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More than 200 comic and animation artists, games designers, multimedia specialists and related professionals from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the Mainland, Taiwan, and Macau will gather this week for the 14th International Comic Artist Conference (Hong Kong).
Held by the Hong Kong Comics and Animation Federation at the Hong Kong Arts Centre on November 16 and 17, the event provides a platform for industry professionals from around the world to share their expertise. This year's theme is "Assembling Creative Forces for New Comic Direction".
Major industry player and former artistic director of the Cultural Programming of Angouleme International Comics Festival, Mr Benoit Mouchart, will be the keynote speaker and will share his reflections on the Angouleme International Comics Festival in France.
Other topics to be covered at the conference include "Incubation of Comic Talent" and "Comic Development in Digital Platform".
Admission is free by registration on a first-come, first-served basis. For registration, please visit www.icc-hk.org/index.html .
In conjunction with the conference, the International Comic Artworks Exhibition will run from November 17 to December 17 at the Comix Home Base in Wan Chai.
More than 300 artworks by well known international artists will be on display for the public to appreciate comics publications from different cultures.
A familiar name among the many artists exhibited is South Korean comic artist Ms Won Soo-yeon, whose "Full House" and "Mary Stayed Out All Night" were adapted for TV in Korea and broadcast in Hong Kong and the Mainland.
Another noted comic artist is Mr Tochi Ueyama, author of "Cooking Papa", which was made into a TV series in Japan in the 1990s and later shown here.
For Comix Home Base's opening hours, please visit www.comixhomebase.com.hk/#/en//home/ .
The event is a "Hong Kong: Our Home" Campaign signature event under Hip Hong Kong.
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Clowns, giant puppets and balloons will add to the fun at the Standard Chartered Arts in the Park Mardi Gras 2013, to be held at Victoria Park on November 16 and 17.
Organised by the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, this year's Mardi Gras theme is "Gallery in Motion".
More than 3,500 young people will participate, including 600 students who will work with professional artists to create more than 2,100 artworks for the event's parades and venue decorations.
The first parade will be held on November 16, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm, featuring illuminated floats. The procession will start at Lee Gardens, Causeway Bay and proceed along Yun Ping Road, Pak Sha Road, finishing at Hysan Place.
The thematic finale parade, Art Fun in Causeway Bay, will be held on November 17 from 3pm to 4.30pm, featuring floats made by local and overseas artists as well as local students. Onlookers will enjoy the spectacular artworks on display, which include 12-feet-tall giant puppets.
Students and revellers wearing colourful costumes will dance with the procession starting at Victoria Park, proceeding to Great George Street, then down East Point Road, and finally returning to Victoria Park.
Carnival-goers will enjoy non-stop performances by 70 youth groups at Victoria Park's Central Lawn, where 20 "free art" stalls will also be set up offering fun activities for people of all ages including handicraft-making, face-painting, African drums and more. Parade puppets and art pieces will also be on display.
All programmes are free. For more information, please visit www.hkyaf.com/projects/ArtsInThePlaza/eng/ ; or call: 2214 0266.
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Aiming to improve public awareness of biodiversity, vegetation management, nature conservation in Hong Kong's country parks, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) is launching three competitions under its "Nature in Touch" Country Parks Education Programme.
The My Snapshot Story Country Park Photography Competition is open to all and calls for snapshots of scenic spots, outdoor activities, vegetation and wildlife in the country parks.
Each participant can submit up to three snapshots in digital or print format, together with a caption of less than 100 words in Chinese or English.
To help participants acquire the techniques to photograph wildlife, the AFCD will hold two photography workshops. The first will be held at Shing Mun Country Park on November 24, while the second will be at AFCD Lions Nature Education Centre in Sai Kung on December 8.
Another contest, titled Climate Change and Our Environment 2D and 3D Model Design Competition for Secondary Schools, aims to provoke ideas for nature conservation through model design. It is open to individual students and groups of no more than five students.
The 2D model designs should be presented on A3 paper (53.3cm by 78.7cm). 3D models should be 60cm long, 30cm wide, and 30cm high and preferably made from recycled materials.
Snapshots or models should be submitted between November 15, 2013 and January 15, 2014.
There's also the Climate Change and Our Environment Role Play Competition for Kindergartens and Primary Schools, which aims to encourage children to adopt a green living lifestyle.
The competition is open to teams of three to 10 students with two teacher advisors. Children taking part are required to write a story on "climate change and our environment" and create an eight-minute performance in the form of a music, drama or dance. The deadline for entries is November 30.
Entries to all three competitions should be sent to the Hong Kong Council of Early Childhood Education and Services at Unit 1-2, 20/F, Remington Centre, 23 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon. For details please visit www.natureintouch.gov.hk .
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Five mini book fairs will be held in Tsuen Wan neighbourhoods to promote environmental conservation through book-swaps from November 16, 2013 to January 19, 2014.
The Book Exchange Scheme is co-organised by the Environmental and Health Affairs Committee of Tsuen Wan District Council and the Tsuen Wan Youth Association as part of the Community Green Workshop Programme.
People can bring books for exchange on a one-for-one basis at five designated locations, starting on November 16 at Allway Gardens Bus Terminus from 10am to 6pm.
The organisers will accept Chinese and English books in good condition, but will not accept text books, complimentary or sales literature, or books with indecent content. For details and future locations, please call 2615 2328.
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"Caring for Elderly Consumers" is the theme of this year's Hong Kong Senior Citizen's Day, which falls on November 17.
On November 13 the Hong Kong Council of Social Service will host a special launch ceremony for Senior Citizen's Day, at which community partners will be invited to share their views on the elderly as a consumer group.
They will also discuss ideas for change, such as the need for elderly-friendly shopping malls and a better choice of meals for elderly people at fast food restaurants.
A skit will be staged to show some of the problems encountered by elderly consumers and encourage good business practices to meet the needs of this section of the community.
The ceremony will be held on the first floor of the Duke of Windsor Social Service Building, 15 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, from 2.30pm to 5pm.
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One of the Senior Citizen's Day celebrations is the "Chinese Opera for the Elderly Day", to be held by the Islands Cantonese Operatic Songs Society at Mui Wo on Lantau Island.
The impressive average age of the singers is 70, with the oldest at 84. The show will be staged at Mui Wo Recreation Centre on November 17, from noon to 5pm.
An audience of 300 elderly people is expected, for whom snacks and tea will be served during the intermission. Admission is free.
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All these events support the "Hong Kong: Our Home" public participation campaign, which aims to inject positive energy into society, foster social cohesion and promote care, mutual help and solidarity in the community.
More than 230 Partner Organisations have so far pledged support for the Campaign.
Altogether, the Government and Partner Organisations are organising more than 1,000 events/activities under the four themes of the Campaign from the end of April to the end of December this year.
Full details of the Campaign can be found on the website www.hkourhome.gov.hk.
Ends/Sunday, November 10, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:00
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