53rd Board Meeting of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Held Today

The Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) held its 53rd meeting today.

At the meeting, WKCDA’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Duncan Pescod reported to Members that the construction of core arts and cultural facilities in the district has continued to move forward at a steady pace. The focus of the Xiqu Centre’s construction now is on completing the external envelope to make the building water-tight, allowing works on the interior to proceed without delay, while the first part of the façade is being erected, giving a first glimpse of what the facility would finally look like. Meanwhile the contractor of M+ Building is preparing to erect the major trusses, which will support the tower section of M+. According to Mr Pescod, the M+ Building has reached the most challenging part of its construction. The major trusses are unique and necessary as the M+ Building is located on top of the Airport Express tunnel.

Mr Pescod also reported to the Board that a signing ceremony was held following the award of the Art Park’s construction contract to Sun Fook Kong Construction Limited on 2 July, signifying a major milestone subsequent to the approval of the West Kowloon Cultural District (Public Open Spaces) Bylaw in the Legislative Council and moving one step closer to the delivery of a new large-scale open space for outdoor arts and cultural activities in the middle of Hong Kong.

Members were informed that to commemorate the completion of M+ Pavilion, a dedication ceremony will take place on 22 July. In the run-up to the opening of M+ in 2019, the Pavilion will be the home base for M+ with the first exhibition – “Tsang Kin-wah: Nothing” – scheduled to open to the public on 9 September 2016. The solo presentation of the celebrated Hong Kong artist is a follow up to his highly regarded installation in the Hong Kong pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2015. In addition to thematic exhibitions at M+ Pavilion, a long-term display of the Mobile M+ exhibition series since 2011 as well as panels depicting the evolution of M+ will be featured at the ground floor lobby, highlighting the incredible journey of M+ over the last five years.

On the performing arts front, Members noted that the WKCDA has signed a partnership agreement with the Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas on 12 July under which the Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District and its Shanghainese partner will take turns to organize exchange activities every year. Related organizations and professionals will be invited to participate in the programme with an aim to boost their respective capacity in venue operations, stage technologies, arts administration, marketing and promotion, talent cultivation and the ability to produce original works. The New Works Forum: Multimedia and Dance Dialogue by Hiroaki Umeda was also held in June, in which internationally renowned Japanese choreographer and multidisciplinary artist Hiroaki Umeda shared his unique method of mixing digital technology and dance with local dance practitioners and multimedia artists during the 5-day workshop and the public forum.

The Board approved the appointment of Ms Suhanya Raffel as Executive Director of M+ with effect from 1 November 2016. For details please see separate press release issued on the same day. The Board also approved the donation and sponsorship policy of WKCDA.