Jackey Ip, founder and design director of Monotype Studio, on creating Golden Scene cinema in Kennedy Town
Back in May, Peter Cheung, Tatler’s regional advisor on engagement, PR and business development, sat down with Jackey Ip, founder and design director of Monotype Studio, during an intimate fireside chat on the future of architecture and design in a pandemic-stricken era. Ip spoke of his experience working for Hong Kong’s EDGE Design Institute, designing compact homes and luxury residences, and co-designing the first MoMa store in K11 Musea.
In 2019, Ip founded his own multi-disciplinary design firm, Monotype Studio, which he says draws inspiration from Hong Kong’s rich cultural heritage. A career highlight was the recent opening of Golden Scene cinema in Kennedy Town, which he and his team had been working on since 2017. Though the project was a labour of love, it wasn’t without its challenges.
Here, the Bartlett School of Architecture graduate tells Tatler about completing the project in record time, why Ashton Kutcher should play him in a movie, and why Hong Kong will forever be his home.
How did you get your start in design and architecture?
I was born in Hong Kong and a few years later, my parents, two elder sisters and I moved to Canada. In 1997, our family returned to Hong Kong. I went to the Diocesan Boys’ School and I’m very grateful that I learnt Cantonese and Chinese properly before I left for Toronto again to pursue my design studies. During my time at the Ontario College of Art & Design, I felt product design was not fulfilling my design sensibilities in terms of scale and interests, so I applied to architecture schools in the UK, where I was admitted to the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London. I then did my Master’s at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. After all these hectic years, I have realised that Hong Kong has always, truly, been my home.
What does Hong Kong mean to you?
Hong Kong is a very special city for me as it’s my hometown. With Hong Kong’s hyper-density and hyper-intensity, it remains a unique city of extremes—full of hustle and bustle. You either love it or hate it. With the city’s unstoppable momentum, we all just try to find our own pace within the chaos.
Describe your business ventures in one sentence.
We’re trying to bring a lifestyle change to a big city, bit by bit.
What was your first job?
I was interning at a local interior practice in Hong Kong during one summer break and I was assigned to a senior designer to assist in designing a house in Kowloon Tong. This project is very memorable because the walk-in closet design had to accommodate more than 1000 pairs of shoes. It shaped how I thought about certain design conventions and it taught me to keep an open mind about client briefs.