In the late afternoon sun, the streets of To Kwa Wan are bustling with life. Making my way to Wing Po So’s studio in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district, I pass car repair workshops, florists, hawker stalls, fruit and vegetable vendors, and watch as several butchers hack away at large chunks of fresh meat which appear lucent underneath the plastic red lamps. It’s mid-January, and Chinese New Year is right around the corner. This buzz of excitement follows me into a more secluded area filled with grungy, low-rise industrial buildings, one of which houses So’s studio. A rickety elevator takes me up to her floor, where she emerges from behind hefty metalworking machines to greet me.