Wong Sherman
St. Paul's Convent School

‘City’ is a poem about street-sleepers who make themselves a makeshift home somewhere in Hong Kong. In my artwork, I chose watercolour as the medium. The poem conveys a sense of despair, disorientation and loss. It is set in a gloomy and sombre winter night. To visualise the depressing scenes in my artwork, I used cold and dark colours in some parts. The sense of being trapped suggested by words like ‘criss-crossing’ and ‘maze’ is depicted through the illustration of fences with criss-crossing patterns next to the street-sleepers and bushes.

I did not use any bright colours on the street-sleepers. Although the poem revolves around them, I did not highlight their presence as I wanted to convey a message that they often go unnoticed by passers-by. They may seem weak and lonely, but they are also part of society. Therefore, we should not ignore their very existence. Instead, we should offer help to those in need and build an inclusive society.