The 102nd Board Meeting of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

The Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA or the Authority) held its 102nd meeting today. At the meeting, Mrs Betty Fung, Chief Executive Officer of WKCDA, reported on recent progress in different areas of the West Kowloon Cultural District (the District).

Mrs Fung began by reporting that M+ will be officially opened to the public next Friday (12 November). The opening of M+, the first global contemporary visual culture museum in Asia, is a major event that Hong Kong’s arts and culture communities are looking forward to, and one of the important milestones of the Authority. In response to the overwhelming support for the museum, all visitors will enjoy free admission to M+ exhibitions (except for special exhibitions and events) in the first twelve months after the opening date. Reservations for admission in the November can be made from 5 November 2021 at 10am on the West Kowloon website, M+ website, or through the ‘West Kowloon Cultural District’ mobile application.

After the opening of M+, Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) will be another essential project to be completed in West Kowloon. Mrs Fung said that the construction work of HKPM is progressing smoothly. After the museum received its Occupation Permit at the end of September, it is expected that the Certificate of Completion will be obtained by the end of this year. More than 200 custom made display cases have been delivered from Italy to the museum and are now being assembled. The ongoing production of the opening exhibition and the multimedia programme is expected to be completed in April next year, in a bid to start exhibition setting in May, before the arrival of the Palace Museum’s artefacts in Hong Kong.

HKPM participated in Fine Art Asia 2021 from 8 to 11 October held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and set up an exhibition booth ‘HKPM Connects’ to introduce HKPM’s architecture features. Five public talks were also held during the period. Museum Director Dr Louis Ng and the researchers respectively gave talks on topics related to the Palace Culture. During the exhibition, more than 3,000 people visited the museum booth, and more than 30,000 people participated in the talks online.

For performing arts, Mrs Fung noted that Freespace Jazz Fest was successfully held from 28 to 31 October. The four-day festival had a total of 35 programmes (42 performances) and more than 19,000 audiences enjoy it. In addition, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra will hold the popular outdoor symphony concert – Swire Symphony Under The Stars on the 13th of this month. It will be the first time that the concert is live streamed simultaneously at the Art Park in West Kowloon, allowing over 2,000 visitors to enjoy live broadcasts of famous classical music on the large lawn in the Art Park for free.

To promote arts and culture education, a four-month programme called Jazz Inside Out: Creative Experience will be held from October this year to January next year. Jazz musicians will act as instructors to guide high school students to experience jazz from many aspects, including appreciation classes, improvisation workshops and sharing showcases, etc.

This year’s CCDC in Residence 2021 will present under the theme ‘Danzcation’ spanning two weekends at Freespace from the 13th to 21st this month. Led by CCDC’s Artistic Director Yuri Ng, a number of dance artists will act as tour guides for the programme. Tickets are now on sale.

As for other projects in the District, Mrs Fung said that various projects in Zone 2 of Integrated Basement continue. The consultancy contracts for the detailed design of Zones 2B and 2C of Integrated Basement and the Underground Road are being finalised, and the relevant contracts will be awarded as soon as possible.

Besides, the remaining works under L1 contract (comprising public infrastructure works at Austin Road West and the construction of ventilation building structures) of the Lyric Theatre Complex (LTC) are targeted for completion in the first quarter of next year, while the construction of the LTC superstructure work under L2 contract is continuing on ground floor mezzanine level.

The construction of its topside structure, lift tower, staircase and two escalators of the Artist Square Bridge is close to completion. The Architectural Builders Works and Finishes (ABWF) and Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) works are carried out in full speed. It is estimated that the constructions work will be completed before the end of this year, thereby enhancing the accessibility to the District especially to M+.

For the sake of strengthening the relationship with media, Mrs Fung held a media tea gathering for the first time after taking office. More than 20 representatives of media organisations attended. She briefed on the latest developments of the West Kowloon Cultural District, including the District’s role in facilitating the development of Hong Kong as a centre for cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, preparations for M+’s opening, the progress of HKPM’s construction and exhibition preparations, as well as the new directions of West Kowloon’s future in placemaking, public engagement and education, and they were also arranged to visit some of the M+ exhibition galleries.

Remarks

About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on forty hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces, and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances and cultural events, providing twenty-three hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.