West Kowloon Cultural District Authority’s Board Meeting Held Today

The Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) held its 63rd meeting today.


WKCDA’s Chief Executive Officer Duncan Pescod reported that, following the signing of the Collaborative Agreement with the Palace Museum on the development of the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) on 29 June, WKCDA will continue to work with the design consultant, Rocco Design Architects Limited, to develop the detailed design of HKPM and implement this exciting project in the coming months.


On the artistic front, Members noted that the new season of the “Rising Stars of Cantonese Opera” will be presented from 28 July to 1 August at Ko Shan Theatre New Wing. Separately, a new collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Hong Kong, the “Theatretreffen in Hong Kong 2017”, will be launched as part of the WKCDA’s efforts to nurture local artists and establish platforms to connect local practitioners with professionals around the world. At the talk “Hong Kong Production Ecology: ‘Simon Says’ – a case study”, local and overseas professionals in the performing arts scene shared their views on the production ecology of performing arts in Hong Kong. At the same time, with creation and touring support from WKCDA, “Simon Says”, co-produced by Unlock Dancing Plaza and Le Phare, Centre chorégraphique national du Havre Normandie, launched its Asian premiere in Hong Kong during this year’s Le French May Festival.


At the M+ Pavilion, from now until 10 September 2017, “Canton Express: Art of the Pearl River Delta” restages the “Zone of Urgency” exhibition curated for the Venice Biennale 2003 which showcased works from the Pearl Delta Region. Co-presented by M+ and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, “Samson Young: Songs for Disaster Relief”, a collateral event at the Venice Biennale 2017, continues to enjoy very positive responses from the visitors.


At the two exhibitions featuring the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) held at the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin and the City Gallery of Hong Kong respectively, visitors can find out more about WKCD, its various venues as well as the programmes and events held in the past five years. Moreover, the Virtual Reality setup at the City Gallery will take visitors on a tour inside the about-to-open Xiqu Centre.


Mr Pescod also reported that a 100% self-driving and environmentally friendly autonomous vehicle will be tested in the Nursery Park in the coming months. It is planned that this new form of transportation will help enhance the accessibility of facilities in WKCD in the near future.


On the development front, Members were informed that ongoing projects including the Xiqu Centre, M+ and Art Park are progressing well in terms of construction. Milestones have been reached in the last few weeks as WKCD held a topping out ceremony for the Freespace yesterday. Foundation works for the Lyric Theatre Complex and Extended Basement in Zone 3B have all piling works completed and pile loading test in progress for completion in August. Upon approval of funding by the Legislative Council, basement construction can commence immediately.
 

Remarks

About West Kowloon Cultural District
Located on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, the West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong. With a complex of theatres, performance spaces, and M+, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances, and cultural events, as well as provide 23 hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.