A quick guide to DETOUR 2009, Hong Kong's latest and biggest heritage/art/design project

DETOUR 2009, a much hyped two-week medley of design events, will kick off this week at its ‘pop up’ headquarters at the vacant former police married quarters on Hollywood Road. We can’t wait to see the austere 50-year-old government dorm transform into an edgy design hub.

Among the flurry of creative happenings around town, here’s a look at our favorites.

Route-D: impossible to miss

The blood-red bridge installation “Route D” will be the first thing that catches your eye as you step into the police quarters courtyard.  The 19-meter Route-D connects the two Detour exhibition blocks and is made of painted bamboo scaffolding.

“We used red since the color is so deeply ingrained in Chinese culture. In the empty courtyard, the color red is also a call for attention,” said project assistant Tommy Yeung. The structure is designed by the award-winning William Lim of CL3 Architects.

Room 414 explores urban rejuvenation.

Douglas Young, G.O.D. founder, will be personally designing “Room 414”, an installation that promises to give local visitors a deja-vu experience and raise questions about urban rejuvenation.

“It’s a very mysterious room, the room of a very important person. [It tells] the story of Hong Kong itself, a grassroots success story,” Young said cryptically at a press conference. 

G.O.D. is tight-lipped about what’s in store, but we’re guessing it’s to do with Chief Executive Donald Tsang, who grew up in that same room.

Pimp a Pushcart redfines an old Hong Kong symbol

The event breathes new life into pushcarts, Hong Kong grassroots’ vehicle of choice for carting garbage, paper boxes and old lady knick-knacks.

Starting today, four teams of design students from Polytechnic University will doll up the carts and turn it into traffic stopping statements. The design process is open to the public.

Sugary exhibits at Cultural Confectionary

Locally-based designer Oriana Reich wants us to think that egg tarts, milk tea and other cha-chaan-teng teatime delights is art.

Cultural Confectionary explores the etymology of Hong Kong sweets through photos, writings and scent samples.

"Unfortunately, there will be no edible parts of the exhibit, except maybe for the opening reception, except some egg tarts instead of canapés,” Reich told CNNGo. The exhibit runs alongside a blog, which is updated weekly.

On top of the 15 showrooms at the anchor site, DETOUR will also host 55 off-site design events. More details are available here.

DETOUR 2009