Shooting with the stars

Taking photos from the rooftops of HK (Hong Kong)'s buildings gave three young men a different perspective on the city and their own lives.

Daniel Lau looks relaxed enough to check his phone, atop the spire of one of Hong Kong’s tallest buildings. Photo: China Daily

A love of spontaneity and novelty with a little social media mixed in became the inspiration for Exthetics — a small group of people in search of rooftop adventures, popularly known as roof-topping. It is a pastime that involves a bit of dare-devilry and is, potentially, quite dangerous.

The night back in 2014 when the thing got started, Lawrence Tsui saw a photograph on Instagram, presenting a bird's-eye view from a building rooftop. He and two buddies, Daniel Lau and Dex Ng, got together to form Exthetics. The idea was to explore old buildings on Temple Street. When Daniel Lau first heard the idea, his immediate response was "what so interesting?" Later he became the keenest adherent of roof-topping.

Exthetics was a word the friends coined by punching extremity with aesthetics. The name started out as a hash-tag for images capturing their adventures. Exthetics, the young men explain, is not restricted to roof-topping, rather might include other activities in which people engage in most passionately.

Tsui, Lau and Ng have been friends since primary school. They shared a common interest, taking pictures of unusual places and creating uncommon themes, giving rare perspectives. They visit construction sites, abandoned buildings and ruins — activities collectively known as urban exploration, or urbex in short. Their mission, they say, is to surprise viewers by showing them Hong Kong photographed from unusual angles.

The Hong Kong Harbour is viewed through an unusual frame in this shot. Photo: China Daily

The team does not wear protective gear, even when taking photographs from a few hundred meters above the ground. They balance themselves well on ledges and pose with a selfie stick for breath-taking pictures. They make it a point to keep themselves in top physical condition to pull off such a feat and stay within their personal limits. The other winning factor is of course self-confidence which they seem to have in abundance.

Being up there on the roof, Lau says, is liberating. "It is very peaceful and relaxing being on the rooftops. The city, which is moving so fast at ground level, immediately goes into slow motion. It's a new perspective on what is happening but I never feel disconnected."

The idea of stepping out of one’s comfort zone is taken to a new level as Lau walks the ramp above K11 art mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: China Daily

The trio describes their most unforgettable adventure, at Shenzhen Ping An Finance Centre last January. The building, 600 meters high, is going to be China's second tallest and fourth most-tall in the world in 2016 after completion. The team spent a night shivering in the void surrounding the construction site. The magnificent view of the city below made up for all that. They had climbed up on the tower crane at sunset. It was a difficult ascent as the crane's surface was slippery from rain and oil. The amazing view was their reward for braving the treacherous climb.