(7 November, 2017, Hong Kong) Organized by The Hong Kong Institute of Architects Biennale Foundation, in conjunction with The Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA), Hong Kong Institute of Planners and Hong Kong Designers Association, and sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the 2017 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (Hong Kong) (UABB(HK)) will hold exhibitions at 9 highly accessible vacant or shared urban locations and cultural hubs in Hong Kong and Shenzhen which the 8 local venues are connected by MTR from 12 December 2017 to 11 February 2018 under the theme of ‘City Smarts: Density 2.0′ .
UABB(HK) 2017 aims to showcase the wisdom, experience and culture, collectively named as “City Smarts”, and call upon local citizens to explore solutions to Hong Kong’s current problem of land shortage while striving to achieve quality living and high environmental sustainability. A Press Conference was held today at Hysan Place, one of the exhibition venues this year, to officially unveil the theme of UABB(HK) 2017 and reveal the highlights from venue concepts, exhibitions contents to event programmes.
The Press Conference was officiated by Ms. Fiona LAM, Assistant Head of Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Ms. WANG Lihua, Director of Urban and Architecture Design Department, Urban Planning, Land & Resource Commission of Shenzhen Municipality and Deputy secretary general of Secretariat of Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture Organizing Committee. Other officiating guests are representatives of the organiser and co-organisers and the Chief Curator of UABB(HK)2017, Dr. CHAN Lai-Kiu.
To Improvise Using Vacant OR Shared Spaces as Multiple Exhibition Venues
As part of the theme to “improvise”, and to demonstrate the potential of vacant or shared spaces and frontages in the city, the UABB(HK) will be popped up in 9 highly accessible local urban vacant or shared locations and cultural hubs in Hong Kong and Shenzhen with MTR as the connecting spine for the 8 local venues. Each venue will be designed according to the assigned subtheme and its related exhibition contents to stage an exhibition that will last for around 2 months. The multiple venues will provide a territory-wide platform for exchange and discussion about the sustainability of Hong Kong’s architectural and city planning. (Please refer to the appendix for the exhibition venues)
“UABB(HK)2017 will be something truly special,” Mr. Marvin CHEN, President of HKIA, said. “As it will be held at 9 highly accessible locations, we are reaching out to the public and engaging them to participate. In the past 10 years, UABB(HK) has created an ecology where it supports creativity as an expression. With this in mind, we hope it will help to encourage the creative entrepreneurship within our city and revitalize our positive, appreciative and inclusive culture in Hong Kong.”
Cross-Disciplinary and Interactive Multimedia Exhibits To Showcase Hong Kong City Smarts
With more than 80 exhibitors, UABB(HK) 2017 is a curated showcase of inspirational creative works. This year, contributions from different walks of life, ranging from academia and commercial sectors to the collective community, will be featured in the exhibitions. The exhibitors are architects, planners, ecologists, fashion and product designers, filmmakers, photographers and students. The wide scope of exhibits will cover artworks and installations, spotlight designs and architectures, and interactive exhibits that use augmented technology to connect with the visitors. Visitors can also shade interesting fun facts about our city through the exhibits, which aim to arouse the public’s widest interests about the smart Hong Kong architectural and city planning.
The Chief Curator Dr. CHAN Lai-Kiu, a veteran Hong Kong architect, has formed a curatorial task force recruited from cross-disciplinary practices. The members are city planner Jeffrey Wong, Architect Tony Ip, Professor & Architect Fai Au, Architect Allen Poon and Architect Fanny Ang and also young architect Sunnie Lau. The curatorial team has been researching and conducting in-depth studies of each assigned subtheme to curate the exhibits together by each unique venue for UABB(HK). It is designed for a board audience with the objective of being a communication platform which can revitalize the issue of Hong Kong land problems in a more appreciative and inclusive way.
Chief Curator Dr. CHAN Lai-Kiu said, “Despite the fragmented, hilly landscape and limited natural resources, Hong Kong has managed to become one of the renowned metropolises in the region. This relies heavily on its smart citizens, designers, professionals and practitioners in the building and real estate industry. We may name these wisdom, experience and culture as ‘City Smarts’. UABB(HK) 2017 would like to showcase the Hong Kong ‘City Smarts’ and it may point ways to solve some of the current problems, and help Hong Kong to become a more appreciative, positive and inclusive society.”
During the 2 months of UABB(HK) from December 2017 to February 2018, a series of interactive community events will also take place at different venues. These include, such as Lecture and Forum Programme, Guided Tours for the Public and other public activities, etc. have also been planned in the hope of raising public interest in architectural and city planning as well as enhance industry facilitation to call upon local citizens to explore solutions to Hong Kong’s current problem of land shortage in a more appreciative and inclusive way.
Lecture and Forum
Dr. Joseph TING Sun Pao and Dr. Cho Nam NG will conduct community lectures for public engagement. Three event forums are scheduled in Jan, 2018. Please stay tuned with the updates on the event Facebook page.
City Treasure Hunt Game
The curatorial team has designed a city treasure hunt game to attract the public to visit different sites of UABB(HK) 2017. The public will have chances to win a Hong Kong building pop mold by scanning a certain number of QR codes at different venues by using a tailor-made app. All molds are available while stock lasts.
Guided Tours for the Public
Through the free guided tours, participants will understand more about the concepts and technologies behind the works so as to enhance the understanding of the significance and appreciate the complexities of urbanism and architecture. The application details will be made on official website and Facebook page soon.
The 2017 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (Hong Kong) will be opened to the public for free admission from 12 December 2017 to 11 February 2018. More event details will be announced in due course on the UABB(HK) 2017 official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/uabbhk/. Stay tuned for more details.