“Pass It On” Market Mat
Mat for Mighty Oaks Foundation for placement of pop-up wet market stalls.
As part of Mighty Oaks’ “Pass It On” project, elders and primary school students discussed the history of wet markets and shopping culture in Hong Kong and created their own pop-up stalls with their own drawings and the cut-outs provided. The participants then added their stalls to the mat and came up with names for the streets and facilities.
Categories: Client Work, Merchandise Design
Completed: 2025
The mat depicts a community made up of a variety of facilities and groups of people. The items and stall placeholders face different directions, so that participants would be able to see different things in their correct orientation no matter where they are as they walk around the mat.
To create the look of a welcoming community, I adopted a bright and cheerful colour scheme, but used more muted colours where appropriate. The rounded lines and shapes also feel more friendly and inviting. I kept the design of the figures and buildings generally simple to keep the focus on the handmade stalls.
A sheet of cut-outs was also provided for the participants to use in their own stalls, in addition to their own illustrations. To invite conversation on the differences between traditional and modern items found in wet market stalls, the team and I decided to include two kinds of weighing scales (a traditional steelyard balance and a modern table scale) and two kinds of hanging lamps (traditional red lamps and modern “fresh lamps”) for the participants to choose from.