"Design, at its essence, is a reflection of culture, and spatial design manifests that culture through physical form."

Michael graduated from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Design in 2024, specialising in Environment and Interior Design. Passionate about philosophy, literature and psychology, he weaves these intellectual pursuits into his design work. His graduation project, Allegorical Spaces – Sculpting in Time, explores the philosophical relationship between time and space. To investigate this, he conducted an experiment where participants viewed identical video and audio, analysing how time is perceived without instruments or conscious calculation. He studied how sound, movement and characters influence the expansion and contraction of time perception. Using these findings, Michael incorporated spatial narrative techniques from Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, juxtaposing them with a derelict tong lau (Chinese tenement) in Hong Kong to reimagine the interplay of time and space.

In 2023, Michael spent six months as an exchange student at the University of Edinburgh. There, he gained firsthand insight into the importance of architectural conservation in the UK and Europe, which inspired him to apply these principles to Hong Kong’s own heritage. His interest in social and urban design led him to volunteer at the Hong Kong non-profit Local Research Society for a few months after graduation.

For the overseas learning opportunity offered by the DFA CreateSmart Young Design Talent Special Award, Michael plans to delve deeper into spatial perception and curation. Beyond enhancing his design skills, he looks forward to pursuing research on subjects that align with his personal interests.