Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project © Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project © Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project View all images ↓
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Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting documents the lives of Hong Kong asylum seekers in the UK, using a pinhole camera made from a suitcase. It sheds light on their overlooked stories through portraits, personal belongings, and memories of Hong Kong.

"Every Time They Ask, We Say We're Waiting" focuses on Hong Kong asylum seekers awaiting their refugee status in the UK. These young individuals, aged 15-24, grew up amidst HK’s significant mass movements but are ineligible for the BNO visa due to being born after HK's 1997 handover, forcing them to seek asylum in the UK. Under the Beijing-imposed security law, HK news outlets avoid covering their stories leaving many Hongkongers unaware of this issue. While photography plays a crucial role in this project, it represents just one aspect of its storytelling. The primary objective of this project is to challenge conventional, stereotypical asylum seeker representations that heavily rely on the perspective of photojournalists. Instead, this project aims to empower these young individuals by giving them the opportunity to represent their own experiences through art.

Instead of aiming for neutrality, this project acknowledges the shared background and the interpersonal relationship between the photographer and the subjects. Both the photographer and the subjects are new immigrants in the UK after the protests in Hong Kong in 2019-2020, although they have been impacted to varying degrees. This shared background and connection to their homeland establishes trust as the foundation for this project.

The Hong Kong asylum seekers featured in this project is also a group of individuals who have a deep attachment to their homeland. Growing up, the pivotal moments of their lives have been profoundly influenced by Hong Kong's protest history, including large-scale protests that happened in 2003, 2012, 2014, and 2019. As young individuals born after the handover in 1997, their lives are constantly affected by unresolved historical matters between two sovereign states. The project seeks to shed light on this particular group of asylum seekers who, due to their unique circumstances, was forced to leave their homeland at a young age, and face obstacles in pursuing education and adapting to the former sovereign state of Hong Kong.

I carried out the project in the following ways:

  • I utilised a transformed HK suitcase as a pinhole camera to capture asylum seekers' portraits and personal items. 

  • I provided each asylum seeker with a disposable film camera to document their new daily lives. 

  • I conducted personal interviews with them, and invited them to (i) draw their HK family home from memory, (ii) describe their daily routine in the UK, and (iii) answer 10 questions about their journey from HK to the UK.

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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M, in his temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Greenwich, London. “I’m astonished at how quickly I turned 20. Looking back at the past four years, I am filled with a sense of dissatisfaction as if I have failed to accomplish anything meaningful. I’ve entered my twenties without any significant achievements. Time feels like an unforgiving ticking countdown.”

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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C, in his temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Nottingham. “Home should be more than a mere survival ground. It should be a sanctuary where I can feel safe and truly live. As an asylum seeker, our lives are far from what you would consider “normal”. We survive on a £8 allowance per week, barely enough to cover transportation expenses."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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G, in his temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Manchester. “I feel a deep sense of indebtedness to my father, who worked tirelessly to support our family. Whenever thoughts of home arise, I can’t help but feel a sense of guilt because I once made a promise to my father that I would help support the family after graduating, but I couldn’t fulfil that promise."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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N, in her temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Portsmouth. “At times, it feels as if I am trapped in this place, unable to escape. I have lost the sense of time. I used to feel this sense of urgency; time was running out because there were so many things to do. Now, time is no longer important to me."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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B, in her temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Leeds. “If I could spend a day in Hong Kong, I would give my grandmother a hug and take her to a dim sum restaurant. We would watch TV together and have the soup she makes. Then, I would like to wander around Mong Kok and visit my teachers at my secondary school."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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K, in her temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Vauxhall, London. "There are many things I want to forget, but during the application process, they kept asking about my past, and I fear that if I don’t explain in detail, they might reject it. It feels like reopening old wounds repeatedly.”

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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J, in his temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Warrington. “My mother cannot travel by flight, because of her health issues. And I am unable to return to Hong Kong. From the moment I left, I knew deep down that it might be the last time I saw her. Now, we can only see each other through video calls.”

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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R, in her temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Sheffield. "Because of my refugee status, there are many things I cannot do. Handling payment-related matters is also very difficult for me as a refugee. I encounter numerous subtle reminders that highlight my differences from others on a daily basis.”

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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W, in his temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Coventry. “It is unjust that I was compelled to leave for standing up for my home, and defending Hong Kong. Hong Kong rightfully belongs to its own people, the people of Hong Kong. I miss my younger sister, at times I feel like I haven’t fulfilled my responsibilities as a brother."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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S, in his temporary accommodation provided by the Home office in Birmingham. "I feel like time is never enough. While my friends in Hong Kong have graduated and started to pursue their careers, I feel as though I have been stagnant or have faded away in these past few years. Time is running out, and there is a lot I need to catch up on.”

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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J's personal object "It contains all the documents related to my arrest. It was all I had when I arrived in the UK. Without it, I would feel like I have nothing here. I am afraid of playing this CD and confronting the video recording of my arrest at the police station. It feels like opening Pandora’s box, and I would rather keep it closed forever."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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S's personal object "It used to hang on the wall of my home in Hong Kong. The night before I left Hong Kong, my mother took it down so I could bring it with me."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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M's personal object "A necklace which brings in symbolises good fortune which I’ve been eagerly waiting for. I hope that things will get better soon."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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N's personal object "This is the only thing from my childhood that I have vivid memories of. It reminds me of the unique happiness that is found during childhood, when we still had the ability to find joy in something as simple as a soft toy."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - Image from the Every Time They Ask, We Say We’re Waiting photography project
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B's personal object "A medical certificate.It is the proof of the medical examination I underwent after being arrested, reminding me why I am here now."

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - C's disposable camera contact sheet
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C's disposable camera contact sheet

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - M's disposable camera contact sheet
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M's disposable camera contact sheet

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - K's disposable camera contact sheet
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K's disposable camera contact sheet

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - S's disposable camera contact sheet
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S's disposable camera contact sheet

© Siu Bon Deacon Lui - N's disposable camera contact sheet
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N's disposable camera contact sheet