Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, at the MIT HK Innovation Node x Z Innovation Lab Symposium 2022 "Art-Tech Paradigms of Practice and Pedagogy: from MIT to Hong Kong" today (September 29):
 
Professor (Charles) Sodini (Faculty Director, MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node; LeBel Professor of Electrical Engineering, MIT), Dr (Charleston) Sin (Executive Director, MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node), Mr Mathias (Woo) (Co-Artistic Director cum Executive Director, Zuni Icosahedron), Dr (Stephen) Wong (Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Public Policy Institute, Our Hong Kong Foundation), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
　　Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to join you all at today's symposium "Art-Tech Paradigms of Practice and Pedagogy: from MIT to Hong Kong".
 
　　In an age of rapid technological advancement, the integration of arts and technology has become a global trend. To propel the development of art technology (art tech), it is vital to bring together leading scholars and practitioners to share their insights and look for opportunities of collaboration.  
 
　　The symposium today is a perfect occasion when top scholars and practitioners meet to exchange views and update each other on the latest trend in their respective area of work. 
 
　　The panel discussions today and the sharing sessions tomorrow will cover a wide range of inspiring topics. For instance, the topics of effectively nurturing talents from education into production and key elements of an impactful art-tech ecology in research institutions precisely highlight the importance of synergy between different sectors in driving the development of art tech. 
 
　　I am delighted to see that the possible synthesis among arts and cultural sector, the innovation and technology (I&T) industry, universities, and research institutions in Hong Kong are gaining traction.
 
　　Their relationships are indeed both symbiotic and synergistic: industry practices are backed by researches; researches are driven by universities; and universities groom talents who will in turn partner with the arts and culture industries. 
 
　　Since 2020, the Government has rolled out new initiatives to actively promote art tech.  Some of the key policies include: allocating resources to support arts groups to launch art tech projects; setting up an inter-departmental Task Force on Art Technology to formulate strategies and measures for the development and promotion of art tech; and providing venues for art tech experimentations.
 
　　Citing venues, apart from the on-going upgrading works for supporting art tech performance at Leisure and Cultural Services Department's venues, the East Kowloon Cultural Centre, which will be equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technologies, is expected to be commissioned in phases next year. The Government will continue to strengthen its support and assistance to the cultural and creative industries in their digital transformation of more diversified creative work.
 
　　Lastly, I would like to express my heartiest gratitude to the MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node, the Zuni Innovation Lab, Our Hong Kong Foundation and supporting organisers for curating and organising this full-day event. I wish this symposium a resounding success, and everyone a fruitful and rewarding time. Thank you.

Ends/Thursday, September 29, 2022
Issued at HKT 10:13

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