West Kowloon Cultural District Authority’s Board meets today

The Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) held its 66th meeting today.
 

WKCDA’s Chief Executive Officer Duncan Pescod reported that the Xiqu Centre project is moving towards the final phase of fitting out and statutory building inspections are in full swing. The M+ main works contract is moving forward and the form of the museum building can clearly be seen taking shape. The precast facade system and ceramic tile production remains unabated and is expected to reach a peak in the next few months.
 

The Art Park project will see the completion of Phase 1 by the end of this year while works on Phases 2 and 3 have seen good progress. 
 

The Lyric Theatre Complex and relevant part of the Integrated Basement project is pending funding approval by the Legislative Council before moving on to the next stage of construction.
 

Apart from construction activities on site, the M+ Pavilion has recently received the 2017 AIA Hong Kong Merit Award for Architecture from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Hong Kong Chapter in recognition of excellence in its architectural design.
 

After the scheme design of the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) was approved by the Board in September 2017, WKCDA conducted another round of public engagement to update the public on the progress of the design of HKPM.  Key engagement activities include a media roundtable where Rocco Yim, representative of the design consultant of HKPM, walked participants through the scheme design and key features of HKPM; and three pop-up exhibitions held over three weekends at China Hong Kong City, Hong Kong Maritime Museum and Sha Tin Town Hall respectively. 
 

On the artistic front, WKCDA, in collaboration with Swire Properties, presented Freespace at Taikoo Place from 26 October to 5 November 2017. Over 80 local and overseas artists performed at different ‘venues’ around Taikoo Place with 13 unique programmes and 29 performances of theatre, dance, music, exhibits and multimedia.
 

Members also noted that two Hong Kong indie bands -- GDJYB and A New World If You Can Take It (also known as ANWIYCTI) -- were supported by WKCDA to perform at the renowned Iceland Airwaves Music Festival 2017.
 

The Freespace Happening on 11 and 12 November 2017 attracted an attendance of around 5 100. Some of the programmes were affected by inclement weather. The next Freespace Happening will be held on 10 December at the Nursery Park with music, Poetry Music Jam, Reading on the Grass, a Wander in the Park guided tour as well as WE Dance showcases and workshops.
 

Remarks

About West Kowloon Cultural District
Located on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest cultural projects in the world. The vision of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong. With a complex of theatres, performance spaces and M+, 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.