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American poet Theodore Roethke once wrote, "A funny thing about a chair: You hardly ever think it's there." Chairs are very much part of everyday life as we spend a lot of time sitting down, whether we are at home, at work, commuting, resting or at a social gathering. However, how many of us appreciate the designs of chairs and the stories behind these pieces of furniture?
From tomorrow (June 7) until September 15, members of the public can view precious chairs from around the world in an exhibition entitled "The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time", and discover the hidden facets of chairs spanning history, culture and art from ancient times to the recent past.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), and co-organised by the Palace Museum and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, the exhibition is a highlight under "Please Have a Seat", the first large-scale event on the theme of chairs launched by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and featuring a wide range of programmes to bring visitors closer to the world of chairs.
More than 100 valuable exhibits have been selected for display from the collections of the world's leading museums as well as some of the LCSD's museums. These include the Palace Museum, the Trustees of the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States (US), the Brooklyn Museum in the US, the Science Museum of London, the Victoria and Albert Museum in the United Kingdom (UK), the National Trust in the UK, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in the UK, the Imperial Furniture Collection - Vienna Furniture Museum in Austria, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Officiating at the opening ceremony of the exhibition today (June 6) were the Under Secretary for Home Affairs, Ms Florence Hui; the Director of the Department of Palace Life and Imperial Ritual of the Palace Museum, Mr Wang Yuegong; the Keeper (Africa, Oceania and the Americas) of the British Museum, Dr Lissant Bolton; the Deputy Director for Development of the Brooklyn Museum, Mr Paul Bessire; the Principal of the Hong Kong Design Institute and the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Lee Wai Lee), Mr Leslie Lu; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung; and the Museum Director of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Ms Belinda Wong.
Different types and styles of chairs will be displayed in the exhibition, including seats used by emperors, the nobility and commoners and chairs designed for specific functions and trades, as well as those specially designed for men, women, children and the elderly.
Through this exhibition, members of the public will be able to learn more about the seating customs of select ethnic groups, the evolution of chairs, chairs as symbols of authority and status, chairs in everyday life, chairs in religion and beliefs, and the role of chairs in political, economic and cultural exchange.
In addition to the exhibition, another highlight programme entitled "A Fantasy of Chairs - Creative Art Zone" will be held under the "Please Have a Seat" event. For "A Fantasy of Chairs - Creative Art Zone", students from the Hong Kong Design Institute and the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Lee Wai Lee) have designed and created 300 fantastic chairs for display at the museum lobby, making the public space outside the exhibition hall a platform for local young designers to showcase their creativity. In addition, students have also produced an interactive game and an animation featuring the story of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun and his Golden Throne for showing in the exhibition.
From tomorrow to August 31, members of the public can visit the two spectacular exhibitions being concurrently staged in the museum at a concessionary price by buying combined tickets for this exhibition and the "Studio Ghibli Layout Designs: Understanding the Secrets of Takahata and Miyazaki Animation" exhibition.
For details of the exhibition and programmes, please visit the Hong Kong Heritage Museum's website www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng/exhibitions/exhibition_details.aspx?exid=216 or call 2180 8188 for enquiries.
Ends/Friday, June 6, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:58
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