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M+, Hong Kong, © Star Industrial Co., Ltd.
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East Galleries, 216
Star Industrial Co., Ltd. 星光實業有限公司
Red A chopsticks, no. 1491 紅A牌筷子，1491型
1960s–1980s
Along with many of the other plastic goods manufactured by the Star Industrial Company, which has operated in Hong Kong since 1949, these chopsticks illustrate the power of understated functional design. The colourful packaging, which bears the signature ‘A’ of Star Industrial’s product line, has a description at the bottom stating that the chopsticks are pleasant to look at and sanitary. Ubiquitous products such as these tell the story of Hong Kong’s plastics manufacturing, an industry that has played a large role in the city’s economy since the Second World War.
The export of consumer goods was one of the main economic goals for Hong Kong in the post-war period. Companies like Star Industrial worked to create simple designs that would find success in a wide range of geographic and cultural contexts. Plastic as a material also experienced a widespread growth in acceptance, as increasingly lower costs made it more accessible and familiar. These inexpensive chopsticks are highly successful examples of ‘anonymous’ design, accompanying the rapid spread of culinary traditions from all parts of Asia to the rest of the world in the second half of the twentieth century.
The export of consumer goods was one of the main economic goals for Hong Kong in the post-war period. Companies like Star Industrial worked to create simple designs that would find success in a wide range of geographic and cultural contexts. Plastic as a material also experienced a widespread growth in acceptance, as increasingly lower costs made it more accessible and familiar. These inexpensive chopsticks are highly successful examples of ‘anonymous’ design, accompanying the rapid spread of culinary traditions from all parts of Asia to the rest of the world in the second half of the twentieth century.
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