Lifestyle

HKFP Lens: Hong Kong MTR pays tribute to gigantic rubber ducks


A giant rubber duck art installation is set to return to Hong Kong’s waters, this time with an identical accomplice.

MTR Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck
A tribute to Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation at Hong Kong’s MTR. Photo: MTRC.

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s two inflatable sculptures will float up to Victoria Harbour on June 10.

MTR Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck
A tribute to Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation at Hong Kong’s MTR. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Hong Kong last played host to the 16.5 metre-high bathtub favourite in 2013.

MTR Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck
A tribute to Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation at Hong Kong’s MTR. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Millions peeked at the plump pontoon as it proceeded past the city’s skyline.

Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck installation
Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation arrives in Hong Kong. Photo: AllRightsReserved.
Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck installation
Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation arrives in Hong Kong. Photo: AllRightsReserved.

The oversized aquatic wonder has toured countries from France to New Zealand to Brazil.

MTR Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck
A tribute to Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation at Hong Kong’s MTR. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

MTR tributes

The six-metre-tall semi-circular glass dome at Exit E of Admiralty MTR Station has been taken over with a gigantic, if not mildly unsettling, tribute to the marine-dwelling marvel.

MTR Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck
A tribute to Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation at Hong Kong’s MTR. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

MTR Corporation Corporate Affairs and Branding Director Linda Choy said in a Friday press release that the duck has been a symbol of joy for some years. “As they return as a pair this year, MTR Corporation is delighted to bring different adorable dickies into our stations, presenting passengers with a joyful railway journey with the Rubber Ducks this summer. We are honoured to bring the iconic artworks of Florentijn Hofman into the community via the MTR railway network, bringing art into daily life and creating moments of childhood joy for Hong Kong.”

MTR Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck
A tribute to Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation at Hong Kong’s MTR. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

MTR walls, escalators and floors will be filled with illustrations of the portly orange-beaked character across 18 different stations.

MTR Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck
A tribute to Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation at Hong Kong’s MTR. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

According to The New York Times, searches for “big yellow duck” were blocked in China during its 2013 outing, after a duck was Photoshopped into the iconic Tiananmen crackdown “Tank Man” photo.

Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck installation
Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation arrives in Hong Kong. Photo: AllRightsReserved.
Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck installation
Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation arrives in Hong Kong. Photo: AllRightsReserved.
MTR Florentijn Hofman's rubber duck
A tribute to Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck installation at Hong Kong’s MTR. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

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