It was 1979, off the coast of Chi Ma Wan. A kaito ferry carrying Vietnamese boat people seeking refuge swayed in the water. They were headed toward the detention centre, which later became Hong Kong's first closed camp.

After days on the open sea, pride, along with seawater, had been swallowed to some degree. Here, people go to great lengths to still an aching hunger. A salvaged oil drum might become a pot for boiling congee, with the lingering taste of diesel. The paper label of a food can might become a page to write on.

Iris Sham and Louisa Mammeri invite you on an investigative journey that includes edible and non-edible archives. It asks: How does the human spirit, stripped of warmth, sustenance, and freedom, keep creating to maintain its dignity?