Interviews with Wing Sze Wincy Kung

I founded my own creative practice, Wincy Kung, alongside InSeal, a social venture dedicated to preserving and reimagining Chinese seal carving for contemporary audiences.

Through Wincy Kung, I work as an artist, illustrator and designer, developing research-led projects that explore cultural heritage through visual storytelling. My practice involves creating new artworks, exhibiting internationally, applying for grants and commissions, managing client relationships, selling artwork, developing partnerships, and overseeing my website and social media. Running my own practice has taught me how to build a sustainable creative business while developing skills in project management, communication, fundraising, marketing, and strategic planning.

Alongside this, I founded InSeal, a social venture that combines a traditional Chinese seal carving toolkit with an illustrated storybook. The project explores the past, present and future of Chinese seal carving, from its historical development and traditional making process, to the voices of contemporary artisans in Hong Kong, and possibilities for its future revitalisation.

InSeal is more than a craft toolkit. It is an educational and cultural platform that uses storytelling, hands-on making, and design to reconnect people with an endangered cultural heritage. By making the tradition more accessible and engaging, I hope to inspire new generations to appreciate, learn about, and participate in preserving this unique art form.

To me, design is a way of understanding the world. I'm curious about how things are made, why they are designed in a certain way, and how people interact with them.

For example, when I take a train, I don't just think about getting from one place to another. I wonder how the train, the stations, and the entire system were designed, and how they meet the needs of different people. That curiosity extends to everything, from architecture and graphic design to cultural heritage, food, and sustainability.

Design is much more than creating something beautiful. It's about understanding people, solving problems, telling stories, and making a positive impact. My understanding of design is still evolving, and that's what makes being a designer so exciting to me.

I enjoy designing visual and spatial experiences that connect with people, traditions, and cultural heritage. I'm particularly interested in exploring the stories behind cultural practices and finding ways to communicate them through illustration, design, and storytelling.

I enjoy researching, visualising, and reinterpreting these stories, thinking about how design can create meaningful experiences, preserve cultural heritage, and help people connect with history and stories in new ways.

It's difficult to choose just one favourite design because I'm inspired by many different designers and artists. I love collecting illustration and graphic design books and exploring different approaches to visual storytelling.

Some of the creatives who have inspired me most are Pat Wingshan Wong, Victo Ngai, junaida, and the Japanese ukiyo-e tradition.

I think serve it purpose and respond to the design problem.

I believe designers have a responsibility beyond solving problems. We should consider how our work affects society and the environment, and strive to create a positive impact.

Design has the power to connect people and communities, preserve cultural heritage, and contribute to a more sustainable future. I also believe designers can support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating more inclusive, human-centred, and environmentally responsible solutions.

I believe design will continue to become more interdisciplinary as technology evolves. New technologies are creating exciting opportunities for designers to communicate ideas, tell stories, and create more engaging experiences. I see technology as a tool to support design, the role of a designer is still to understand people, respond to real needs, and create meaningful and positive impact.

My most recent exhibition was The Graduate Art Show at Art Movement Gallery in London, where I exhibited my artwork Reimagining the Chinese Seal in the Spring and Autumn Period. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow artists, share my work with the public, and have inspiring conversations about cultural heritage, printmaking, and illustration.

Looking ahead, I hope to continue exhibiting in collaborative group exhibitions while also curating another solo exhibition. My previous solo exhibition, Unfolding Cultural Heritage Echoes in Peckham Levels, London was an important milestone in my career. Supported by UAL Exhibition Space, the exhibition brought together illustration, spatial design, and animation to explore how cultural heritage can be preserved, reimagined, and shared across different communities.

That experience showed me the value of creating an immersive narrative through a carefully curated body of work. Once I have completed my current series, I would love to organise another solo exhibition

I would describe my design as research-led , narrative, and interdisciplinary that combines illustration, architecture, spatial design, storytelling to explore cultural heritage and the connections between people, places, and traditions.

This approach comes from my curiosity about culture and my passion for learning from traditional craftsmen and communities. I enjoy conducting research, visiting sites, and engaging in conversations before I begin designing. I think the main characteristic of my work is detailed visual storytelling. I aim to transform design and concept into engaging visual experiences that encourage people to discover, reflect and connect with cultural heritage.

I currently live in the UK, but I grew up in Hong Kong, and its cultural heritage has had a profound influence on my work. I have always been fascinated by Hong Kong's traditional crafts, everyday street life, local communities, and the strong sense of human connection they create. These experiences continue to inspire my designs.

One of the greatest advantages of designing with this background is the diversified of cultural stories waiting to be discovered. Through research and conversations with craftsmen and local communities, I find lots of inspiration for new projects. However, rapid urban development, economic pressures, and a decline in traditional apprenticeships have caused many historic places, crafts, and cultural practices to disappear. Witnessing these changes has strengthened my belief that design can play an important role in documenting, preserving, and reimagining cultural heritage for future generations.

My design process has been strongly influenced by my background in architecture and spatial design. Every project begins with research, observation, and site visits. I spend time understanding the context by talking with people, exploring places, and studying their history and culture. I often organise my research using mind maps and questions such as *who, what, where, when, why,* and *how* to identify relationships and opportunities.

Once I have developed a clear understanding of the project, I sketch different concepts and refine the strongest ideas. Depending on the project, I may create 3D models to explore spatial relationships before transforming them into detailed 2D illustrations. I combine hand drawing with digital tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, to develop the final visual language.

Whether I am designing an illustration, exhibition, or product, I always consider how people will experience it, where it will be used, and what impact it can have. My goal is to create work that communicates meaningful stories, responds to needs, and connects people.

I would encourage young designers to stay curious, ask questions, and never be afraid to try. Take time to research, observe, and understand the world around you. I believe that when you pursue what you genuinely care about and use design to respond to people's needs, your creative voice will naturally emerge. Most importantly, I hope every designer can find their own purpose and create work that reflects their values.

I believe the most important skills for a designer are curiosity, observation, empathy, and communication. These qualities help us understand people, ask meaningful questions, and develop thoughtful solutions. More importantly, they shape a designer's mindset, encouraging us to keep learning, exploring, and creating work with purpose.

My toolbox combines both digital and traditional ways of working. Depending on the project, I use Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Clip Studio Paint, Procreate, Rhino, SketchUp, and Mental Canvas for illustration, graphic design, layout, and 3D visualisation. Each tool serves a different purpose, from developing concepts and building spatial models to creating detailed final artwork.

For project planning and collaboration, I use Notion and Figma to organise research, develop concepts, and track the design process.

Beyond software, books are one of my most valuable design tools. I spend a lot of time in libraries exploring books on design, architecture, illustration, history, and cultural heritage. I also follow design publications such as Designboom, ArchDaily and A’ Design Award, to discover innovative project and learn how designer from different disciplines approach design challenges. Often, some idea come from connecting subjects that seem unrelated, discovering unexpected relationships, and transforming them into new concepts through design.

I hope to continue developing research-led projects that combine illustration, spatial design, cultural heritage and education. I would like to collaborate with museums and cultural organisations, publish more books, develop InSeal, and curate more exhibitions and workshops.

I'm currently developing InSeal, a social venture that reimagines Chinese seal carving through a craft toolkit and an illustrated storybook. More than a traditional craft kit, InSeal combines cultural heritage, storytelling, and hands-on making to make this traditional art form more accessible to contemporary audiences. Through learning, creating, and making, I hope it will inspire more people to appreciate Chinese seal carving and help pass this cultural knowledge on to future generations.

People can contact me with email: wincykung22@gmail.com

instagram: @wincy_szee

website: www.wincykung.com

When I began developing the project, I researched cultural heritage, traditional materials, and craft practices connected to everyday life in Hong Kong. I was particularly drawn to bamboo because it is not only connected to traditional craftsmanship such as lion and dragon dance head making and bamboo steamer weaving, but is also widely used in temporary structures and festivals. Examples include Hong Kong’s bamboo scaffolding and the bamboo towers and sheds constructed for the Cheung Chau Bun Festival.I realised that bamboo represents more than a material, it embodies a living tradition that connects craftsmanship, community, and everyday urban life. These structures and craft practices have become part of our collective cultural identity, shaping how people experience and interact with the city.This inspired me to think at an urban scale. I imagined a festival space built from elevated bamboo platforms that could preserve and celebrate street culture, traditional craftsmanship, and community gathering. By using bamboo as both a structural and symbolic element, the project highlights the importance of these cultural practices while envisioning a space where heritage can continue to be experienced, shared, and passed on to future generations.

Drawing 50 street-life activities and speaking with local craftsmen helped me understand how people interact with the city and adapt urban spaces throughout the day. I observed how the same place could serve different purposes over time: people exercised on staircases in the morning, while office workers used them for lunch and circulation later in the day.These observations informed my vision of transforming Hong Kong, Central into a temporary Bamboo Craft Festival. By drawing street stalls, bamboo scaffolding, high-rise buildings, and everyday urban activities, I explored how temporary bamboo structures could be integrated into the city. This research shaped both the composition and narrative of the festival place and cultural practices of everyday Hong Kong life.

I have always been interested in exploring how 2D illustration can be expanded into a three-dimensional spatial experience. For the Bamboo Craft Festival, I wanted to transform the drawing into an immersive 3D video that would allow viewers to experience and explore the festival space, bringing immersive experience into it. To achieve this, I experimented with digital tools that could bridge drawing and spatial storytelling. I discovered Mental Canvas, a software that reimagines 2D drawings as immersive environments. It allowed me to separate the illustration into multiple layers and position them at different depths in an infinite 3D space. So, I can create a sense of movement, scale and spatial depth. This process also allow me to explore new possibilities for architectural illustration, combining drawing, animation, and spatial experience to create an engaging form of storytelling.

Yes. Working at an urban scale presented challenges in both scale and composition. The Bamboo Craft Festival was designed to connect the Central Mid-Levels Escalator, tong lau rooftops, Gage Street, Graham Street, Peel Street, and Cochrane Street through a network of temporary bamboo structures and festival programmes.At the same time, the scale of the site created opportunities. It allowed me to imagine how large temporary bamboo structures could be woven into the existing city, transforming familiar streets and rooftops into a vibrant cultural festival. This helped me explore new ways of connecting architecture, street culture, craftsmanship, and community through illustration.My study of traditional Chinese painting helped me address these challenges. Rather than relying on a single fixed perspective, I was inspired by the shifting viewpoints found in works such as Along the River During the Qingming Festival. This allowed me to combine multiple spaces, scales, and activities within one composition.The concept of yi jing (Sense of atmosphere) also influenced my approach. Traditional Chinese painting seeks to evoke atmosphere, movement, and sensory experiences through colour, clouds, smoke, and spatial rhythm. I included these elements to create a drawing that not only represents the festival visually, but also conveys its energy, sounds, smells, textures, and cultural atmosphere.

The project was divided into seven drawing and seven storybooks to reflect the contruction process and activities of the Bamboo Craft Festival. Each chapter focuses on a different stage: bamboo construction, the festival entrance, opening celebrations, food and cultural activities, street-life experiences and workshops, dismantling, and material reuse. Together, they form a continuous narrative of making, celebration, transformation, and renewal.Colour played a key role in shaping the project. Distinct colour palettes helped define each chapter across the series. This format allowed viewers to experience the festival gradually and engage more deeply with its stories, craftsmanship, and cultural significance.

The dismantling and recycling of bamboo structures highlight the sustainable nature of bamboo architecture. I believe that preserving and revitalising cultural heritage requires not only celebrating traditions but also ensuring they remain sustainable for future generations.The reuse of bamboo materials to create fertiliser and construct new pavilions that helped minimise the waste and demonstrates an environmentally responsible approach to festival-making. At the same time, the knowledge and craftsmanship involved in constructing and dismantling these structures are passed from one generation to the next. For me, sustainability is both ecological and cultural. It is about sustaining materials, skills, and community knowledge, ensuring that cultural heritage continues to evolve and thrive over time.

Hong Kong's rapid urbanisation has led to the gradual disappearance of many traditional shops, street-life cultures, and craft practices. Through the Bamboo Craft Festival Architectural Narrative Illustration, I aimed to preserve and celebrate cultural traditions such as lion and dragon head making, bamboo scaffolding, bamboo steamer craftsmanship, traditional wonton noodle culture, local markets, and neighbourhood street life.Many of these practices are facing challenges due to redevelopment, economic pressures, and a lack of younger generations entering the trades. Through the festival narrative, I wanted to create a platform where craftsmen, local communities, and visitors could experience and learn from these traditions, inspiring new interpretations and transformations that are sustainable for the future generations.

I envision these spaces as platforms for participation, learning and cultural exchange where craftsmen, young people, neighbourhood, visitors can come together to share skills, stories and experiences. The workshop spaces encourage hands-on learning through making, while the performance spaces celebrate cultural traditions in a public and accessible way. By bringing people together, these spaces foster connections between generations and communities, supporting cultural knowledge, skills, and traditions to be shared, adapted, and passed on to future generations.

Bamboo Craft Festival deepened my understanding of architectural visualisation as a form of storytelling. It demonstrated how architectural illustration can communicate cultural values, collective memories, and traditions.In my future work, I hope to continue bridging heritage, architecture, and illustration, making cultural heritage more visible and accessible. Through drawing, I aim to share stories, communicate ideas, and inspire meaningful connections between people, culture, and place.