Dr. Evelyn Kwok

Evelyn Kwok is an interdisciplinary design researcher. Her research interests lie at the intersection of gender, labor and space, how marginal communities in urban spaces use public space, ethnographic methodologies in design research, migration and invisible economies and socially-engaged art and design. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Australia, her education and cultural heritage have created a particular awareness of the intercultural aspects of architecture, design and visual arts. With experience working across Australian and Hong Kong educational institutions whilst establishing international and local connections, she has an active knowledge of the intercultural context of the Pearl River Delta region, Asia-Pacific and beyond.

https://scholars.hkbu.edu.hk/en/persons/EVELYNKWOK
https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-spatial-agency-and-occupation-hb.html

Contact

Email: evelyn.y.kwok[@]gmail.com

GRF project 2022-24 funded by Research Grants Council Hong Kong

Domestic Work in Hong Kong: Gender, Labour and Space

This project looks at how domestic work in Hong Kong is shaped with and by domestic workers and women of Hong Kong households. Domestic work is something that occurs everyday, in every household, done by people from all walks of life. This project focuses on how women in most households participate in domestic work, whether they like to or not, or are paid or not, due to expectations and norms that have been created by the unique socio-economic and cultural histories of Hong Kong. An important aspect of this intersected issue is also space, as in both domestic space and public space, and how domestic work isn’t just something that happens behind closed doors, in the private realms of the city. The two main project outcomes of the project are a book, and a podcast series!

The Book

Spatial Agency and Occupation: Migrant Domestic Workers in Hong Kong is a culmination of over a decade’s worth of research on how migrant domestic workers use public space in Hong Kong, as a consequence of the socio-spatial and economic conditions prescribed by their labour. The book uses ethnographic fieldwork data collected over the last decade, with analysis of existing literature from sociology and migration studies. Also novel to this topic is an intersected understanding through a different political economic framework that pushes the boundaries of existing neoclassical and new economics of labour migration frameworks which migration labour has long been understood in, with limitations – stratification economics and feminist economics framework. Overall, the book explores this topic through space, economics and migration labour, with photographs and diagrams dotted throughout and a visual essay chapter with on-site illustrations by the migrant workers artist collective, Guhit Kulay.

Image Archive

This is an ongoing image archive that includes selected photographs, illustration and spatial analysis diagrams. Currently, what is included here have been created over the course of this research between 2013-2023.

illustrations by Guhit Kulay

15 illustrations by members of Guhit Kulay: Maria Christina Anire, Cristina Cayat, Lyn Lopez, Lorelito Eludo and Jonalyn Molina.

For more information on Guhit Kulay – migrant worker artist collective – please see https://guhitkulayhk2017.wixsite.com/gkhk

Photographs from book

Over the years of research, thousands of photographs were taken throughout my fieldwork research. Here is a small selection of photographs that are included in the book.

Spatial analysis diagrams

The spatial diagrams show how the public space was used by workers and how I explored the issue of their labour through observing and analysing what occurred on Sundays.

The Podcast

Who’s Doing the Dishes? brings a less academic and more everyday conversational perspective to the topic of domestic work. Over 5 episodes, I sit down with 5 different groups of guests from diverse backgrounds and households to talk about all the things that household chores weave together – relationships, gender norms, home, belonging, cultural expectations and much more. Some guests share their experiences with having their own domestic workers, stories about their own upbringing and how they witnessed household chores being divided and other stories about their lives behind closed doors. Their stories are all unique and one thing all the stories have in common is that everyone is moved to tears at some point in our conversations! It shows that domestic work isn’t just a chore, rather something that is integrated into our lives and can shape and touch our lives in unexpected ways.

The guests for the 5 episodes are: Dee Cheung, Alison Tan, Sotiris Tsouris, Savannah Russell, Emily Chow Quesada, Zhultara Banda, Zherlyn Banda and Emeline dela Rosa.

In the final episode, I have a special guest, Dr Daisy Tam, who has a conversation with me to reflect on what I got out of my conversations with my guests and my view on domestic work. Our conversation revealed how my upbringing shaped my research, influenced my way of doing housework and much more.

Big thanks go to the Phonology Lab at Hong Kong Baptist University where the podcast was recorded. The episodes are edited and produced by Stray Sparrow Limited and the music is mixed by Alex Purdue. Special thanks also go to project assistant Athena Cheng. Artworks for the podcast are created by Krystine Wen Ching Yiu with original illustrations by FlyingPig.

https://alexpurdue.com
www.flyingpig.work
www.wenchingyiu.com

Image Archive

To celebrate the upcoming launch of her book Spatial Agency and Occupation: Migrant Domestic Workers in Hong Kong and podcast Who’s Doing the Dishes?, Evelyn will be hosting an event that brings together community, colleagues and friends for an afternoon of interesting conversations and deliciousness!

The event will be held at:
Current Plans
3F, Remex Centre
42 Wong Chuk Hang Road
Wong Chuk Hang

Date: 11 August, Sunday

Time: 2-5pm

The event will feature:

a conversation about the book and the pod with Tegan Smyth (founder of Grassroots Future and Table of Two Cities), Daisy Tam (Associate Professor, HKBU) and myself
a screening of the animated documentary short A Message From Migrant Workers joined by several members of Guhit Kulay and Justyna Kabala from University of the Arts London
with delicious food prepared by Burmese Apron and drinks from Crushed Wines

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