Photographer Austin Bell takes us on a unique journey through Hong Kong via his images of basketball courts. Bell managed to photograph all 2,549 courts in the city, an impressive feat that took meticulous research and multiple trips to the city. Now, he’s celebrating the fruits of his labor with the opening of a solo exhibition and the release of his self-published book.
Shooting Hoops is both the name of his show at Hong Kong’s Blue Lotus Gallery and his 356-page book. The Shooting Hoops book, which can be ordered via Bell’s website or, for international buyers, the Blue Lotus Gallery, features over 1,000 color images that demonstrate the size, scale, and location of these courts.
Bell’s aerial photography not only shows off the surprising beauty of these playing surfaces, but also emphasizes the city’s density. Courts are tucked away between skyscrapers or under railway tracks, eager to provide leisure time in the big city. In anticipation of the exhibition, which runs from January 17 to February 23, we had the opportunity to speak with Bell about the inspiration behind his project and discover just how difficult it was to document every court in Hong Kong. Read on for My Modern Met’s exclusive interview.
What was the impetus behind this project?
I stumbled upon basketball courts when I was first exploring Hong Kong, in housing estates, on top of car parks, behind school fences… They intrigued me enough that on a future trip, I decided to solely focus on seeking them out, and once I started I decided I needed to try to see all of them in the city, both as a way to make sure I had documented the most interesting ones and as a way to fully explore the city.
How long did it take you to complete the photos, and what were the logistics like?
It took 140 full days of shooting over multiple visits to Hong Kong. I used public transit, which is very efficient in Hong Kong, so there was a little planning in getting from place to place, but most of it was done in advance, figuring out where all the courts were, working around the weather, making sure I had them all organized/labeled and covered.
How did you go about locating all of the basketball courts?
I started by identifying them on Google Maps satellite view, then filled in the holes with further research and looking on the ground at places like schools and housing estates where they would normally be.
What did this series teach you about Hong Kong and its culture?
One of the main things about the basketball courts of the city being everywhere is that you get to see every side of the city, from the skyscrapers of Hong Kong island to the old, gritty buildings of Kowloon to the new uniform estates in the New Territories, courts next to the sea and on top of mountains. The diverse topography of Hong Kong is unparalleled.
How did you go about selecting the images in the exhibition?
We wanted to showcase images that tried to capture the range of topography of the city as well as the different views of courts—groups of them surrounded by buildings looking down from above, uniform shots of them from the ground looking head-on at the basket, courts in nature and courts among the city, as well as examples of the unique designs and color of some of the courts.
What do you hope that people take away from the images?
I hope people see a new side of Hong Kong, whether they have never been here or lived here all their lives, and start noticing the ubiquity and artistry of what some would think of as a mundane sports-playing surface in the city.
What’s next for you?
I continue to be fascinated by Hong Kong and its idiosyncrasies—a few other things caught my eye while I was shooting courts all over the city that I may put together into a project, though probably not as intense as this one.