PICTURE THIS: Seven hours of world-class DJs, live mural paintings, and premium catering by the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong and The Aubrey, all set in the heart of the city.
As Art Week in Hong Kong reaches its grand finale this Sunday, OPEN by HE.R takes over the iconic Chater Road for a rare, large-scale open-air experience, bringing together high art and dancefloor energy in the heart of Central.
Curated by Cocoa Zhou and music director Alex Nude, the creative duo behind the coveted HE.R nights at Mott 32 is running this week’s most anticipated closing event in partnership with Hongkong Land. This event marks a bold redefinition of outdoor culture in the city’s core.
Giving Tripolism, a well-established force in the music industry, their first time in Asia, HE.R hopes to introduce something sonically new to the local scene. Beyond the music, the visual and spatial design is an integral part of the experience. The open-air festival takes the idea of an outdoor event to the next level while empowering urban culture alongside art and electronic music during the city’s most creatively prolific time.
We spoke to Cocoa and Alex themselves during the photoshoot whilst learning more about the festival’s vision as we framed each shot.
T&C: Tell us more about the festival! What makes this different from what you’ve done before?
Alex Nude: Beyond the larger scale, we want to push change forward. Staging this on the street embodies that—bringing something new to the city.
Space is always a challenge in Hong Kong, so we sought a creative way to overcome it.
Cocoa Zhou: Additionally, the electronic sound at Open by HE.R differs from what the local market is used to, and through this event we hope to introduce and expand that palette.
T&C: Tell us more about the theme for this event and the dress code inspiration
C: Dressing up is the fun part of this, as we welcome any style. Our main priority is for people to express themselves and their personality. For that purpose, we chose ‘deconstructed elegance’, in echo to our dress code at HE.R, ‘polished yet raw’. Both suggest an openness to interpretation while bringing up this notion of contrast and balance.
T&C: What inspired you to create HE.R? What makes it different?
A: It started with the idea of creating an escape, something that pulls you out of your everyday life. Where you are free to express yourself in any way and have the opportunity to experience the culture of house music while meeting a diverse range of demographics.
C: We drew inspiration from venues we’ve played at around the world and wanted to bring that energy back home. There’s a level of sophistication we felt was missing in the local club scene, and HE.R is our way of introducing that.
T&C: How has it been navigating Hong Kong’s DJ scene as a woman? What have your experiences taught you?
C: I believe no industry should be differentiated between men and women. When I get approached by people claiming to specifically require a woman DJ, I get put off because I feel a lack of respect for my skills. I had to experience this a lot at the early days of my career, as this is how things work, and you might sometimes have to take advantage of it to get a head start. The challenge then becomes to get taken seriously, and for that I had to be a lot more selective with the gigs I would pick and work on my skills.
T&C: What characterizes your duo, and how would you describe your creative dynamic?
A: With Cocoa, it’s even more fun when we play together, the night rolls better. It feels effortless and natural. I’d say our consistency is our best asset.
C: I would say ying-yang? We are opposites when it comes to our music preferences, as I tend to enjoy pushier, heavier bass while Alex goes for melodic, softer sounds. These different tastes end up being complementary when we play and take us back to that idea of contrast we emphasize at HE.R.
