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International Museum Day 2013, Hong Kong (IMD 2013, HK) will be held on May 18 and 19. On these two days, all museums under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) as well as other local cultural institutions taking part in this event will organise open days with free admission.
In line with the theme of International Museum Day 2013, "Museums (Memory + Creativity) = Social Change", the participating museums have prepared about 30 fantastic programmes to encourage people from all walks of life to enjoy IMD 2013, HK, to enhance public understanding of Hong Kong's history, culture, arts and science, and to stimulate greater interest in museums in Hong Kong.
IMD 2013, HK is organised by the Hong Kong Museum of History under the LCSD. The Hong Kong Design Centre is co-organising a series of creative programmes for the event. The Hong Kong Museum of History has also organised a series of cross-museum programmes for the event this year.
To encourage public participation, the organiser of IMD 2013, HK will introduce a smartphone game, "iButterfly". By installing this application, users will be able to get the latest news of IMD 2013, HK upon capturing the "i-Butterflies" with their smartphones from May 8 to 19. Meanwhile, they can redeem a specially designed souvenir on the museum open days, May 18 and 19, when visiting the participating museums or cultural institutes by gathering the virtual "Museum Butterflies" and the "IMD Butterflies".
Apart from playing the iButterfly game, visitors can also redeem a souvenir with a museum guide map that has been stamped with the stamp of any of the participating museums and cultural institutes. The museum guide map can be obtained at all the participating museums and institutes.
To align with the IMD's theme this year and to cultivate innovative thinking in the younger generation, the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Hong Kong Design Centre launched a "Mascot Design Competition" from January to March this year. Participating secondary school students competed to create a mascot for IMD 2013, HK. The design of the winning mascot has been used on souvenirs and promotional materials of IMD 2013, HK. Students from the 30 shortlisted entries have been invited to participate in the Museum Design Workshop in April and May. The workshops will enable the participants to work on a museum project in groups. Under the theme of Hong Kong history and culture, they will be encouraged to use their creativity to design a gallery, museum building or museum souvenirs.
In addition, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra has been invited to perform in the galleries of "The Hong Kong Story" exhibition in the Hong Kong Museum of History on May 15. The performance, entitled "Heart Notes Hong Kong - Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Ensemble", will be a first for the Hong Kong Museum of History. On May 18 and 19, the Hong Kong Museum of History will also hold a series of curator talks and a seminar for IMD 2013, HK.
Moreover, a variety of educational programmes and activities will be held by the participating museums. The Conservation Office, for example, will hold a workshop, "Artifacts + Science = Conservation", that will show participants how scientific knowledge is applied to the restoration and preservation of artifacts. The Hong Kong Museum of Art will organise "The Storyteller" to review from the history of painting the social life of the Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and to explore the emotions experienced by the artists. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum will hold "Datoufo... The Rejoicing Heart!", at which a local paper-craft master will demonstrate the making of a Datoufo (big-head buddha), providing an opportunity for the public to learn more about this traditional handicraft. The Hong Kong Science Museum will show the film "The Riddle of Titanic", bringing audiences into the Titanic with diving experts to discover how the vessel, equipped with the finest technology of the age, could sink with such tragic results.
IMD 2013, HK has attracted participation by 39 local cultural institutes. They are the Hong Kong Museum of History and its branches; the Hong Kong Museum of Art; the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and its branches; the Hong Kong Science Museum; the Hong Kong Space Museum; the Flagstaff House Museum Of Tea Ware; the Hong Kong Film Archive; the Conservation Office under LCSD; the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre; the Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre; the Art Promotion Office; the Museum of Ethnology; Asia Society Hong Kong Center; the Tung Wah Museum; the Po Leung Kuk Museum; the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong; the Stephen Hui Geological Museum of the University of Hong Kong; the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong; the Hong Kong Design Institute Gallery; the Hong Kong Maritime Museum; Dr. & Mrs. Hung Hin Shiu Museum of Chinese Medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University; the Hong Kong Museum of Education of the Hong Kong Institute of Education; the Hong Kong Racing Museum; the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences; the Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum; City Gallery; the Lions Nature Education Centre of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department; Tao Heung Museum of Food Culture; the Police Museum; and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Drug Info Centre.
Most of the participating institutes will offer free admission on May 18 and 19, except the Space Theatre of the Hong Kong Space Museum, film programmes of the Hong Kong Film Archive, the Conservation Office under LCSD and the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Drug Info Centre will be closed on May 19.
The International Council of Museums in 1977 designated May 18 of each year International Museum Day. Every year since 2001, the LCSD has organised International Museum Day, Hong Kong by mid-May with the aim of raising public awareness of the roles and functions of museums in society.
The theme of the IMD this year, "Museums (Memory + Creativity) = Social Change", reflects concepts that are essential to defining what museums are today, highlighting their universal nature and positive influence on society, the complexity of museum tasks and the contribution of museums to their communities. The role of museums in society changes with the times. Reconciling their traditional mission of conservation with the creativity necessary for their revival and the development of their audiences - this is how museums are evolving, in the conviction that their presence and actions can transform society constructively.
For more details of IMD 2013, HK please visit the LCSD's website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/specials/imd2013/en/index.php.
Ends/Friday, April 19, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:38
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