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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee:
Organised by the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee (HKTCCC) in association with the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (Taiwan), "Hong Kong Week 2013@Taipei" will be officially opened on November 29. The large-scale exchange event will offer Taiwanese audiences a taste of Hong Kong's rich culture and unlimited creativity through a series of exhibitions and artistic programmes.
The convenor of the HKTCCC, Mr Fredric Mao, announced details of Hong Kong Week 2013 at a press conference today (September 23). He noted that the inaugural Hong Kong Week, which took place in Taipei during late November and early December 2012, was very successful in promoting cultural exchange and connection between the two places. With "Culture and Creativity" as its theme, the event brought Hong Kong's elite performing arts groups and artists to Taipei to showcase their talent.
"In addition to receiving enthusiastic support from Taiwanese arts practitioners and audiences alike, the participating Hong Kong arts groups also gained much valuable experience during Hong Kong Week 2012. The outcome was indeed encouraging. Taking last year's achievements in our stride, we hope to show Taiwanese audiences a side of Hong Kong that is not only steeped in local history and culture, but is also constantly evolving. With "Legacies and Innovations" as this year's central theme, Hong Kong Week 2013 will comprise a series of visual arts and historical exhibitions, performances by two of Hong Kong's flagship performing arts groups, as well as an array of extension activities," Mr Mao said.
The Director of the Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung, was delighted to collaborate once again with the HKTCCC in organising the arts and cultural programmes for Hong Kong Week 2013.
"Apart from co-ordinating the various cultural performances that will take place in Taipei, the LCSD is also very proud to be involved in the planning of two of the exhibitions, these being 'A Century of Fashion: Hong Kong Cheongsam Story', organised by the Hong Kong Museum of History, and 'All Are Guests', organised by the Hong Kong Museum of Art. These exhibitions have made their mark in Singapore and at the Liverpool Biennial in the United Kingdom respectively, both attaining critical acclaim. The showcasing of historical exhibits together with contemporary art is a perfect fit for 'Legacies and Innovations', the theme of Hong Kong Week 2013," Mrs Fung said.
She added that she hopes this year's programmes will take last year's success to new heights, further strengthening the cultural ties between Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as igniting new sparks in future exchanges and collaborations.
Hong Kong Week 2013 is also supported by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
This year's programmes include the exhibitions "A Century of Fashion: Hong Kong Chengsam Story", curated by the Hong Kong Museum of History, and "All are Guests", jointly curated by the Hong Kong Museum of Art and Hong Kong Arts Development Council; the exhibition "Hong Kong Design”EStyle", curated by the Hong Kong Designers Association; the exhibition "A Parallel Tale: Taipei in 80s x Hong Kong in 90s", curated by the Hong Kong Arts Centre; the concert "Jaap's Shostakovich 5" by the Hong Kong Philharmonic; the dance poem "Spring Ritual”EEulogy" by the Hong Kong Dance Company, and an array of extension activities including a fashion show, workshops, art and craft demonstrations and academic forums. The programmes will be held at conveniently located performance and exhibition venues in Taipei, including the Eslite Xinyi Store, Zhongshan Hall, Novel Hall for Performing Arts, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, and the FZ Fifteen Animation and Story Gallery.
The exhibition "A Century of Fashion: Hong Kong Cheongsam Story" not only tells the story of how Hong Kong women grew up with this elegant dress, but also illustrates the changes in women's status and in Hong Kong society in general. The exhibition includes more than 100 exhibits, with a range of cheongsams from the late Qing and early Republican periods to the present day. Among the items on display are beautifully crafted cheongsams belonging to a number of prominent ladies, such as four-time Asian Film Awards Best Actress winner Linda Lin Dai, renowned Cantonese opera actress Pak Suet-sin, former Miss Hong Kong Loletta Chu-Lo and pop diva Teresa Tang. Valuable artefacts related to the garment's history in Hong Kong, including a number of cheongsam tailoring tools, merchandise printed with images of stylish women dressed in cheongsams and invaluable historical photos and videos will also be featured.
One of today's most sought-after conductors and "Musical America's" Conductor of the Year 2012, the Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden, is about to cast his musical spell over Taipei's music-lovers. He will direct the orchestra in performing the concert "Jaap's Shostakovich 5". The concert will include two of the great revolutionary showpieces of classical music - Beethoven's dazzling, moving and, at times breathtaking "Violin Concerto", with Ning Feng as soloist, and Shostakovich's dramatic and powerful "Fifth Symphony".
The dance poem "Spring Ritual”EEulogy", created by the Hong Kong Dance Company, won "Outstanding Achievement in Production" at the 2013 Hong Kong Dance Awards. Set against the cultural background that produced the two works, "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" by Wang Xizhi and "Eulogy for a Nephew" by Yan Zhenqing, the performance explores the intricate relationship between the abstract beauty of calligraphy and literati ideals through the interplay of classical dance and Chinese music.
With the exploration of the complex subject-object dichotomy between the individual and the city as its central theme, the exhibition "All Are Guests" goes to Taipei following its success at the Liverpool Biennial 2012. Leung Mee-ping, Chow Chun-fai and art partners CoLAB x SLOW will show their creations in different media. The exhibition will re-examine each artist's sense of self in relation to the city, and the power structures inscribed in the city in the light of the intricate yet subtle host-guest dynamics of the contemporary world. At the same time, among the playful working of images and words, response poems by the late Hong Kong poet Ye Si will enable visitors to gain an insight into the exhibition from different perspectives, while also making them think about their real identities in the host-guest relationship.
Hong Kong's history of design development may be short, but it has been likened to a fabulous poem. Modeled on a variety of poetic writing skills, the exhibition "Hong Kong Design”EStyles" is comprised of four domains: "Qi" (Uprising), "Cheng" (Bearing), "Zhuan" (Transfer), and "He" (Synergy). Each domain echoes the others while displaying distinctive characteristics and unique position. In addition, these four domains will demonstrate Hong Kong design's unique character - its fusion of Chinese and Western, traditional and dynamic. In addition, this exhibition will focus on the theme of Hong Kong Week 2013 - "Legacies and Innovations", and will look into the development of new design and explore future trends in design innovation, aiming to assist in Hong Kong and Taiwan's long-term co-operation in the creative industries.
The exhibition "A Parallel Tale: Taipei in 80s x Hong Kong in 90s" will gather artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan to create an original and imaginative "parallel tale" of the two cities. The artists will depict their impressions of the cultural scene of their counterpart's city in the 80s and 90s through distinctive styles and pen strokes. These delightful manuscripts will tell a story that is unique to the two regions. There will be no pirates or robotic cats, rather a display that is rich in local culture. It is a search for a feeling of familiarity between the two cities through the medium of comic art.
The official Hong Kong Week' website is at: www.hongkongweek-taiwan.hk.
Ends/Monday, September 23, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:56
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