We recently slipped back into the dark comfort of this derelict old Hong Kong mine and left the dystopian woes of modern life for a few delicious hours of exploration. The dark intricate network of caverns and tracks once served as the stomping grounds for hundreds of miners. However, the tunnels have been left to rot since since 1978, when they were abandoned after the mine proved to be unprofitable.
With the world falling further into metaphorical darkness, we set out to be consumed by literal blackness so we could be reminded of what it means to be alive. Unlike the deep, morbid rabbit hole of the surface – filled with cold negativity and a reality collapsing in on itself – the darkness of the mine was reassuringly warm and womb-like with an environment as solid and real as a rock. There is no question of fact or fiction in the mine – just gritty, raw reality.
No risk, no reward. And yet, within this uncharted territory lies an unexpected serenity. As the mine takes you in and you become accustomed to the dark, a metaphysical solipsism takes over. It’s easy to forget that reality outside the mine exists – there is only the blackness and the self. The constant blackness was somehow reassuring – a reliable embracing cocoon we could fall into if we wanted. Welcome to the abyss.
Disclaimer *注意：片中攀牆特技人員曾受專業訓練，觀眾切勿模仿* Please do not willingly enter the mines without safety equipment. It is pitch black / full of cave-ins / often wet.
