(28 August 2019, Hong Kong)Organized by The Hong Kong Institute of Architects with Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the lead Sponsor and fully supported by Chinachem Group, the Los Angeles Architecture Exhibition “Island__Peninsula” will be staged in Los Angeles from 19th September till 2nd October this year. The opening ceremony will be held on 20th September with the preview on 19th September and the Hong Kong Response Exhibition later A press conference was held today to announce the Exhibition’s theme and the curatorial concept, and introduce the curatorial team.
The 14-day public exhibition, under the theme of “Island __Peninsula”, is The Hong Kong Institute of Architects’ first exhibition in Los Angeles which aims to bring the unique Hong Kong Architecture to Los Angeles. The Exhibition is set in an attempt to compare the contrasting city fabrics of Hong Kong and Los Angeles and to dissect the 4 core values underneath the unique “Hong Kong style” Architecture, namely “Glamor, Efficiency, Orderliness and Constant Change” Change”, which give rise to the 14 ways of “Hong Kong style” Architecture. The curatorial team , led by Co Chief Curators Architect SO Kwok-Kin and Mr. CHANG Hoi-Wood, compare s the two world class cities of Hong Kong and Los Angeles and reveal the uniqueness of Hong Kong Architecture. A total of 16 exhibits will cover all sorts of development foundation of “Hong Kong style” Architecture and displayed in the form of “islands” and “peninsulas”. All exhibits are not only infiltrated with architectural elements, but also literature and new media art which make the exhibition extraordinary!
Officiating guest of the press conference today, are Architect Helen LEUNG, Chairlady of HKIA “Island__Peninsula” Steering Committee Committee; Ms. Christine CHIE, Senior Manager of CreateHK; and Mr. Donald CHOI, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of Chinachem Group. Other guests include the Co Chief Curators Architect SO Kwok-Kin and Mr. CHANG Hoi-Wood, along with other members of the curatorial team, working partners and Hong Kong exhibiting teams, etc.
Architect Helen LEUNG, Chairlady of HKIA “Island__Peninsula” Steering Committee stated that “I would like to express my whole-hearted appreciation to the generous support of the Lead Sponsor Create Hong Kong to make this whole exhibition and events happen. The HKIA will continuously seize every opportunity for showcasing members’ design excellence and establishing a connection to new and potential business opportunities and collaborators for our members.”
Mr. Donald Choi, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, Chinachem Group expressed, “Architectures should be boundless, transcending beyond something greater than the uniqueness of Hong Kong culture and cityscape. Chinachem Group is continuously building and creating with the community at the very heart of its business. With Chinachem continuous contribution, Tsuen Wan has also transformed to a vibrant metropolitan. We create spaces for people to thrive in, sustainable value for people, society and future generations.
Co Chief Curators Architect SO Kwok-Kin and Mr. CHANG Hoi-Wood addressed that “The historical background and geographical factors of different eras shaped Hong Kong’s distinct architecture and living culture. The four major core values of Hong Kong style Architecture’, namely ‘ Glamor, Efficiency, Orderliness and Constant Change’ are the core themes of the exhibition and each of them has its own characteristics. Through bringing out the infinite creativity within the four values, Hong Kong exhibitors present the uniqueness of Hong Kong style Architecture and stand out the development of Hong Kong as a world class cosmopolitan city.”
Based on the architectural features of Hong Kong, many exhibits resonate through community facilities, homes, streetscape, and traditional architectural craft etc. There is also an interactive display linking the urban forms of Hong Kong and Los Angeles, together with text by awarded literary author Ms. Eva Wong and animation by new media artist Mr. Keith Lam, to connect the two areas and expand the boundaries. The multi-angle interpretation of the exhibition integrates architectural ideas, culture and technology to showcase data visualization, comparison between the two sides of the Pacific Ocean, real-time pictures of local urban landscape, etc.
The “Island__Peninsula” exhibition will last for 14 days in Los Angeles and return to Hong Kong later this year. At the response exhibition, Hong Kong public will have the opportunity to indulge in the “Island__Peninsula” by getting in touch with and understanding the innovative design of the architectural art pieces . Furthermore, the exhibiting team will hold a public forum at the University of California, Los Angeles (“UCLA”), on 21 st September inviting eight architects and scholars from Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States to discuss the different architectural features of Hong Kong and Los Angeles and the future urban development under the theme “Extreme Verticality vs. Endless Horizontality”. The forum is open to public for free admission.
In addition,an interactive art piece “Skyline Cello” created by the exhibiting new media artist Mr. Keith LAM will be set up for public preview at the Hysan Place from 15th September to 2nd October, riding on the L.A. Architecture Exhibition period to create more interactive connection s between the two cities. The exhibit of LAM is an interactive instrument which uses the skyline of Hong Kong and Los Angeles as musical score s for the visitors to perform their own music of skyline, thus, the music of a city on the exhibit.
This exhibition is organized by The Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) with Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the lead sponsor . It couples with the concurrent “Think Asia Think Hong Kong” mega promotion to be organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Hong Kong Tourism Board. At the same time, the “Island__Peninsula” Architecture Exhibition will bring out the message of “Inheriting Culture and Building the Future”. On behalf of the local architecture industry, The Hong Kong Institute of Architects is keen to look into the Asian market for opportunities and introduce Hong Kong’s creative industries and services.
Furthermore, the exhibition is fully supported by Chinachem Group to promote local art and multimedia creation.
More information about the Hong Kong Institute of Architects The Los Angeles Architecture Exhibition will be available at the official exhibition website, Facebook Page and Instagram platform from time to time.
Official Website & Social Media Platforms