[Hong Kong, 9 September, 2022] Long committed to promoting a fun culture of innovation and learning, The Mills joins hands with British inflatable design group Designs in Air to transform the property into a magical marine wonderland, featuring spooky inflatable monsters and their terrifying tentacles. Visitors young and old, it’s time to dive in!
Designs in Air is an inflatable design company directed by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas. The company is renowned for spicing up skylines with vibrant inflatable art pieces that peek out from the architecture of cities. One of the company’s signature designs, the Inflatable Tentacles, known as “Octopus Attacks”, was first showcased erupting from an abandoned bakery in France, known as Maison du Pain in 2004, and again in a derelict navy yard in Philadelphia in 2018 . Its monstrous limbs writhing out of rusted, broken windows drew a spotlight onto the forgotten site. Last year, Designs in Air’s works could be seen in The Yorkshire Museum and various municipal government buildings in efforts to give life to the historical structures and highlight marine conservation. Together, the architecture and Designs in Air’s vivid and jovial pieces make for a sharp and comical contrast – perhaps the best ingredient to giving old buildings a new meaning.
By partnering with Designs in Air, The Mills hopes to bring the same oomph, pizzaz, zing, and attention to historic conservation in Hong Kong!
Vanessa Cheung, Founder of The Mills, says, “Creativity is all around us—Designs in Air’s fun, flashy inflatables are a true feast for the eyes that also ties in with our vision for sustainability. More importantly, much like our innovation- and creativity-led conservation efforts, these works inspire boundless imagination and manifest our dedication to injecting new energies into the iconic site. Through the years, we have partnered with different creators to turn The Mills into a place of joy, appreciation, and respite, with imagination as the common thread and a necessary first step to hosting programs that continually inspire and resonate with the community.”
Catch Designs in Air’s inflatable installations around The Mills from September 10 to October 31!
Inflatable Installation Duo Just “Wants to Have Fun”
Designs in Air was founded by the talented Pete Hamilton, a textile-based artist fascinated with geometrical shapes, and Luke Egan, a mixed-media sculptor, both with their artistic roots planted in the UK festival culture and together as urban explorers, driven by wild imaginations and desire to change the world through art. The artists met in an open plan workshop and since 1996, they have since created countless inflatable installations, all of which are pieces that marry art with technology through imagination, meticulous calculations, textile design, lighting, interactive sensors, dynamics, installation techniques and outrageous jokes and concepts, beauty of form and much, much more.
In 2004, the duo was inspired by the new International Street Art Movement and wanted to “have some fun” with their talents via their aliases, Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas. The often humorous series of urban installations greatly widened their audience and the duo garnered international recognition, including being featured in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, The Eden Project in Cornwall, UK that celebrates plants and the natural world; Cirque du Soleil, Fuji Rock festival in Japan and Lollapalooza in the US, to name but a few.
In their latest partnership with The Mills, Pete and Luke have brought their favourite Inflatable Tentacles — for them a symbol of conservation and the victorious sustenance of nature.
“The Mills is a very unique cultural landmark whose history in textiles has much to do with our inflatable installations. The Mills is an avid supporter of creatives who, like us, just want to ‘have some fun’. We want to inject this creative attitude to further promote inflatable installations as art for all. We’re grateful for The Mills’ invitation to this spooky and spectacular event of the year. Hopefully Hong Kongers will enjoy our magical marine land of sea monsters and our terrifying tentacles!”
Photo Hunt at The Mills – Seek the Sea Monster
‘Seek the Sea Monster’ is an event encouraging visitors to search for the various inflatable installations that have made their way to The Mills! Visitors simply have to pick up a photo hunt game sheet at the G/F Concierge and complete the scavenger hunt. Don’t forget to submit the completed game sheet to us—the first 3 winners each day will be rewarded with surprise gifts!
Aside from embarking on this scavenger hunt, you can also add your own twist to the game: try colouring in the sheet as you travel around The Mills and turn it into your own, unique artwork!
Seek The Sea Monster Photo Hunt date:
Date: September 10th to October 31st (while stocks last)
Time: 10am – 10pm
Redemption venue: G/F Concierge, The Mills
Take a bite of the Spooky Sea Monsters
Echoing the theme of the Spooky Sea Monster, the F&B tenants of The Mills bring to the table special dishes for a real ‘taste’ of these sea creatures!
| Sea Lovers $238
Fleur (Shop G08) |
Golden Squid with Spicy Salt $78
Palate Mansion (Shop 109) |
Redeem Limited-Edition Tattoo Stickers of
“The Fantastical Beasts of The Sea”
During the campaign period from September 10 to October 31, visitors who spend HK$500 or more across two transactions can redeem The Mills’ “The Fantastical Beasts of The Sea” limited-edition tattoo stickers on a first-come, first-served basis.
Redemption date:
September 10th to October 31st (while stocks last)
Redemption venue:
G/F Concierge, The Mills
Be one of the spooky sea monsters with the special Instargam filter
A limited edition Instargam filter will be launched during the period. Check out the filter and you can be one of the spooky monsters with different monsters eyes to choose from! Remember to share your spooky monsters moments with your friends and The Mills @themillshk.
“Spooky Sea Monsters” Instagram filter
Date: September 10th to October 31st
Get the filter:
Apart from limited-edition “The Fantastical Beasts of The Sea” tattoo stickers and thrilling Instagram photo challenges, The Mills also rings in with adorable pumpkin installations, Trick-or-Treat and more. To dial up the spook factor, The Mills will be hosting an Instagram photo challenge with rewards worth up to HK$500! Kids can join in on the spine-chilling fun as well: simply visit The Mills in costume, strike a pose, and upload your photo with the hashtag #TheMillsHalloween2022 and tag us @themillshk for a chance to win. The top five most creative snaps will take home gift vouchers worth up to HK$500. For details and terms and conditions of the Instagram challenge, please refer to The Mills’ social media.
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