elaine Ng Yan-ling, Julie Progin and Jesse Mc Lin, mentees of Design Trust Futures Studio.
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A map of Murray House and Stanley by Maoshan Connie guides attendees through the festival. Yiu notes the involvement of more than 60 (mostly women) designers, artists and architects from across the region. At its core, the festival unpacks how design can safeguard cultural heritage while propelling cities forward. Murray House’s metamorphosis from colonial artefact to creative hub mirrors Hong Kong’s own evolution.
The Painter and Murray House, by Stephen Chun Hei-wong, is being exhibited as part of the Design Trust Futures Festival. Photo: Stephen Chun Hei-wong / Design Trust Futures Festival
“The historic Murray House building has its own transformative history that in itself proves to be a space of awe, inspiration and worthy of further study and collective reimagination,” says Yiu.
With its fusion of legacy and experimentation, the festival invites Hongkongers to envisage a city where creativity transcends boundaries, a vision as dynamic as the harbour views framing Murray House.
“I have been dreaming of what could be a potentially perfect building with history; a place that has an inherent curiosity and oddities,” says Yiu. “Murray House is a great, strong building for us to test and reinvent its future.”
Design Trust Futures Festival 2025. Murray House, 96 Stanley Main Street, Stanley, until June 18. For more information, visit designtrust.hk
