Pledge to provide more space for outdoor shows
New policy too late for one festival
28 October 2010
South China Morning Post

The government promised yesterday to make more venues available for open-air performances, including outdoor music festivals.

But the news came too late for one outdoor festival which was cancelled this year. Organisers blame bureaucracy and lack of co-operation between departments.

Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing, responding to a question in the legislature on a lack of venues for independent music and open-air concerts, yesterday listed several initiatives to encourage and promote outdoor performing arts events.

Some measures, including allowing short-term tenancies for temporarily idle government sites, have been put in place. The government will also study the need to reserve land for open-air performances in new district planning.

However, the organisers of Clockenflap, the music and multimedia arts festival, have already postponed this year's event until next year.

Held for the second time last year at Cyberport, Clockenflap attracted 4,000 visitors, but organisers were denied permission to stage it there again, owing to residents' complaints about noise.

The organisers had hoped to move the event to the site where the West Kowloon Cultural District will be built. But Jay Forster, one of the festival directors, said there was "too much red tape" when dealing with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in applying.

Forster said that the Tourism Board spoke to the leisure department, but organisers could not agree on issues from crowd management to traffic control with the department, which manages the site with the Lands Department.

He said officials were helpful, but "do not have an idea of an outdoor music festival".

Organisers decided against staging the event this year, as its scale under the leisure department's restrictions would not be sufficient for them to break even.

Flora Kwong Man-wai, director of Wow Music, organisers of Wild Day Out, the Chinese pop-rock music marathon, has dealt with venue applications since 2003.

She said venue availability was one issue, but lack of co-ordination between government departments, from the police to the Environmental Protection Department, was the real reason "killing the scene".

"If they are not happy with the noise level, or the traffic arrangements, there's still no go."

She said that no Wild Day Out would be held this year. Organisers were planning to stage Green Live, a large outdoor concert next year. But instead of hardcore rock'n'roll, it would be an acoustic show.

Clockenflap organisers hope to work something out for West Kowloon next year.

"There's no outdoor-music policy in Hong Kong," Forster said. "We figure it's workable if [your event] is a government initiative {hellip} or you have someone high up [in government] to okay the event."

Artists go interactive to seek cultural hub views
The Standard
Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Artists and culture aficionados have launched an online platform to promote interactive discussion of the West Kowloon cultural hub.

The move comes just before the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority's three-month consultation period on three conceptual plans for the site ends on November 20.

Marisa Yiu Kar-san, creative director of the project, West Kowloon Cultural Dialogues, said the group has conducted video interviews since October with nearly 50 professionals who have given their views on the development of the district.

They include Chinese artist and architectural designer Ai Weiwei, who wrote on the group's website: "I hope it's not a bureaucratic project, but one that belongs to you all."

The public is also welcome to upload videos and share ideas, Yiu said. The videos will be submitted to the authority as part of the consultation exercise.

The project was organized by the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, a non-profit group to promote design and culture through education.

Yiu said the group decided to launch the project partly because it found the current consultation exercise not interactive enough.

"When we chat with friends, we sometimes come up with new ideas about the hub project. We want to make isolated thoughts and conversations available to the public and promote discussion," she said.

Yiu said it will be a long-term project, continuing after the current round of consultations ends.

"We want to hold direct, face-to-face dialogue too, and we invite guests to express their views and discuss the West Kowloon project with their expertise," she said.

Graham Sheffield, chief executive officer of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said he welcomes the ideas expressed on the platform, adding that the vibrancy of the district will come from the people who use it.

Thinking outside the box to make West Kowloon Cultural District 'for the people'
10 November 2010
South China Morning Post

Inside an elaborate set at the old Victoria Prison in Central on Monday, actor Daniel Wu Yin-cho and lawmaker Tanya Chan unveiled a series of short films on behalf of the non-profit-making organisation Ambassadors of Design (AOD).

The series, "West Kowloon Cultural Dialogues", is part of an online campaign aimed at making the West Kowloon Cultural District "more part of the public". The films, shot by AOD people, include random comments from Hongkongers on what they think the cultural district should provide.

"The public will benefit from the collective viewpoints and be able to better understand the project," said WKCDialogues' creative director Marisa Yiu (above, from left, with Bonnie Chan, Tanya Chan, arts hub chief Graham Sheffield, Wu and architect Eric Schuldenfrei).

Wu said the district should be "a site for fostering cultural activities for the public, and not for leisure and commercial use". Chan said: "Creativity is the combination of knowledge, talent, courage and thinking outside the box. However, our government does not give enough support to that."

The short films can be viewed on www.wkcdialogues.org, with new clips uploaded every week.

Arts hub lays foundation for nurturing talent
2 November 2010
SCMP

It's not known which buildings, or hardware, will go up first in the West Kowloon Cultural District, but the authority in charge of the arts hub is already working to cultivate the software, with education programmes and public outdoor activities.

The authority's first initiative on the education front is to invest HK$1 million in sponsoring seven partial scholarships for the University of Hong Kong's 10-month advanced cultural leadership programme, which starts next year. The money will cover most of the seven students' tuition fees of HK$160,000.

In announcing the sponsorship details yesterday, the authority said the scholarships were open to the public and would go to students chosen by the university. The authority would have a say on who would get the scholarships, but it would not be part of the selection panel.

The sponsorship is the first of a series of measures to nurture arts and cultural administrators and performing arts management for which the authority has set aside HK$10 million.

The HKU course, a collaboration with Britain's Clore Leadership Programme, is aimed at arts and cultural administrators with at least five years' experience in the field.

It will feature short overseas field trips and intensive courses and tutorials guided by a regional and international faculty, including John Tusa, chairman of the Clore programme and former managing director of the Barbican Centre in London.

There would also be collaborations with other institutions and organisations, the authority's executive director for performing arts, Louis Yu Kwok-lit, said.

Future programmes would not be limited to sponsoring students under a specific programme - they could involve conferences, seminars or sending people on overseas attachments.

The HKU course "is only our first attempt. We are negotiating with various institutions, including the Academy of Performing Arts, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Institute of Education, the Arts Administrators Association and the Arts Development Council", Yu said.

Five or six such education programmes could be organised each year, Yu said.

"The HKU programme features greater British experience, but in future we will support programmes of European, American and even Asian experience," he said.

"The whole arts and cultural sector has to switch to a learning mode in order to cope with the demand [for talented people]," said Yu, who earlier estimated that just the arts hub would need 300 such staff.

The funded students would not have to work for the arts hub after graduation, because the intention of such education programmes was to nurture talent for the whole community, not just the arts hub, Yu said.

"It's no good for West Kowloon if we get all the talent," he said. "Plenty of talented people will be needed in future, with more cultural institutions to be set up, such as the police married quarters on Hollywood Road and the Central police station. The arts hub will be better off only if the entire scene is thriving."

As well as funding programmes, the authority will have internships as part of its drive to nurture talent. It already has 10 interns conducting museum research.

Apart from developing talent, the authority is looking at starting to stage interim performing arts activities in nine to 12 months.

Yu said he hoped to stage more outdoor arts activities - possibly in partnership with a community organisation - on the site of the arts hub, as the city seriously lacked venues for outdoor cultural activities.

He said he understood many outdoor activities, such as music events like Wild Day Out and Clockenflap, drew noise complaints - and Clockenflap lost its Cyberport site for this reason. He hoped the arts hub could provide a venue for outdoor events. But he said the authority would not know the layout of the site until the development plan had been approved by the Town Planning Board late next year or early in 2012.

I love HK！That is the most modern, most commercial city which I have been to

Foster rejects criticisms of arts hub plan
17 December 2010
SCMP

Norman Foster has defended his design for the West Kowloon Cultural District, including its 5,000-tree waterfront park, saying there is much more to the design than has met the eyes of critics so far.

"I think that if there's been any fault, it's been our fault," the British architect said. "We have not communicated what we've designed perhaps as well as we should have."

He rejected criticisms by local architects that his plan for the site, dubbed City Park, lacked local character and its trees would be costly to maintain. "The park is absolutely unique to Hong Kong. It uses the species you find in the countryside around Hong Kong. And it's unique because of the waterfront setting."

But people should not just look at the park, he said, highlighting the design's "main avenue", which was intended to be a miniature of a typical bustling street in Hong Kong such as Nathan Road and Tung Choi Street, where mixed uses are common.

The avenue, on the eastern side of the arts hub stretching from Canton Road past the terminus plaza of the Hong Kong-Guangzhou express rail link, is a mixture of theatres, concert halls, the M+ museum, shops, restaurants, arts schools, flats and hotels.

"We've shown how we understood the DNA of Hong Kong... We've made an extension of the city in which all the activities are all very close to each other," said Foster, who is working on the design for the third time since 2001. "What makes Hong Kong special? Most people would say the energy, bustle, the mixture. Probably we all want to reduce the pollution, the inconvenience, the danger of too much traffic," he said, highlighting zero-carbon measures, including recycling waste to create energy, renewable energy generation and district cooling and heating.

He also disagreed with another criticism, that buildings on the avenue would block the view from the public square of the terminus of the Hong Kong-Guangzhou high-speed railway, saying that space was reserved for a tree-lined avenue that would lead passengers from the square to the waterfront.

Commenting on the work of his two rivals, Foster said the scheme presented by local architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee was "essentially a podium with landscaping". "As we all know, it is very difficult to grow mature trees out of a landscaped deck with concrete underneath it. That is not a criticism, it is an observation."

The entry by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas "really doesn't have all the opportunities to interact and cross-fertilise... It is not a city concept in that sense", he said.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority is summarising views collected in a public consultation that ended last month. Officials have said it could opt for a combined scheme that includes popular features from each of the three plans, with one of them as the base. Critics fear this would result in a mishmash.

Foster declined to comment on whether it was feasible to combine the plans but said it would be an "interesting challenge". As for any features of his he hoped would be selected, he stood by his idea: "Hong Kong is a compact city. Everything is convenient in terms of walking distance. You need a contrast to that. So I think Hong Kong deserves a great park which is special to it. It's not like Central Park or Hyde Park."

Confusion still clouds debate over West Kowloon schemes
8 December 2010
SCMP

The article based on comments by local architects on the three master plans for the West Kowloon Cultural District ("Arts hub does not need a forest, say local architects", November 20), and the subsequent letters criticising the architects for not supporting Norman Foster's park, show that despite a three-month consultation, 30,000 exhibition visitors, 4,000 students, 78 schools, 12 forums, nine focus group meetings, 7,000 completed questionnaires, 160 written submissions and 100 entries via Facebook, there is little understanding of the key differences and critical choices put forward.

Firstly, there is the issue of the park. All three have the same amount of parkland as specified in the brief. Foster has one big park on the back of the site, Rocco Yim Sen-kee's park is broken up in many different parts and Rem Koolhaas' has three clusters, or villages, that can grow and take on their own identity over time, with two parks separating them and also serving as connections.

Secondly, the architects differ in the list of venues. Foster follows the brief and provides an empty envelope for others to decide what to put in it. Yim and Koolhaas dare to take a view and explain that the M+ concept is too big and offer alternatives. Koolhaas takes the biggest step into cultural policy by proposing a lot of space for art production facilities under the theme "Art at Work". This makes sense as high land prices make it difficult for artists to set up high-ceiling studies in Hong Kong, and artists residing and working in West Kowloon will bring more diversity.

Thirdly, there is the waterfront. Foster's scheme varies little and is a "walk in the park" from east to west. Yim proposes pontoons - a feature with a high maintenance cost - and sloping roof gardens.

Koolhaas has the longest waterfront, which constantly changes from inlets, to parks and along bars and restaurants, and more.

Fourthly, transport. Yim and Koolhaas highlight the need for better linkages. Foster proposes a skyrail, Yim a street-level tram, and Koolhaas an underground travelator. I would pick the tram, as monorails require obtrusive concrete structures, and why spend more time underground than you have to?

The fifth issue is walkability. Foster and Koolhaas both work with one street-level site. Yim has you change levels between different destinations.

These and other choices are not apparent after the consultation because bureaucrats rewrote the architects' presentations, scripted the public forums, and created a rambling questionnaire. This unnecessarily stifled the discussion in the community and weakened the input the authority needs to feel its way forward.

We know the importance of this investment succeeding. We know the inherent difficulty of one site, all venues, one bureaucracy for development of the district. Given all this, only a truly open debate will ensure the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has a chance to succeed beyond the glass and concrete.

Paul Zimmerman, Designing Hong Kong

Harbour safe, Dutch team says in defending bridge
4 January 2011
South China Morning Post

A bridge proposed for the West Kowloon arts hub does not involve any reclamation and will enhance harbour features, its design team says.

Led by renowned architect Rem Koolhaas, the Dutch team has defended the bridge proposal against harbour protection activists who worry about losing more of the shoreline to reclamation. The bridge is seen as a stumbling block to winning over critics for a design that otherwise has been gaining public support.

The bridge, to hover above the Yau Ma Tei typhoon shelter, is designed to alleviate traffic brought by the future cultural venues. It does not actually land on the harbour.

The team's lead architect, David Gianotten, said the bridge would not violate legislation protecting the harbour because it did not involve any reclamation and nor would it reduce the size of the harbour.

"Instead of taking away the harbour, we give something back," he said. "I think the government also trusts this [legal advice] or else we would be disqualified."

Legal advice obtained by the team says the bridge does not create new land and it lands on an existing breakwater and shoreline. As the bridge is designed as a suspended arc with no pillar, vessels can still pass through the typhoon shelter and marine traffic will not be disturbed.

Gianotten said the plan gave the district a net gain of water. Due to the provision of a floating black-box theatre and use of water taxis as alternative transport, the plan creates two water inlets of 0.7 hectare.

The team calculated that traffic at at least five road junctions - on Jordan, Austin and Canton roads - will worsen critically, and not only during peak hours, when the arts hub opens. But with the bridge, traffic congestion at most junctions will improve. However, Canton Road still faces congestion and the team advises that it be widened.

Gianotten, who briefed the selection panel of the arts hub authority on the team's financial model last month, said the bridge was financially viable. He refused to confirm its cost, but said it would be far less than the economic loss from traffic jams.

Described as the most creative and realistic design for the arts hub, the Dutch plan does not conform as closely as the other teams' designs to the planning guidelines set by the authority. Dividing the hub into three villages, it proposes fewer cultural venues and sets aside a substantial amount of the budget as endowment for cultural development. Some critics say the plan could spark public controversies and slow down the development process.

"If you want to build the arts hub, there will be controversy - or else you will build something mediocre," Gianotten said. "This high ambition that should put Hong Kong on the map of world culture, make it the cultural hub of Asia, without having controversies or stepping on somebody's toes, it's simply impossible.

"There will be things in a plan with that ambition that need the government to change. Or else you can't realise an ambition like that."

Despite a sharp increase in construction costs in the region, he said the budget of HK$21.6 billion was more than enough. "The only thing you need to do is to spend it wisely. It's an enormous amount of money that has never been set aside for culture anywhere in the world."

He said the authority should wisely invest the endowment so revenue from it could cover the rising construction costs.

"Don't maximise the profit of developers because it's simply not needed," he said. "You don't have to sell all the houses there with top prices. The thing is feasible, sustainable, in our belief."

The authority is expected to announce the winner early this year.

The rivals of the Dutch team, Britain's Norman Foster and local architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee - whose design features a large urban park and interconnected open space - have also defended their schemes in the past few months. The latter has gained the support of the Arts Development Council.

Fresh culture shock as West Kowloon CEO quits
7 January 2011
The Standard

The chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has resigned for "health reasons'' just five months after arriving in the job.

Graham Sheffield is the second top executive of the authority - the organization in charge of creating an art and culture hub on a 40-hectare reclamation site on the Victoria Harbour waterfront - to quit within relatively short order. Sheffield was a high-profile organizer in the London arts scene before being lured to Hong Kong last August, which was soon after Angus Cheng Siu- chuen's shock resignation.

Cheng spent a week in the position of executive director before quitting for "personal reasons."

Members of the authority board will be informed about Sheffield's resignation at an emergency meeting being convened today, a source told Sing Tao Daily, sister paper of The Standard.

"He has resigned for health reasons and the board will soon reopen the recruitment exercise,'' the source said. "Related matters or arrangements will be discussed at today's meeting.''

Sheffield, now back in London, refused to comment on the resignation, telling a reporter only that he was at a gathering with friends. The 58-year-old Sheffield had been artistic director of London's Barbican Centre. His recruitment for the Hong Kong job was sealed last March after a months-long global search by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. His employment package during his three-year contract included an annual salary of about HK$3.5 million.

A second source close to the authority said there were rumors Sheffield's girlfriend, an artist in the United States, was unhappy about him being in Hong Kong. But the other source insisted Sheffield's decision had nothing to do with his personal life and was purely for health reasons.

Sheffield said during a Hong Kong media gathering on December 17 that he was heading back to Britain for a 10-day stay with his family.

He had said earlier that he had little insight on local arts and culture but vowed to create a "global impact" with the HK$21.6 billion Kowloon project.

"We will put Hong Kong firmly on the map of a must-see, must-experience destination for culture seekers across the world,'' he declared.

A recruitment exercise to replace Sheffield as chief executive is expected to be launched quickly.

The authority says the successful candidate will have at least 20 years' experience leading an organization and shaping its business model and cultural and artistic experience.

The first phase of the construction of the cultural district is due for completion in 2015.

Ex-Swire boss tipped for top job at arts hub
11 January 2011
SCMP

A former property executive with a strong arts background has been tipped as a top candidate to succeed Graham Sheffield, who resigned last week as chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority for health reasons.

Stephan Spurr, who is in his 50s and left his post as the general manager, office, of Swire Properties at the end of last month, was on the final shortlist when the West Kowloon Cultural District authority picked Sheffield five months ago. Two people close to the authority said Spurr was not chosen because, during negotiations with the authority over the job, he asked for more autonomy to run the cultural district.

"He would have been a better candidate," said one of the people. "However his property background and demand for more independence may have been considered politically incorrect.

"The authority should hire a person who is from Hong Kong, who is able to stand up to the bureaucracy and tell the officials what he wants them to do for him.

"And they should hire someone who has enough local contacts to keep him ahead of politics."

Born in Japan and educated in Canada, India and Britain, Spurr has a strong background in the Hong Kong property market due to his time with Hong Kong Land and Swire Properties. He is also an avid arts lover and a drama fan. He was the vice-chairman of Shakespeare4All, which he directed for a few years.

During his more than 20 years of service with Swire he managed to incorporate his passion for the arts and culture into business. He was a key planner when Swire transformed rundown Quarry Bay into the upmarket, artistic Island East office area during the past two decades. He was also involved in a number of arts-related projects, including Artistree, which turned some of the office space in Island East into a multipurpose venue for exhibitions and performances by arts groups. The venue was opened in 2008 with the well-received Victoria & Albert Museum's Vivienne Westwood retrospective - a show rejected by the government, which believed the public had no interest in such an event.

In 2003 when three property giants were competing for the now defunct single tender for the West Kowloon Cultural District, Spurr worked with world-renowned architect Frank Ghery on an alternative proposal for the arts hub, suggesting that all the facilities should be fairly distributed across both sides of Victoria Harbour instead of concentrated in one area.

Spurr declined to comment yesterday when asked whether he was interested in the job.

Authority board member Allan Zeman declined to comment on whether Spurr would be a potential candidate to fill the 58-year-old Sheffield's shoes. "We are just starting to look around now," Zeman said, adding that the headhunter was currently looking at who might be suitable for the job.

Zeman said Spurr was one of the people interviewed for the top job, but added that Spurr's demand for more autonomy and his property background were not the reasons why he was not selected.

Some from the arts community felt Spurr would be good leading the arts hub. Ada Wong Ying-kay, a member of the authority's consultative committee, said Spurr would be a good choice to succeed Sheffield. "The WKCD is now at its development and construction stage and we need a local who knows how to build things."

The authority's performing arts committee member, Fredric Mao Chun-fai, said that he had known Spurr previously as a keen patron of the arts. "He came to see performances and was very concerned about what was happening in the arts sector," said Mao.

"The good thing about him is that he was among those few Westerners familiar with Hong Kong and the local arts scene. But whether he's a suitable candidate will depend on exactly what the authority wanted the CEO to do."

Art critic Oscar Ho Hing-kay said he was impressed by Swire's alternative proposal for the arts hub back then. "You must have guts in order to publicise such an alternative proposal," Ho said.

His property background should not be a reason why Spurr was not given the job.

"As long as that person is professional and artistic, we should give him a chance," Ho said. "If the government does not have the tolerance to accommodate the right talents, we might as well just not do any cultural projects at all."

Sleepless in TST: how the strain got to arts hub chief
9 January 2011
SCMP

The stress and strain of heading Hong Kong's most ambitious and large-scale cultural project began to show on ex-West Kowloon Cultural District chief executive officer Graham Sheffield late last year, says one of the top executives who worked closely with him.

Sheffield's shock resignation last week on health grounds came just five months into his three-year, HK$3.5 million-a-year contract.

The chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District's performing arts committee, Allan Zeman, said signs that the pressure was mounting on Sheffield, 58, began to emerge in late November.

Around that time, Zeman said, Sheffield, the former artistic director of London's Barbican Centre, told him he was feeling "more and more unwell as time went on".

"Graham told me that he was having trouble sleeping and was increasingly suffering from fatigue. He felt constantly tired," Zeman said.

"I did not think it was that serious at first and thought that a good rest back at his home in the UK over the Christmas holidays would recharge his batteries and he would return to Hong Kong revitalised.

"He consulted his doctor in the UK and afterwards his doctor contacted us to say that he needed complete rest.

"It was soon after this that Graham phoned to say that he had decided to resign because of ill health.

"We were not informed as to exactly what the illness is and it's really none of our business. It was simply just an unforeseen health problem. He loved Hong Kong and made the transition to living here easily. I only hope that he gets back to full health soon."

Sheffield did not return phone calls yesterday.

Members of the arts community have speculated that over-the-top government bureaucracy and excessive red tape may have contributed to his illness, but Zeman denied this.

"That's not the case at all. If anything the government has been completely hands-off. They have left us to proceed with our plans with no problems whatsoever and no interference," he said.

Zeman also did not believe that Sheffield's departure would radically affect the arts hub's operation and it was still "all systems go".

"Graham's departure will not delay the project in any way and everything is still going very much to plan," Zeman said.

The first phase of the HK$21.6 billion project is due to open from 2015, and the second phase from 2026.

Next arts hub chief may get a deputy to share workload
15 January 2011
SCMP

The next chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District may get a deputy or a chief operating officer to ease the pressure of the job.

This follows the sudden departure of arts hub chief Graham Sheffield last week for health reasons.

The idea by the board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority was tabled at yesterday's Legislative Council meeting. Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, chairman of the board, answered inquiries from lawmakers about Sheffield's abrupt resignation.

Many believe that Sheffield's departure was triggered by operational issues rather than health problems. But Tang was adamant that Sheffield left because of his health, showing three doctors' notes to prove the point. He described the resignation as unfortunate.

Sheffield quit after only months on the job. Tang said the former artistic director of the Barbican Centre in London first expressed his wish to go on December 15.

This was just days before he flew back to London after attending a Christmas gathering with the media on December 17. Sheffield appeared chatty at the time, albeit a little tired.

Tang said he tried to talk Sheffield out of resigning. But a week later, Tang received a doctor's note instructing Sheffield to stay in London and said he should be released from duty immediately.

A second doctor's note came through at the end of last month, again saying that he should remain in London. "[The doctor] insisted that he should not travel back to Hong Kong ... and should under no circumstances go back alone," Tang told lawmakers, quoting part of the doctor's notes.

The doctor repeated the instructions in a third note and suggested 58-year old Sheffield end his three-year contract with the Hong Kong government with immediate effect.

"[Sheffield] is not fit to travel back to Hong Kong," Tang read from the note. But he refused to disclose details of his illness or the identity of the doctor.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen agreed to let Sheffield go last Friday.

Some lawmakers remained unconvinced yesterday. But Tang said: "If you have a doctor saying it three times and you still don't believe it, I cannot understand why."

Sin Chung-kai, chairman of the board's remuneration committee, said Sheffield had been exempted from the required three-month notice. No compensation from either side was involved.

Lawmakers yesterday continued to question the arts hub's operation as Sheffield is not the only person to have walked out since the authority was set up in 2009.

Sin revealed that between April 1, 2009 and last Friday, 15 staffers have resigned - including Angus Cheng who quit his executive director's job after just seven days. At present, the authority has 58 staff and has posted a staff turnover of more than 25 per cent in about 1-1/2 years.

Some lawmakers asked if the workload of heading the HK$21.6 billion arts hub was too much to handle, especially for someone new to Hong Kong.

"Do you need to have a deputy CEO, especially for a CEO from overseas?" asked Democrat Lee Wing-tat, vice-chairman of the joint subcommittee monitoring the arts hub's development.

Tang said that the board would look into reviewing the authority's structure. The hub's chief executive heads seven divisions, each led by an executive director, and has an office, led by another director, to support the chief's role.

"There may be a COO [chief operating officer]," Tang said. "We will strive to improve the organisation's structure and will see if some of the CEO's duties can be split up and shared by someone else."

Hunt starts for next chief to head arts hub
22 January 2011
South China Morning Post

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority yesterday launched a global job hunt for a new chief executive, two weeks after Graham Sheffield abruptly quit for health reasons.

The authority will wait until a new chief executive is appointed before deciding whether to appoint a deputy to share the workload.

A recruitment advert for the chief executive officer of the HK$21.6 billion arts hub was placed in print and online media locally and around the world. It is the same as the ad the authority put up in August 2009.

It says the arts hub is looking for a senior executive of at least 20 years' experience in a "multi-faceted" and "arts and cultural" environment, having done "strategic development, financial planning and business modelling" and liaison with stakeholders from the public and private sectors.

The advert highlights the kind of duties the CEO should expect. Along with "providing leadership" for the strategic development, the chief will have to engage with potential partners in arts and culture. He or she also will oversee sponsorships, publicity and branding.

"We hope to confirm the candidate within six to nine months," said Sin Chung-kai, chairman of the remuneration committee of the board of the cultural district authority. Sin noted that the board confirmed the appointment of Sheffield in March last year and he started work in August.

At a Legco meeting last Friday, the chairman of the authority's board, Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, proposed adding a deputy CEO to the arts hub's senior management team.

Personnel issues have been troubling the arts hub. Ex-CEO Sheffield went back to Britain for Christmas and never returned, walking off on January 7 because of "health reasons" after just five months in the job.

Angus Cheng Siu-chuen, an ex-Disney executive, quit in just seven days in 2009 after realising that he was one of the executive directors instead of the chief.

Since the authority was established in April 2009, 15 staff members have departed - 25 per cent of the current 58-member team.

During the previous headhunting search, 51 candidates competed for the top job, including ex-Swire top executive Stephan Spurr, who was said to be one of the finalists but lost out because he asked for more autonomy to run the cultural district.

The recruitment advert stated that the authority would begin screening applications on February 8. Those who stand a chance will be invited for an interview about four weeks after that.

Constructive criticism --- Rem Koolhaas has a master plan for Asia's cities
21 January 2011
The Wall Street Journal Asia

Hong Kong -- Rem Koolhaas sketches constantly as he talks me through his proposal for Hong Kong's planned US$2.8 billion cultural development.

Mostly he draws grids, in various sizes, but from time to time his pen draws something else: an outline of his plan for the 40-hectare West Kowloon Cultural District, with its signature arched bridge; a giant cuboid letter "M" that seems apropos of nothing in particular; a rough map of Hong Kong's coastline.

At 66 years old, Mr. Koolhaas is among the elite group known as "starchitects": well-known architects such as Frank Gehry and Richard Rogers, whose iconic buildings define the skylines of the world's top cities.

He already has made his mark in Asia, with the Prada Transformer, a shape-changing building that opened in Seoul in 2009, and the mammoth CCTV heaquarters in Beijing that will be completed later this year.

His firm, OMA (the Office for Metropolitan Architecture), has also designed the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, which features a three-story floating podium suspended partway up a 246-meter tower that is scheduled for completion this summer. Earlier this week, OMA also was commissioned to produce a new design strategy for Hong Kong's transit authority that includes building two prototype subway stations, the first of which is expected to open before 2014.

Still, the biggest prize on the table right now is the West Kowloon Cultural District. At an interview in Hong Kong this week, Mr. Koolhaas and David Gianotten -- who runs OMA's Hong Kong office -- were keen to stress their commitment to the region.

"What we want to avoid at any cost is that we would be acting or seen as foreign to this whole thing," says Mr. Koolhaas, referring to the bidding process for the Hong Kong arts and culture project. The OMA office on trendy Wyndham Street, for example, employs 45 people, 60% of whom are from Hong Kong or China. Mr. Koolhaas himself is in the city once a month for a week; Mr. Gianotten has been living in Hong Kong for the past two years.

Though he first visited the Pearl River Delta region around Hong Kong in 1994, he says the development of architecture and planning in Asia has accelerated in the past year or so. In particular, "the education is moving forward in leaps and bounds," he says. "It's difficult to say whether we will see the emergence of an Asian school of design. I would say we already see that Asia equals the Western ability. It's almost more ingenious, more versatile."

The West Kowloon Cultural District, first touted in 1998 by the city's then-Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, has been beset by controversy -- about its budget and scope, and the initial involvement, now withdrawn, of the city's powerful private land developers -- and dogged by personnel problems. Most recently, the project's chief executive, Graham Sheffield, quit this month after only five months on the job, citing health reasons.

OMA's design for the West Kowloon Cultural District features three "urban villages" -- an experimental new museum; a marketplace that mimics Kowloon's street markets with small shops, studios and galleries; and a performance area.

If Mr. Koolhaas's firm is to win the project, it will have to overcome competing challenges from two other firms with strong local connections. Local architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee's Rocco Design Architects has put forward a proposal that highlights elements of traditional Chinese entertainment. Foster + Partners -- the firm of Britain's Sir Norman Foster that was behind both HSBC's Hong Kong headquarters and the city's Chek Lap Kok airport -- won an initial competition for the West Kowloon hub in 2002 before the rules were rewritten in the face of opposition to the involvement of private funding.

All the firms will have had 12 months -- a longer period than usual with such bids -- to make their case before a final decision is made in March. All three bids have been criticized in some quarters, with opponents of OMA's plan focused particularly on the curved bridge that links one end of the peninsula-like expanse back to the mainland. (Mr. Koolhaas says this bridge is necessary to promote the best flow of traffic throughout the expanse.)

For Mr. Koolhaas, a former journalist and author, the project appeals to his philosophical nature and his ideas about architecture and design. As he twists the frame on a pair of collapsible spectacles, he says Hong Kong's government took "a monumental decision" with West Kowloon, an endeavour that on the surface seems to be at odds with the city's commercial spirit.

"If you see the typical Cantonese incredible ingenuity, and how it applies to culture, [the project] is not so much about changing the nature of Hong Kong as about changing the emphasis," he says. "We like the rough and tumble [of Hong Kong's rapid development], but at the same time here and there, we say, 'This is a public building and let's give it space to breathe.'"

A successful project could provide a blueprint for other rapidly developing Asian cities where urban planning is sometimes "brutal," he says. Projecting forward 10 years or so after the West Kowloon project, Mr. Koolhaas says he hopes "Hong Kong has a cultural machine that both directs the local situation and the Asian resurgence, and is also a useful entity for South Korea, the Philippines, for China, Singapore."

Opinion : It is time to put art education into schools' mainstream curriculum
30 January 2011
South China Morning Post

There was an interesting juxtaposition in the letters page between the "culture" pun of Harry's Week cartoon and Ryan Tang's letter ("HK parents stifling their children's creativity and curiosity", January 16.)

There is a glaring connection between the education of our children and the nascent West Kowloon project, which seems to be having trouble finding its feet as an arts venue in a society unfamiliar with the concept. If art and creative thinking is not nurtured in childhood, it is less likely to spontaneously develop later. This is perhaps why, in a city of more than seven million people, less than 6 per cent visited the superb exhibition of French Impressionist art from the Musee d'Orsay in 2005.

In the not so distant past, interest in the arts was a privilege of those with the wealth to choose how their time would be spent, rather than the necessity of devoting all their effort to earning a living. Hence the divide between art and craft. Education was, and still is, a key to earning a select living. But not all knowledge worth having may be directly connected to either "success" or financial reward. It is now accepted that appreciation and enjoyment of the arts is psychologically beneficial, and that enjoyment does not necessarily entail certificates and competition. The arts, well taught, are enlightening, and uplifting. And a foundation on which learning may continue for the rest of our lives.

The cultural district project is an opportunity for social engineering. While all the deliberating over architecture and content of this project continues, development of creativity and art appreciation is something that must be addressed without delay if the cultural district is to be anything more than another Hong Kong property development with tumbleweeds rolling through empty halls labelled as art centres.

Start now. Put art education into schools' mainstream curriculum. Enable regular exhibitions of performance and fine art; not theoretical education from books or virtual media, but face-to-face interaction with the living thing. Children today will be the art lovers of tomorrow. And in their journey, may discover the triumph of value over price.

Susannah R. H. Hirst, The Peak

Hong Kong's finest toys set to take centre stage in museum
24 January 2011
SCMP

From cap guns, to dolls, to matchbox cars - old Hong Kong-made toys are set to be dusted down and put on display in an exhibition that will rekindle fond childhood memories for many and pave the way for the creation of a toy museum in the city.

A group of veteran toy manufacturers, a toy collector and the government-funded Hong Kong Vocational Training Council are in talks to organise a three-month toy exhibition at the council's recently built 7,000 square foot Hong Kong Design Institute Gallery in Tseung Kwan O at the end of the year.

The planned exhibition may mark a significant step forward for the creation of the museum, which the Hong Kong Toy Council and the Toys Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong have lobbied for in the past year as a way to celebrate an industry that took off from scratch in the 1940s and became world-renowned.

Proponents said a toy museum would also serve as a destination for tourists and families, while critics said it was a disgrace that Hong Kong had yet to have a museum dedicated to toys despite its reputation as the world's toy capital.

"Before 1978, all toys were made in Hong Kong," said Yeung Chi-kong, a Hong Kong Toy Council committee member and a toy maker for about 48 years.

"The toys combined successful design, creativity, imagination and culture, and I hope the planned museum will convey this message."

Starting from nothing 60 years ago, Hong Kong's toy industry dislodged Japan in 1971 to become the world's No1 producer as a post-war influx of migrants across the border into the city created a large pool of low-cost labour.

Today Hong Kong-owned toymakers supply nine out of 10 toys sold in the United States. This is despite the fact that rising costs in the city forced toymakers to migrate to the Pearl River Delta starting from 1978 for lower wages and abundant labour supply.

Toys, which brought joy to children in the west, prompted a number of "toycoons".

One of the most prominent examples is Cheung Kong (Holdings)' chairman Li Ka-shing, who made his first fortune out of plastic flowers.

Others are the Ting clan of Kader Holdings, and Qualidux Industrial, which manufactured the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls; Shanghainese David Yeh Chung-woo, who led the takeover of British-based die-cast car maker Matchbox in 1982 and listed the company on the New York stock exchange; and the Chan family of Playmates Toys, which designed and produced another global best-seller - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Qualidux Industrial chairman Bernie Ting Wai-cheung, the second-generation representative of a family business established by his father Dennis Ting Hok-shou in 1964, said many of the company's products were lost throughout the years.

Among those to migrate its toy manufacturing activities from the city across the border in the 1980s, Qualidux has churned out toys varying from the Cabbage Patch Kids to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Star Wars figurines, but kept few of the products of its early days.

Ting was pleasantly surprised, however, to learn that some of the company's prototypes and early toys were included in the collection of toy collector Joel Chung Yin-chai.

Chung, a teacher at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Swire School of Design and the largest collector of art work left by late graffiti artist Tsang Tsou-choi - known as the `King of Kowloon' - has amassed about 30,000 toys, industry journals, receipts, advertisements, catalogues and other items related to the history of the toy industry in the city.

He is enthusiastic about showcasing part of the collection at the planned toy exhibition at the Hong Kong Design Institute Gallery.

"The main purpose of the exhibition of course is not just displaying toys in a showcase," Chung said. "It should aim at passing the message of preservation onto the next generation and inspiring their creativity and innovation."

A keen supporter of the proposed toy museum, Chung says he was inspired by Japanese collector Teruhisa Kitahara's passion for toys that led to the establishment of 19 toy museums in Japan. He believes that the establishment of a toy museum in Hong Kong is long overdue and will serve both educational and cultural conservation purposes.

Chung recalled a meeting with the Japanese collector, who pointed out that every item in his own collection was made in Japan.

Hong Kong Design Institute principal Victor Tsang said workshops, design competitions and conferences could follow the planned toy exhibition, which would engaged students, toy manufacturers and designers and other stakeholders.

The Toy Council's Yeung hoped the toy exhibition would arouse the interest of the Hong Kong government as the project would require a grant of land by the government, funding support, and operational and management skills.

He believed a standalone toy museum could be located in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

A Home Affairs Bureau spokesman said an existing exhibition of toys at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum was playing its role "in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of toys in Hong Kong".

The spokesman would not be drawn into saying whether or not the government would support the idea of a dedicated toy museum, but said the Heritage Museum displayed some 1,600 toys and the history of the industry on a permanent basis.

Foreign hopefuls eye culture job as search continues
The Standard
Monday, February 07, 2011

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has received 25 applications for the chief executive post and 13 are from overseas, a source said.

The authority is looking to replace Graham Sheffield who resigned in January after just five months in the job.

A headhunter, who has yet to be appointed for the screening process that begins tomorrow, will help the authority look for at least 10 more potential candidates.

That will bring the list of candidates to about 40. But it will still be fewer than the 51 who had applied when the last search was held.

Also applying for the vacancy is the person who scored just below Sheffield in the previous recruitment. It is an overseas application.

Earlier reports suggested that Stephan Spurr, a former top executive of Swire Properties, made it to the short list in the last exercise. Spurr was reportedly not chosen as he had asked for more autonomy to run the cultural district.

Spurr declined to say if he has applied for the job this time.

A couple of candidates who were not available last year are now and may be interested, the source added.

Sheffield, 58, resigned for health reasons after taking up the job in August.

He was artistic director of London's Barbican Centre when selected last March after a months-long global search by the authority.

His employment package during his three-year contract included an annual salary of about HK$3.5 million.

Critics doubted the reason for Sheffield's abrupt resignation, and some were convinced that it was government bureaucracy that triggered his departure.

The new chief executive will be announced after the summer as it takes six to nine months to complete the recruitment exercise. The winning candidate may need a few months to settle their affairs before coming to Hong Kong, if they are from overseas.

Despite Sheffield's reason for resigning, the authority does not intend to require shortlisted candidates to undergo medical checkups.

What happened to Sheffield was unexpected and when he was appointed, the feedback was positive, the source said.

"It was a right decision to choose him," the source said.

It is understood the board has also given the green light for a chief operating officer or a deputy to minimize the workload of the chief executive.

The first phase of the HK$21.6 billion project is due to open in 2015.

Fund steers arts groups towards private sponsors
10 February 2011
SCMP

The government will launch a matching fund for arts projects in April aimed at encouraging non-profit arts groups to actively engage the private sector for sponsorship.

The HK$30 million-a-year fund will be available for non-profit arts programmes dedicated to arts development, event promotions and public education, according to an internal document seen by the South China Morning Post.

Some of the money is to benefit arts groups and one-off arts projects not covered by existing funding schemes under various government departments.

And unlike the traditional funding schemes in which the government provides direct subsidies to the arts groups, this one will require the applicant to first secure business sponsorship - if their operating budget exceeds HK$2 million. The new fund will then match the sponsorship dollar for dollar. The government will match donations and income in cash but not sponsorships in kind.

Projects with a smaller budget can apply for either direct subsidies or matching grants.

Film and theatre veteran Ko Chi-sum, chief executive of the privately run Spring-Time Stage, said the threshold of HK$2 million in order to get matching funding was set too high.

"Perhaps the officials have no idea how hard it is to secure corporate sponsorship in cash," Ko said. "You consider yourself lucky if you can raise HK$300,000 in cash. You can't hope to get that much commercial sponsorship in cash, unless you are organising a Faye Wong or Eason Chan Yik-shun concert.

"People may just end up going for smaller events or programmes as they can get direct subsidies for projects under HK$2 million."

The yearly HK$30 million will come from investment returns on HK$3 billion in seed money the government injected into the Arts and Sports Development Fund in last year's budget, the internal document shows.

The government has committed to spend more than HK$2.8 billion on arts and cultural activities this year as the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District picks up speed.

At present, the Home Affairs Bureau, the Arts Development Council and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department share responsibility for funding the development of culture and the arts in Hong Kong. The government now wants to explore ways to fund the arts differently.

The scheme will be overseen by a subcommittee and a panel of experts who are yet to be appointed.

The government hopes the scheme can serve as a springboard to help previously unfunded arts groups. Under the proposal, a group would be funded for two to four years and recipients might receive more money than they had raised from corporate sponsors.

Apart from arts groups, individual artists and companies organising non-profit arts events could also apply for money under the scheme.

People who attended consultation sessions on the plan said they were told applicants for the new fund "should draft their applications like business proposals".

It is a sign the authorities are keen to nudge the arts groups to get the private sector involved, rather than rely purely on the government for money.

Art critic Oscar Ho Hing-kay was was unconvinced by the plan.

"This is just more money managed by a new committee. I do not see a new vision here," he said. "The government should closely study the Hong Kong arts and cultural sectors before coming up with these funding ideas."

Arts practitioners also took aim at the Advisory Committee for Arts Development, which will oversee the new scheme. Some questioned the representativeness of the 12-member committee, whose members include a politician, businessmen and finance professionals.

Despite his reservations, Ko Chi-sum, the Spring-Time Stage chief, largely welcomed the new initiative. He said it was natural to see criticism from those already receiving government funding, as they are not eligible for the scheme.

He believes the scheme could help fledgling artists to get a start.

"At the moment, it is difficult for new players to enter the game. On the other hand, we all agree we need to cultivate more young talent and budding artists," Ko said.

Asked about the scheme, the Home Affairs Bureau said the government had offered dollar-for-dollar matching grants before, but this scheme would be larger.

The bureau said details had still to be finalised.

West Kowloon arts hub to get a flying start
16 February 2011
SCMP

Art lovers will not have to wait until 2016 to experience cultural events in the West Kowloon Cultural District as a "nomadic" museum and outdoor events will be coming to town next year.

Having assumed his position as executive director of the M+ museum and interactive arts facility about a month ago, Lars Nittve already has a plan to get the museum up and running by the end of this year, before the building is erected.

"We are creating a `nomadic' M+, an M+ without a permanent building," Nittve said.

Plans for an interim M+ at Oil Street had been proposed, but now M+ will grow in different parts of Hong Kong to familiarise the public with the concept of the museum.

Nittve, who was the first director of London's Tate Modern, detailed his master plan when he met the media for the first time since he came on board.

Nittve's idea is to have a "base camp" as a connecting point for the public to obtain information, while a series of pre-opening programmes, such as exhibitions featuring different aspects of visual culture from fine art to design and architecture, as well as outdoor film screenings, are staged in various parts of the town.

The hub's performing arts executive director Louis Yu Kwok-lit said that events such as live music would also be staged around the end of this year, but the format was yet to be decided.

The next thing to do, Nittve said, would be to meet stakeholders to develop a vision for the museum and define the consequences, such as staffing.

Building an audience and the museum's capacity would also be on the agenda, he said.

M+ would have a strong focus on arts education, Nittve said. It would develop educational programmes and work closely with schools. And he was confident that M+ would become a place popular among young people.

"Curating shows is not difficult, but making a museum welcoming is tricky," he said, referencing his experience with Tate Modern, which has become a popular meeting spot for young people.

"Before Tate Modern was built, those going to the old Tate were well-educated, middle-class people. But Tate Modern does not feel like a museum. It is like a natural extension of the street."

Nittve said he was not worried about having to delay purchases of art for M+ as the museum's governance and the ownership of the collection must be worked out before starting to build it.

"I'm not too worried about the collection, but it needs to be very well structured and it depends on the vision [for the museum]," he said.

According to government papers in 2008, M+ will have an initial capital of HK$1 billion (in 2006 prices) to build the collection and get the museum up and running.

Nittve said he had been enjoying Hong Kong, although was discharged from hospital yesterday due to a foot injury. He had been actively engaging with the local arts and culture sector and although the pressure was there, it was understandable and he did not have a problem with it.

He said he had not spoken to former chief executive Graham Sheffield, who left abruptly at the beginning of this year for "health reasons".

"I know there is a lot of expectation and lack of trust, so there is a lot of work for me and my team to do," Nittve said.

"The expectations [from the public] should be very high because this is a very important task, a very important project. M+ will be one of the most important museums in the world in the future."

Green park music to public's ears
The Standard
Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Property development in the West Kowloon Cultural District should be kept to an absolute minimum and commercial activities could be put underground, an activists' group says.

According to a poll commissioned by Hong Kong Alternatives, 58 percent of the 1,011 respondents said setting aside 60 percent of the land for residential and commercial buildings is too much.

The group, which was set up in 2006 to push for a plan that is in the best interests of the public, appealed to the government to reconsider the project and turn the site into a cultural green park.

The poll found that 84 percent are opposed to reserving 20 percent of land in the cultural district for auction to property developers to build luxury flats.

And 59 percent - answering another question - believe such developments should be kept at zero with the whole site being turned into a green park.

The majority also felt the government should use its financial reserves to subsidize the development rather than depend on the commercial sector.

The survey was conducted between January 26 and February 8 by the University of Hong Kong's Public Opinion Programme.

HKU department of architecture associate professor Cheung Kwok-pun, a member of Hong Kong Alternatives, said the government could build a 300,000-square-meter underground multifunction shopping mall instead. A 1.4-kilometer automatic walkway would move people from Central to West Kowloon in two minutes.

This would be a "Green-Gold Alternative Development" to allow maximum green above ground with commercial elements underground, Cheung said.

"The underground area could have a value of HK$30,000 to HK$50,000 per square foot, or a total value in excess of HK$100 billion," he added.

The survey did not touch on three proposed designs for the West Kowloon Cultural District. It was announced last week that Norman Foster's design, involving a huge green park, was the most popular option from among 7,310 questionnaires returned.

Leading pollster Robert Chung Ting-yiu, who carried out the survey, said something is wrong in the government's consultation process.

"None of the three plans touch on the green issue. We have no doubt of the government's sincerity but it is not good enough," Chung said.

Dutch architect defends vision for cultural hub
Decision due today on designer
4 March 2011
South China Morning Post

With the decision on a designer due today, renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas made a last-ditch effort to defend his plan for the city's arts hub, which trailed in a public poll released last week.

"We really believe sincerely that we have the most to offer and also the best combination of local and international networks to create the richest possible condition [for the art hub]," said Koolhaas, who flew into Hong Kong as the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority prepared to announce today which of three finalists was the winner.

"We didn't pay lip service to [the public's] score. We were very explicit in explaining the ambitions to all," he added. Koolhaas is up against Briton Norman Foster and local architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee.

Last Friday, the authority released results of its public poll - which showed the big city-park scheme by Foster receiving the highest score by a slim margin. The poll had more than 7,000 responses, but 600 of those, all in favour of Foster, were suspiciously similar. Even with those responses removed from the tally, however, Foster's plan was narrowly the winner, the poll's analyst said.

In some categories, such as the quality of open space and meeting the needs of different users, Foster's average score was only 0.01 higher than Rocco Yim and 0.04 over the Dutch team.

The authority has not disclosed how much weight it will give to the poll in making its final selection.

Tanya Chan, the lawmaker monitoring the HK$21.6 billion arts hub project, said Foster, who designed the HSBC headquarters skyscraper, was popular in the city and knew that Hongkongers had longed for a large urban park.

Lead architect on the Koolhaas design, David Gianotten, said: "For us, it's clear that the public vote is important and it's part of the whole decision-making process. But it's not the only ingredient, as there are people who work and live in this place who are not represented as the general public but who feel inspired by our design.

"We took the risk by not just simply following the government's brief but also proposing change," Gianotten added. "We tried to shift some attention from making beautiful, iconic buildings to simply giving space for people to do creative things and to produce art works.

"We are extremely confident that there is strong support for our plan."

Yim could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The Koolhaas team's design, featuring a suspension bridge to solve congestion and setting aside part of the capital cost for future cultural programmes, scored highest in the public poll in representing local culture. It has also won support from professionals, academics and concern groups, including the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design.

Yim's design, featuring green terrain and interconnected open space, has gained support from the Art Development Council. Foster's plan offers the most flexibility and would be easiest to merge with elements of the other two designs.

The authority's selection panel, comprising 10 board members, will select a master plan from the three. Desirable features of the other two designs will be incorporated into the selected plan.

The panel will score the designs according to six selection criteria: fulfilment of key planning and development requirements; meeting design principles; meeting community aspirations; technical feasibility; flexibility in land use, design and phasing; and financial robustness. But it is unknown how the criteria will be weighted.

A leading pollster at the University of Hong Kong criticised the public poll, questioning how random the sample was because the pool of interviewees could have consisted of children mobilised to visit arts exhibitions and people who sent in questionnaires on their own.

"If over half of the respondents of a poll comprise young people under 30, the poll could hardly be representative of the Hong Kong population, no matter how the subjects were sampled," said Dr Robert Chung Ting-yiu, director of the university's public opinion programme.

The authority said it could not confirm how many of the respondents were students but it said more than half of the questionnaires were returned by respondents aged 30 or below. An announcement made by the authority last year said it had mobilised 3,800 students from 75 schools to visit the exhibitions.

Fingers crossed... I want no OMA

Foster's masterplan won

MARCH 4, 2011, 7:40 PM HKT
Norman Foster to Design Kowloon Cultural District


By Cathy Yan

HONG KONG–The board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority selected Norman Foster’s “City Park” design for the future 21.6 billion Hong Kong dollar (US$2.8 billion) arts hub, making a progress on a project that has been marred by delays and top-level resignations since it was proposed in 1998.

The other two proposed plans, one by Hong Kong firm Rocco Design Architects Ltd. and the other by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, led by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, may also be integrated into the final design. The West Kowloon Cultural District will sit on 40 hectares of waterfront with views of downtown Hong Kong.

The design by Mr. Foster’s British firm Foster + Partners includes a 19-hectare waterfront park and cultural institutions toward the north of the green space. It proposes extensive arts-education facilities scattered east to west, as well as the government’s prerequisite theaters and the contemporary-art museum M+. It will also include commercial areas for shops, restaurants, offices and hotels. An over-arching carbon-neutral goal includes plans for waste recycling and solar and wind power.

A design competition for the West Kowloon Cultural District was launched in April 2001. Initially, the government accepted a large canopy design, also by Norman Foster, but scrapped the design in 2005 after intense public criticism. The project then went through two public consultations, in 2009 and 2010.

On Friday, Henry Tang, Hong Kong’s chief secretary and chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, announced the winning design at a news conference while flanked by fellow board members, including chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ronald Arculli, who also headed the selection panel that recommended the design to the board.

Not everyone was happy with the decision. “They’ve gone for the safest solution,” says Paul Zimmerman, chief executive of the nonprofit Designing Hong Kong. He said he’s also afraid that the waterfront park, which is very simple compared with the other two proposals, will be underused. “It’s just a pity that they cannot take more challenging proposals such as Rocco or Koolhaas,” he says.

The Foster design has a “relatively simple message,” says Daniel Chua, the head of the School of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong. “They sold a very attractive idea, a park,” he says. “But the thing to understand is that it’s a blueprint. We can’t make the mistake of thinking that it will actually look like that.”

Foster + Partners has a long history with Hong Kong, having previously designed the HSBC headquarters and the Chek Lap Kok airport. Its “City Park” plan narrowly received the highest score in a public poll, which was published before the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority board made its decision.

Mr. Tang listed seven main reasons behind their pick, including the design’s emphasis on arts education, its synergy of spaces and its flexibility that will allow swapping of sites as construction takes place over a planned six years. He promised that a more detailed development plan, which may include portions of the Koolhaas and Rocco designs, will undergo a public consultation before it is confirmed.

The long-anticipated project has been in development since 1998, when then-Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa proposed the establishment of a West Kowloon cultural district in his policy address.

“The public message has been loud and clear,” said Mr. Tang after he announced their pick. “Move on, get the job done.”

In January, Graham Sheffield, chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, resigned citing health reasons. A month later, on Feb. 25, the British Council appointed Mr. Sheffield as its new director for the arts, stoking suspicions regarding his departure from Hong Kong. Mr. Tang has said that the government will study whether Mr. Sheffield has breached his contract.

On Friday, Mr. Tang confirmed that the board has sent questions to Mr. Sheffield and have received some of the answers, but evaded further questions concerning how the project will proceed without a chief executive. The board is still looking for a replacement for Mr. Sheffield.

Mr. Sheffield’s departure follows the June 2009 resignation of the Authority’s executive director, Angus Cheng, who cited “personal reasons” in a statement released at the time.

http://blogs.wsj.com/hong-kong/2011/03/04/norman-foster-to-design-kowloon-cultural-district/?mod=rss_hk#

Fingers crossed... I want no OMA

why not?

why not?

Their masterplan chose to build parks in between clusters, thereby segregating several important cultural venues. Also includes a horrible bridge that comes in from nowhere. Anyway...

http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/panel1.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/panel3.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/panel4.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/panel5.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/panel6.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/panel7.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/panel8.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/panel9.jpg

http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/paper1.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/paper2.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/paper4.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/paper5.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/paper6.jpg
http://www.wkcdauthority.hk/pe2/en/conceptual/foster/img/lg/comic9.jpg

Here are quotes from another thread. This is the masterplan that won.

Hey! Let's rename Hong Kong to Foster City. Might as well.

This plan looks great. West Kowloon is truly going to be a destination. I lived in one of the buildings beside ICC for a month and right now apart from mainly tourists and residents upstairs, Elements isn't really a spot to be for many people yet. This area will look really different when I return to HK in a few years with this and the Shenzhen express rail complete.

Landmarks in every corner of the world
5 March 2011
SCMP

Norman Foster, the 75-year-old British architect, has designed some of the most renowned landmarks around the world.

In Hong Kong, the HSBC headquarters building and the Chek Lap Kok International Airport bear his signature.

So do the restored Reichstag in Berlin, the redesigned Hearst Tower in New York City and the futuristic Expo MRT station in Singapore.

He is no stranger to the West Kowloon Cultural District.

In 2002, Foster triumphed in an earlier design competition for the site with a plan for an enormous canopy covering 55 per cent of the development area.

But the canopy concept sparked concerns over maintenance costs. The idea of a single developer getting the whole project and the plan's high-density development also met strong resistance. The government scrapped the whole plan and started all over.

The prolific architect refused to give up on the chance to shape the city's waterfront and Hong Kong's arts scene. He came up with a whole new plan, dubbed City Park, calling for a huge urban park with 5,000 trees to be planted on the west of the site, almost half the area.

His design also highlighted zero-carbon ideas such as recycling waste to create energy and renewable energy generation.

The plan took hits from the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design, which was set up by outspoken and influential architects, planners and engineers.

"We see no passion," Professor Bernard Lim Wan-fung, the institute's president, said in November. If we have to oust one from the competition, it would be Foster's."

Ivan Ho Man-yiu, a member of the institute's council, added at the time that the plan failed to offer a cultural identity.

"We see only a commercial site plus a park, things that are already built in London, Manhattan and Chicago ... Do we still want a city without character? We have already lived with it for the past few decades,"

Foster defended his plan in an interview in December.

"The park is absolutely unique to Hong Kong," the Briton said. `It uses the species you find in the countryside around Hong Kong. And it's unique because of the waterfront setting.

"We've shown how we understood the DNA of Hong Kong ... We've made an extension of the city in which all the activities are all very close to each other," he added.

Foster left school at 16 to do his national service with the Royal Air Force. His relentless passion and energy propelled him into the architectural stratosphere by the mid-1980s. He has won countless awards and was honoured with a life peerage in 1999.

Foster and Partners employs 1,000 architects working on an enormous number of projects: universities, skyscrapers, hospitals, museums, schools, production plants and entire city centres, stretching from Argentina and Brazil to Mumbai and Beijing, via London, Germany, Istanbul and the Middle East.

All these architects and planners are yelling at the Foster and Partners design has no soul, not creative enough, doesn't reflect the local cultures etc. etc. I wonder what can they come up with for the WKCD if they were the designers.

I've always thought the whole process was wrong to begin with. Start with what facilities are needed, then run the grand design, not the other way around.

I've always thought the whole process was wrong to begin with. Start with what facilities are needed, then run the grand design, not the other way around.

Building an iconic global landmark for nothing if ever possible as a way to establish a world-class art scene overnight, in a city when people are so deprived of breathing and living space and artists so starved of opportunities, is simply too tall an order.

I was looking at the recent images for the project and found two small changes and it was the design of the opera house (I think it's the opera house, the one on the right) and the ribbon structure
They changed the shape and design of the opera house, from round to an elongated triangle. The ribbons seems to have extended to other parts of the site.
Before:
http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_West-Kowloon-Cultural-District-by-Foster-and-partners-4_1000.gif

After:
http://www.constructiondigital.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/Slideshow_656x400/1823_FP423694_webview.jpg

Even though I prefer this design over the other proposed ones, I do wish that Foster would remove some of the buildings in the neighbourhood i.e. the ones blocking the West kowloon train terminus view from the harbour. A fantastic train terminus ruined by the buildings blocking the view of the harbour

Has the design been confirmed now?

Has the design been confirmed now?

All the hooplas up to this very minute are about coming up with a masterplan, rather than the definitive designs of any landmark buildings.

Even though I prefer this design over the other proposed ones, I do wish that Foster would remove some of the buildings in the neighbourhood i.e. the ones blocking the West kowloon train terminus view from the harbour. A fantastic train terminus ruined by the buildings blocking the view of the harbour

I believe those will be residential buildings, not likely to be removed :(

I believe those will be residential buildings, not likely to be removed :(

It is like that they will be "affordable" housing as touted!

I thought that OMA's project had won the competition...

No, OMA didn't win, thank God!

The park portion looks slightly bigger than Kowloon Park, so if Kowloon Park is any indication then I'm not interested in the "city" park that's even further from the city.

In this cluster of venues and open space, long-term commercial, community and cultural partnerships will encourage a lively arts scene for generations to come.

In this cluster of venues and open space, long-term commercial, community and cultural partnerships will encourage a lively arts scene for generations to come.

wtf this guy is googling and copying phrases from other websites...?? This sentence appeared 6 years ago on this HK government page mentioning the OLD proposal!!

http://www.hab.gov.hk/wkcd/ifp/eng/public_consultation/intro.htm

Ex-head of arts hub sorry for abrupt exit
12 March 2011
SCMP

Graham Sheffield has apologised for causing "concern and controversy" over his abrupt departure from the West Kowloon Cultural District project and swift re-emergence as an arts executive in Britain.

And the arts authority, releasing fresh details about the former chief executive's vanishing act, said it would impose more safeguards when hiring the next arts hub chief.

"I am sorry that my departure and subsequent appointment at the British Council has caused concern and controversy. That was absolutely not my intention," Sheffield said in a long-awaited statement released yesterday through the arts hub. "I will start work with the British Council in May, after two more months of rest and more than four months after ... leaving Hong Kong. I believe I have behaved with integrity and regard for due process at all times."

The authority said Sheffield did not breach his employment contract, since a clause preventing him taking up related work for six months only applied to working in Hong Kong.

Asked whether Sheffield's actions were morally wrong, the chairman of arts hub board's remuneration committee, Sin Chung-kai, said: "Everyone who's been following this already has an answer ... there's a lot to learn from this lesson."

According to an account offered by the authority, the chronology of events was as follows:

On December 16, Sheffield tendered his resignation letter dated December 15, in which he said he was willing to serve the three months' notice required. The board asked him to reconsider the resignation and expected another round of discussion when he returned from his Christmas break in January.

"Unfortunately I became extremely unwell during my time in Hong Kong and I finally resigned in mid-December," Sheffield said.

Authority insiders previously said that Sheffield was unwell towards the end of his tenure, showing a terrible lack of sleep at meetings. Previously, board members said Sheffield was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but the authority said he declined to make his health condition known to the public.

On December 22, the authority received an e-mail from Sheffield's doctor, who recommended he stay in London. On December 29, Sheffield e-mailed the board to say his doctor insisted he "should not travel back to Hong Kong at all. If I have to go for a few days, I should under no circumstances go there alone."

The board agreed to Sheffield's resignation on January 5 and two days later, an official announcement was made. "The board was ... compassionate about my health situation and, in the circumstances, did not require me to work through my notice period," Sheffield said. More medical statements were received later.

It was announced on February 24 that Sheffield had been appointed as the British Council's director for the arts and would start work in May.

The British Council's chief executive, Martin Davidson, who was in Hong Kong yesterday, said a headhunter got in touch with Sheffield only on January 4, after he had resigned from the Hong Kong post.

Sin said that Sheffield stated his new salary was "substantially less" than he earned in Hong Kong.

Sin said the authority had received 40 applications for the job and had discussed with the headhunter the possibility of introducing other elements into candidate interviews, such as an assessment test.

Extreme Makeover

HONG KONG NEWSMARCH 18, 2011, 3:41 A.M. ET

A rendering of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong's Chief Secretary Henry Tang finally named Britain's Foster + Partners as the winning master-plan designer of the US$2.8 billion West Kowloon Cultural District. The announcement was a milestone, but hardly the final step in a long process that will unfold over the next two decades.

The selection came after 13 years of public debate, hundreds of presentations, thousands of committee meetings, the resignations of a couple of high-profile executives, and tens of millions of dollars in billable hours and preproject funding. Sir Norman Foster's firm beat out two other finalists, Rem Koolhaas's Office for Metropolitan Architecture and the local practice Rocco Design Architects.

See Photos:
http://blogs.wsj.com/hong-kong/2011/03/04/norman-foster-to-design-kowloon-cultural-district/tab/slideshow/

See renderings of the three proposed designs for the West Kowloon Cultural District, including the winning one by Norman Foster.

Standing at a podium making the announcement, Mr. Tang, who is also chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said: "The public's voice now is loud and clear: 'Move on and get the job done.'"

Once it is complete—assuming there are no more major hitches—the project could demonstrate that with enough money and effort, a city can create a globally relevant culture scene from scratch.

"Hong Kong needs this. We need it as we are looking for our own identity and our future," says Andrew Lam, an urban planner and member of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority board.

An arts hub the likes of West Kowloon Cultural District is the current must-have for many growing cities. It stems from the thinking that for a city to be an attractive location—for living, working and visiting—it needs a thriving and dynamic cultural scene.

"The cultural arts hub is on every major city's list of key interests," says Carolyn Cartier, a professor of cultural globalization and China studies at the University of Technology, Sydney. "It has become understood that creative industries—encompassing everything from design, architecture, software and theater—are essential for urban growth." She says the idea has spread around the world as city mayors share policy information and attend the same conferences.

In China, every major city seems to be sprouting an arts district. Just a few hours by train from Hong Kong, for instance, vast culture zones in Guangzhou's Zhujiang New Town and Shenzhen's Baoan have emerged in the past five years. Further north, Shanghai has an arts development in Pudong on the drawing board, and Beijing has plans to build three major museums close to the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest. Meanwhile, South Korea plans to pour $10 billion into its Seoul Creative City and Abu Dhabi will spend $27 billion on a cultural hub on Saadiyat Island, which will include a sister museum to the Louvre in Paris.

All of these projects—many of which are complete or nearly complete—came along after Hong Kong's plan for a West Kowloon Cultural District was first announced.

Introduced in a 1998 policy speech by former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, the Cultural District was meant to transform the city into a world-class arts destination.

The project to convert 40 hectares of reclaimed land was initially awarded to Mr. Foster in 2001, based on his proposal for a giant glass canopy over the site, which sits near the Elements mall in western Kowloon. But that decision was overturned in 2005 after a public outcry, played out in the local media, over the government's essentially handing over prime real estate to a single developer. After a series of consultations, the Hong Kong government ordered a new round of bidding in 2009.

Meanwhile, as governments in post-credit crunch Europe and the U.S. slashed their arts and culture budgets, the city set aside a whopping $2.8 billion endowment to pay for the mammoth cultural project. Each of the three finalist architectural firms was given $5.1 million to pitch its master plan, a huge sum for such a competition.

Says Prof. Cartier, who has studied Hong Kong's struggles with West Kowloon: "The debate over West Kowloon has been successful in some ways so far because it led to the realization that you can't just build a set of several boxy museums, have limited collections with which to fill them, and then call the buildings a cultural center."

Indeed, recent history has shown that pouring money into a large construction project doesn't guarantee results: In the late 1990s, for instance, several cities across Asia—Hong Kong included—aspired to create their own versions of Silicon Valley. Kuala Lumpur had its $20 billion Multimedia Super Corridor; Phuket laid out plans for a Greater Phuket Digital Paradise; and let's not forget Hong Kong's $2 billion Cyberport. Today, the Super Corridor is anything but, and Cyberport is primarily a residential development.

Foster + Partners's winning design for the West Kowloon Cultural District, in keeping with the government brief, will offer 17 cultural venues—including an opera house and a 15,000-seat outdoor arena—plus extensive arts-education facilities and commercial areas. A waterside public park will take up nearly half the land of the district and an underground transport network is supposed to be environmentally friendly.

The crown jewel will be the M+ Museum, a contemporary art museum that the government expects will attract two million visitors a year, the same number that New York's Museum of Modern Art draws. The city has granted M+ $128 million to acquire artwork and $600 million to build the museum's 7,200-square-meter space.

Of course, with such an ambitious blueprint, the completion of the district is decades away: According to the plans, the first phase of the West Kowloon district should open by 2015; the final phase will be finished in 2031. However, Colin Ward, the Hong Kong-based Foster + Partners architect heading the project, says that government rules permitting, some events, such as tree plantings and pop-up exhibits, may roll out soon. M+ executive director Lars Nittve intends to start doing pop-up shows as soon as next January.

But Hong Kong culture critic and art curator Oscar Ho, who also teaches culture studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is a member of the West Kowloon Cultural District consultation panel, says he thinks the choice of Foster + Partners as the master-plan designer was too conservative.

"It's always the 'no surprise, not challenging one' that wins," says Mr. Ho. "Art is about being unusual and risky, but obviously not for WKCD. The nice thing about Foster's design is, if things do get messed up, at least we will still have a park."

Most Hong Kong residents, adds Mr. Ho, don't care about or want the project. He interviewed about a hundred residents of Yaumatei district, which borders the project site, and more than 70% said West Kowloon had nothing to do with them.

"Some of the most expensive luxurious apartments are [near the Cultural District]. But across a main street on the other side is one of the poorest districts in Hong Kong. How would [the cultural district] be meaningful to the poor community?…WKCD will be dead if there isn't a strong local presence that speaks to the people," says Mr. Ho.

In some ways, although the decision to use Foster + Partners's master plan marks significant progress in the West Kowloon Cultural District process, it is just the start of more rounds of public consultations this summer. The earliest that construction bids on key Cultural District structures such as M+ can begin is the end of this year.

One upside to the West Kowloon Cultural District process is that it has energized local arts groups and brought a fresh wave of international star architects, culture theorists and urban planners to Hong Kong.

A few days before the master plan was awarded, Mr. Koolhaas said: "Whatever happens, Hong Kong is a lifetime commitment. West Kowloon has helped us understand the city better." Despite losing out on West Kowloon, his firm's work in the city continues—the MTR Corp., the territory's mass-transit rail operator, has hired OMA to redesign its train stations.

Foster + Partners, which has long ties to the city—it designed Chep Lap Kok airport and HSBC's headquarters—is helping to convert part of the old Kai Tak Airport into a cruise-ship terminal.

Mr. Yim's firm, a hometown favorite, is building the new Hong Kong government headquarters and the East Kowloon performing-arts center.

Redesigning Hong Kong's future continues.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704623404576187650415935630.html

No restraint on former WKCDA head taking jobs outside the city
12 March 2011
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) has denied that Graham Sheffield, former chief executive officer of the arts hub, breached a contracted six-month employment prohibition by taking up a new position with the British Council on Feb 25.

Sheffield himself issued a statement Friday through the WKCDA, claiming he only started job-hunting after the resignation.

In response to public concern raised after Sheffield accepted a job offer so soon after resigning his Hong Kong post, Sin Chung-kai, chairman of the Remuneration Committee of the WKCDA, said at a media conference on Friday that the restriction applied only to employment within Hong Kong.

The authority has no intention of make changes to the restriction clause in future contracts, and believes it's a resonable stipulation, Sin said.

He also stressed the board meeting's decision on Jan 7 to release Sheffield from his duty and excute his three-month notice was based on the information available at that time, the knowlege of Sheffield's health, and more importantly, the three letters of medical advice from his doctor.

He said that it was "an arrangement on the departure of a patient".

Sin said he asked Sheffield, when contacting him during the past two weeks, whether he could reveal the state of his health, but Sheffield declined.

He said it's possible that the immense pressure of the job touched off Sheffield's health problem.

He said the authority had considered changing current structure by creating a post of chief operating officer or deputy CEO. But the former CEO left before any actual change could be made.

Sin, however, admitted the indicent was a lesson. He said the authority will recruit more prudently.

But he didn't answer directly, when sked whether he considers Sheffield as an honest employee.

Chief Executive of the British Council Martin Davidson on Friday defended Sheffield, saying he accepted his new position after he resigned in Hong Kong.

A statement issued by the British Council two weeks ago indicated that Sheffield was appointed as the new director of arts of the United Kingdom's international cultural relations organization.

He will take up the post at the beginning of May.

The new job requires him to work both in the UK and overseas.

The controversy arose because Sheffiield accepted the new offer, only two months after resigning from the WKCDA citing "health reasons," only five months after taking office.

He submitted the resignation on Dec 15, 2010, and officially left the position on Jan 7.

The WKCDA had to pay him the salary for the last month of the probation, or about HK$290,000, according to his contract.

Davidson of the British Council on Friday clarified that Sheffield was only "formally approached" by the headhunters on Jan 4, "which was after his resignation from West Kowloon", and that he became a potential candidate for the new job on Jan 18, "which was after his resignation being accepted by West Kowloon".

Chief Secretary Henry Tang, also chairman of the WKCDA board, said on the day after Sheffield's new job was unveiled that the government will look into whether Sheffield had breached some clauses in his contract that prohibits him to be employed at a similar organization within six months after resignation.

Sheffield's predecessor, former Hong Kong Disneyland executive Angus Cheng Siu-chuen, quit after a week on the job citing "personal reasons".

Time to foster art for art's sake
The Standard
Monday, March 21, 2011

The results are out. Foster and Partners has officially won the commission to come up with the master plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District.

A long and difficult journey has just begun - both for the architects and residents of the city.

The whole hub, from the conceptual phase, to the open competition for individual spaces, to the actual construction of the buildings will probably take a whole decade to come to fruition.

But now seems a good time for all of us to put aside our emotions and start the real planning of the software, and not just the hardware, of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Simply focusing on the latter demonstrates a myopic vision, one that the government is often accused of having.

Although the past 10 years have seen a steady increase in the number of art lovers, it still remains a tightly knit circle of connoisseurs while the majority of locals could at best be described as passive art admirers.

It is a common perception that art is still the preserve of auction houses and Western galleries.

A case in point is the overwhelming majority of participants at Art HK and other similar biennials of strictly Western origin.

To be able to play host to a true arts hub, Hong Kong needs a strong and knowledgeable local community well versed in the arts.

The government should consider supporting and channeling funds into educational and sponsorship programs that reach out to emerging talents and grassroot projects.

Earmarking resources to promote culture should just not be about building an icon or creating a cathedral for art.

Why? Because the glue that binds the scheme together is not the architecture, but artists and the audience.

If American architect Louis Sullivan was alive, I am sure he would agree with us when we say: Form follows function and function follows demand. Hong Kong Art Vanguard Association members - architect Nicholas Ho and art historian Stephanie Poon - don't always see eye to eye.

By 淮海陳 from a Chinese photography forum (http://www.photofans.cn/forum/showthread.php?forumid=136&threadyear=2011&threadid=11176&action=&word=&searchusername=&page=3) :

http://www.photofans.cn/uploads2011/01/userid98765time20110113063759.jpg

Time to foster art for art's sake
The Standard
Monday, March 21, 2011

The results are out. Foster and Partners has officially won the commission to come up with the master plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District.

A long and difficult journey has just begun - both for the architects and residents of the city.

The whole hub, from the conceptual phase, to the open competition for individual spaces, to the actual construction of the buildings will probably take a whole decade to come to fruition.

But now seems a good time for all of us to put aside our emotions and start the real planning of the software, and not just the hardware, of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Simply focusing on the latter demonstrates a myopic vision, one that the government is often accused of having.

Although the past 10 years have seen a steady increase in the number of art lovers, it still remains a tightly knit circle of connoisseurs while the majority of locals could at best be described as passive art admirers.

It is a common perception that art is still the preserve of auction houses and Western galleries.

A case in point is the overwhelming majority of participants at Art HK and other similar biennials of strictly Western origin.

To be able to play host to a true arts hub, Hong Kong needs a strong and knowledgeable local community well versed in the arts.

The government should consider supporting and channeling funds into educational and sponsorship programs that reach out to emerging talents and grassroot projects.

Earmarking resources to promote culture should just not be about building an icon or creating a cathedral for art.

Why? Because the glue that binds the scheme together is not the architecture, but artists and the audience.

If American architect Louis Sullivan was alive, I am sure he would agree with us when we say: Form follows function and function follows demand. Hong Kong Art Vanguard Association members - architect Nicholas Ho and art historian Stephanie Poon - don't always see eye to eye.

That is a good point, but I am hopeful of the art future of Hong Kong, thanks to the recent spike in artistic activity. I have witnessed a steady change towards the better in terms of the quality and quantity of events taking place, and I believe Hong Kong's artistic population is expanding quite rapidly. One problem at this moment is that artists in Hong Kong are quite scattered and unorganised. I'm hoping that this cultural district is going to be effective in letting artists and art-lovers converge.

I like the 2nd place winner more than the canopy one.

I agree with you..:cheers1::cheers1:
I like the 2nd place winner more..

I agree with you..:cheers1::cheers1:
I like the 2nd place winner more..

... are you talking about the enormously outdated pre-2005 designs?

Foster eyes zero emissions for West Kowloon
28 March 2011
SCMP

Norman Foster wants to turn West Kowloon into Hong Kong's first zero carbon-emission district.

The renowned British architect and his team think people tend to focus on the large urban park in their design. But their zero-emission ambition is just as "green," even if it may take up to 25 years to achieve.

To achieve that goal, the team will take into account emissions generated from buildings only rather than from other sources in the district.

"There's no one magic bullet," Colin Ward, one of the partners at Foster + Partners, said.

The hub's park will not be used as the only tool to offset carbon emissions as the hub will also target the district's waste problem by collecting the food waste generated daily in its neighbourhood and turn this into biogas for its power system.

Working with this architectural firm is a team of specialists from Arup, a global engineering firm with experience in zero- or low-carbon projects, including a new phase currently under planning at Hong Kong's Science Park and the BedZED residential project in Beddington, south London. The Foster firm also designed the zero-carbon city in Masdar, Abu Dhabi.

"We are not suggesting a fantasy or a mediocre design," said Raymond Yau, a director of Arup. "The arts hub still needs to be powered by the local electricity grid but we will offset by helping the city to solve part of its food-waste problem."

To arrive at the "zero" figure, will mean careful planning and design of the whole site and its buildings; a creative recycling of food waste, and increasing use of wind and solar energy. More importantly, it will mean bringing about behavioural change among hub users.

Yau added that the goal could be achieved much earlier - by 2025 (see graphic) - if the energy centre and the district cooling system could operate at an earlier stage.

The project, if realised, would set an example for the region. But if it fails, it could become an obstacle for other low-carbon projects in the pipeline. Ward said the plan aimed to cut Hong Kong's carbon emission by 135,000 tonnes a year, the equivalent of taking 23,400 cars off the road. Hong Kong generates 3,280 tonnes of food waste a day, accounting for 44 per cent of waste dumped in landfills.

"We need a strong policy in place to ensure a sufficient amount of food waste and an efficient operation of the energy centre, if you don't want to see it becoming a refuse-collection point," Yau warned.

The team follows the zero-carbon definition currently adopted by the UK government: using on-site renewable energy to offset electricity taken from the local power grid and allowing some degree of off-site emission mitigations, such as reducing methane gas in landfills in the case of the arts hub.

"It's a universally accepted definition," he said, adding that UK projects also target buildings' emissions rather than emissions generated by external transportation, as this is an uncontrollable factor.

Whether the plan will succeed hinges on many factors: "Design is just the first step. It will depend on how the authority decides on the phasing of the hub. Public education and behavioural change will also take time," he said.

Foster's background in designing a zero-carbon city, dubbed a green utopia, in the deserts of Abu Dhabi may not be seen as a credit, however. The project was described as a mirage after its scale and budget were cut. The original plan included extensive use of a transport system in which cars were banned and people transported in driverless pods. .

"There are reasons for its failure," said the president of the Hong Kong Green Building Council Andrew Chan Ka-ching. "The project of creating a city in a desert is very artificial to begin with. It is too ambitious."

Chan said that the key was to ensure the idea was implemented consistently and sustained in the long run, a role in which the arts hub authority will play an important part. For example, a clear set of design guidelines must be ready for buildings when sites are sold for development. "It's not beyond our reach," Chan said.

`Cheated' lawmakers want arts answers
The Standard
Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Legislators want former West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chief executive Graham Sheffield to return from Britain to explain his resignation.

Lawmakers attending a panel meeting on home affairs yesterday said the government should go after Sheffield since they "felt cheated."

Sheffield, 58, started work in August as authority chief executive but resigned in January citing ill health.

He was appointed new director for the arts at the British Council in London late last month and will take up his new post in early May.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat said: "He should return to Hong Kong and explain everything. I doubt his integrity since he was job-hunting when he was extremely unwell."

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong lawmaker Chan Kam-lam said the resignation of Sheffield has damaged the authority's reputation.

Authority remuneration committee chairman Sin Chung-kai said he "felt cheated."

Sin added: "We always hope Sheffield can return to Hong Kong and explain to the public. His resignation has affected morale but our team will continue to work hard on the project."

The authority may consider legal action if it finds new evidence concerning Sheffield's conduct, he said.

But Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs Salina Yan Mei-mei believes the authority made "a suitable decision" when it accepted the resignation.

Warning sounds on cultural costs
The Standard
Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A senior West Kowloon Cultural District Authority member says the full project will cost much more than the HK$21.6 billion already approved.

But despite calls from several legislators for the authority to come clean on the total budget, the authority's development committee chairman, Ronald Arculli, said it is difficult to calculate as it will take up to 15 years to complete the project.

"With the rising construction costs in recent years, the approved HK$21.6 billion will not be enough for the 17 buildings ... if construction starts now," Arculli said yesterday. "But the project is still in the early stage, and we still need to carry out stage three public consultation on the detailed development plan of the chosen project."

Arculli said the authority will have to bring the matter to the Legislative Council for further discussion later on. "I hope people can be more patient and wait until the development plan is out and approved by the Town Planning Board."

Arculli said it will take 10 to 15 years to complete the project. "It is therefore hard to arrive at a more specific figure for the entire project now, as social expectations vary as time goes on. We need to be cautious when using public resources."

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat said former permanent secretary for home affairs Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai had assured legislators in 2008 they would not be asked to dole out more money.

"Can the authority assure us it will not seek additional funding in the coming five to 15 years?" Lee asked. "I believe the cost of such a huge project will change as time goes by. Will the authority come up with the latest financial assessment?"

Another Democrat, Emily Lau Wai-hing, said with construction costs continually rising, the authority should constantly update the public on the expected budget. "The authority should be more transparent and announce the expected budget at different stages of construction," Lau said.

Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan Suk-chong also joined in the call for a full budget disclosure.

Legco approved HK$21.6 billion in July 2008 for the construction of 17 buildings.

Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said recently the selection panel has gone for architect Norman Foster's "City Park" master plan, which will use 19 of the 40 hectares of the cultural district, and will require the planting of 5,000 trees.

The third public consultation will be conducted this summer on a detailed development plan, which will be submitted to the Town Planning Board later this year, with the first phase of the cultural district expected to be completed in 2015.

Source : http://www.fotop.net/xpan

http://images5.fotop.net/albums7/xpan/hdr/DSC_7347_a_b_tonemapped.jpg

Former cultural desert starts to bloom
After decades of being a place where finance was prized more highly than artistic talent, the city is making up for lost time
11 April 2011
South China Morning Post

It speaks volumes that until little more than a decade ago Hong Kong had no full-time art schools. No Parsons, no St Martin's, no Chicago Institute of Art. It was symptomatic of the cultural void that infamously plagued the city until very recently, according to Cissy Pao Watari, chairman of the board of governors at the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC). "You need various things, different museums to accommodate different styles and periods, and you need institutions dedicated to inspiring creative people," she says.

But now, Hong Kong Art School, an offshoot of the non-profit HKAC, is an integral part of the city's art community. It offers diplomas, bachelor's and master's programmes to more than 600 students, half of whom are full-time.

Chairman Sebastian Law is full of enthusiasm about building on the encouraging response to a Hong Kong-based tertiary art programme. Now with an additional campus in Shau Kei Wan, the school aims to have a campus-style arrangement with numerous hubs spread throughout the city. And, Law says, as Hong Kong's appreciation of art grows - and not just as an investment vehicle - the chance that this will happen is increasingly likely.

"I strongly believe that Hong Kong is in a superb position," he says. "It's not like the old days. Our culture is different now - it's a boom. Art culture is no longer limited to painting and sculpture. The application of an art education now is so wide - everything from furniture design to 3-D art and animation. It's like a renaissance."

Law is passionate about the possibilities for young artists to capitalise on the emerging technologies that will form the basis of new media. "Art education can be a lot wider than people think," he says. "It's not just a way to become a painter or a sculptor. There is industrial design, photography, 3-D work, TV and graphics. An art education establishes the foundation for artists to move into other spheres. It's our responsibility to inspire students and make them aware of opportunities. We need to give our artists the confidence to express their creativity in whatever format."

The art school, he says, is ideally suited to provide the foundations that students need to express their creativity with technical proficiency while developing the correct mindset to be an artist.

"I believe you need a good foundation to be a good artist," Law says. "We focus on four areas. You need to have sound technical skills and design ability, which are things that we spend a lot of time developing. But you must also have a social conscience and self-discipline. These elements, together with good-quality teachers, a good curriculum and a good, stimulating learning environment, can set a good foundation for artists."

Pao believes part of Hong Kong's problem in the past was that it developed as a city of immigrants, where making sense of the world and having enough money to put food on the table were more immediate concerns than the appreciation of art.

"We don't have a history or heritage of art," she says. "But we have gone way beyond that and, while I think people should have more passion for art, a lot of my friends have passion and are very supportive."

The promise that the art school brings is its grass-roots approach to turning Hong Kong around and giving it a sense of purpose and creativity. Artists, Pao says, should come back to Hong Kong after an overseas education - and when they do, it will remove some of the stigma of being an artist that Hong Kong has developed.

"Right now, people think of artists as living on the fringe, not like they have a real profession," she says. "It's important to have that recognition. I think the whole environment, what comes after the education, is what makes the art school tick. A lot of very good artists, graduates of art schools overseas, don't want to come back here, but I think all that will change. They have to know that Hong Kong and the mainland have a lot of opportunities."

Pao and Law are positive about what the government is trying to achieve with the West Kowloon Cultural District. It is a force for good, they argue, if slightly ambitious in its attempts to build a complete, functioning cultural area. What will make the difference, they hope, is their plan to open a campus of the art school on the site.

"We'd like to expand to West Kowloon," Pao says. "This is how we connect - it should be connected to existing hubs. The key to West Kowloon is to have a school and take students there."

Oz arts exec tipped for top cultural role
The Standard
Friday, May 20, 2011

Australian arts administrator Michael Lynch is strongly tipped to be the next chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation director and former chief executive of London's Southbank Centre and the Sydney Opera House is the best among the some 40 candidates to lead the new multibillion-dollar culture hub, a source said.

His appointment will likely be announced soon.

The controversial resignation of previous chief executive Graham Sheffield in January prompted a renewed global job hunt by the authority.

The screening of candidates has now been completed after applications closed in February.

An authority spokesman said: "The recruitment exercise has made good progress and an announcement is expected to be made later this month."

The new director will be paid about HK$5 million a year, HK$1.25 million more than Sheffield who resigned abruptly on health grounds.

He later revealed he had been headhunted for a senior job with the British Council.

The culture hub chief may be assigned a deputy or a chief operating officer to ease job pressures, as suggested earlier by the authority board.

Lynch, along with about 10 top administrators in the global arts scene, will next month attend a forum organized jointly by the authority and the Hong Kong Arts Administrators' Association.

The three-day forum on the design and management of the 15 performance venues at the West Kowloon arts hub will see them hold talks themed as "What makes an art venue work."

The mega-project is expected to be constructed and launched in phases, with the first phase to open in 2015.

Lynch, an influential player in public broadcasting in Australia, was one of the 51 candidates in the previous recruitment exercise in 2009.

He has been involved with the arts community as well as the film industry for over three decades, and was appointed ABC director for a five-year term in March 2009.

From 2002 until 2009 Lynch was chief executive of London's Southbank Centre, where he was responsible for the transformation of the area's cultural precinct.

He has also had a long career in arts administration in Australia, as chief executive of the Sydney Opera House from 1998 to 2002, and general manager of the Australia Council from 1994 to 1998.

Earlier, he was a casting director with his own agency Forcast, and an agent for the performing arts, film and television. He began his career at the Australia Council for the Arts in 1973 and was manager of the Nimrod Theatre and administrator of the Australian National Playwrights Conference.

In 2001 he was awarded the Order of Australia in Queen Elizabeth's Birthday Honors for services to arts administration.

And in 2008 he was named a Commander of the British Empire for services to the arts in Britain.

Arts hub gives priority to small performing venues
17 May 2011
South China Morning Post

The performing arts director of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority told lawmakers yesterday that the authority was giving priority to building small and medium-sized performing venues in the arts hub. Louis Yu said his team was working with Norman Foster, the architect designing the arts hub layout, to locate spots within the 42-hectare site that are ready for construction. The four black-box theatres would take three to four years to complete. Yu also said four venues, including a theatre, a concert hall and a Cantonese Opera centre, would come with art education facilities.

Royal academy chief hints at arts hub link
25 May 2011
SCMP

The world renowned Royal Academy of Arts has set its sights on Hong Kong and West Kowloon as part of its planned expansion in Asia and the Middle East.

Although it is still an empty piece of land, the site of the future arts hub - along with government museums - is under consideration by the privately funded institution as a location for its first touring exhibition next year.

Future collaboration is also on the cards. Academy chief executive Charles Saumarez Smith says he will take the opportunity during a visit to Hong Kong this week to get to know arts leaders and "get a feel as how we might operate, and if there are opportunities in which we could work together".

But before establishing any permanent fixture, the academy will bring a travelling selling exhibition to Asia for the first time in the autumn of next year, following a model based on the academy's annual Summer Exhibition that has run since 1769.

Finding a suitable site will be part of Saumarez Smith's mission for his visit to Hong Kong during which he will also attend a talk by Chinese artist Zhang Huan at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday during the ART HK fair.

He said Swire buildings that had been used for exhibitions in the past were a possibility for the exhibition, while West Kowloon "seems to be imaginable", but no decisions had been made. Founded in 1768 by 34 artists and architects, the Royal Academy of Arts has become one of London's most important places to showcase art as well as a leading educational institution featuring a highly selective postgraduate programme admitting only 20 students a year.

Saumarez Smith said several cities, including Hong Kong, had shown interest in replicating the model of an academy led by artists, and the academy had been exploring international partnerships.

"I'm not going to pretend that we are the only people interested in this idea of a slightly global operation," he said. "There are cities besides Hong Kong - mainly in the Middle East - which have expressed an interest in thinking through the issue as to how an institution like ours could work in other parts of the world."

He did not say whether an overseas arm of the academy could be established in Hong Kong, but said it was "not unimaginable" that the development of West Kowloon would open the doors to collaboration.

Last year, the Savannah College of Art and Design opened its first Asian branch in Hong Kong at the historic North Kowloon Magistracy building.

Art critic and programme director of Chinese University's MA in cultural management Oscar Ho said that with the poor economies and severe funding cuts in the US and Europe, overseas institutions expanding in Asia was a common trend.

Even though Hong Kong was a small market, locating here could help the institutions open up a regional market and develop networks and projects on the mainland.

Saumarez Smith said the travelling exhibition was seen as a way of establishing international links.

"As the art world becomes more international and more globalised, [the academy] is certainly taking the view supported by other academicians that it's in our interest to work in an appropriate way internationally," he said.

It is understood that the exhibition will feature more than 100 works, half of them by artists represented by the Academy and the others from leading Asian artists.

The exhibition will begin in Singapore, then tour Hong Kong, Tokyo and either Taiwan or South Korea.

Proceeds of the sales will go towards the costs of the postgraduate students' studies.

A spokesman for the Leisure and Cultural Services department said it had started a dialogue with an agent working with the Royal Academy of Arts to explore opportunities for organising a major exhibition in Asia.

Arts hub: no time to lose
Michael Lynch should be able to kick-start the West Kowloon Cultural District project, but will he really have the desired autonomy?
28 May 2011
South China Morning Post

Veteran arts administrator Michael Lynch has just stepped into a job that is as formidable and ambitious as the HK$21 billion project of which he is now in charge.

The West Kowloon Cultural District has never just been about the 42 hectares of land on which 15 performing arts venues, a large piazza, a visual-arts museum and an exhibition centre will be built. It is also about giving the city the much needed space to develop its arts and culture, elevating local artistic standards to a world-class level, building links and partnerships with the existing cultural facilities and integrating the new district with its neighbourhoods and the rest of Hong Kong.

As its chief executive, the 60-year-old Australian will not only have to deal with artists but also builders, politicians and government officials from an array of departments.

The position has so far proved to be a poisoned chalice: Angus Cheng Siu-chuen left the job after just a week in 2009 and Graham Sheffield, former artistic director of the Barbican Centre in London, resigned from the post in January after five months, citing health reasons.

However, many believe that Lynch, with his extensive experience and international background, will be able to take the challenges in his stride.

The former head of the Sydney Opera House and the Southbank Centre in London has arrived at a crucial phase in the project: the conceptual plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District proposed by British architect Norman Foster was approved by the government in March and should be endorsed by the Town Planning Board at the end of this year at the earliest. The next step is to turn concepts into reality.

"Lynch will be a leader not just of West Kowloon but all its surrounding districts," says one observer who is close to the project. "There are many technical issues that need to be ironed out and there is an urgent need for the WKCD to come up with a construction programme or infrastructural blueprint for the plan. For instance, the Foster plan proposes underground traffic. How will that be connected with the existing local traffic in the area?"

Besides traffic, the arts district authority will have to figure out how to integrate the cultural hub and the nearby Hong Kong-Guangzhou high-speed railway. Sorting out these issues will be laborious and time-consuming.

And it will involve a slew of government departments, including the Town Planning Board, Environmental Protection Department, Transport Department, Lands Department, Home Affairs Bureau and district councils. All the while, the WKCD Authority must keep a close eye on its budget to ensure that it does not overspend.

The project needs to start its construction phase very soon if it is to meet the scheduled completion of its first phase around 2015. That means building 12 performing arts venues and the M+ art museum.

But the authority made some progress while searching for Sheffield's replacement.

On Wednesday, Lars Nittve, executive director of the M+, told a group of international art dealers and reporters in town for the Hong Kong International Art Fair that "the momentum is already there". He said he hoped the designer for M+ would be identified, through an international competition, by next April and the architect by next summer.

"We are now working on the policy of collection, as everything is [built] from inside out," he said, adding that HK$1 billion was earmarked for acquisition. "In 10 years' time, the collection should reflect that you are here in Hong Kong, the Pearl River Delta, China, Southeast Asia and the rest of Asia."

M+ aimed to display local artwork, Nittve said, "but more importantly to bring great art here from around the world".

Louis Yu Kwok-lit, the executive director for performing arts, is looking at the feasibility of major local performing arts companies taking up residence in some of the new venues.

It will be Lynch's job to get his team of eight senior executives together and ensure everyone is working towards the same vision. He will need to get board members in agreement to put his administrative decisions in effect. The question of autonomy - whether WKCD will be free to make decisions about art without government interference - will need to be addressed, discussed and confirmed.

Most of all, Lynch has to learn about this city - fast. Despite his glowing résumé and extensive experience, Hong Kong is no London or Sydney. He will have a lot of catching up to do to understand the local cultural scene and more. The learning curve will be very steep.

"His position is not simply to oversee a cultural district; being an outsider, he needs to have an understanding of the government, how it works, the arts community and potential audience in order to design the project," says one veteran artist who is close to the project.

The WKCD cannot take the same approach as the government in promoting the arts, which places more emphasis on "fairness and pleasing everyone" instead of artistic merit, the artist says.

"West Kowloon should take a leader's role in local art and cultural development. This district is a project that is of international world-class standard. Artistically, it has to be able to decide what is of quality. You cannot cater to everybody.

"So will the new chief executive have the courage to make that decision?

"On the one hand [Lynch] will need to communicate and work with the government - which is set in its way of doing things - and on the other striving for high standards. He needs to be brave enough to stand up for his decisions and choices and that is really challenging."

But the success of the WKCD will not rest on Lynch's shoulders alone. The district's evolution will depend on who will take over the reins as chief executive in the future.

For now, it is hoped that Lynch will at least stay long enough to kick-start this mammoth project and give it a solid head start.

Making a case for modern museums
The Standard
Monday, August 01, 2011

Since there has been so much talk about our new contemporary art museum, M+, along with the many other cultural institutions like the Central Police Station, perhaps it's time to consider the role of today's museums in the community, and what they bring to the public.

Their benefits include:

Catalyst for change: museums can deliver specific messages encouraging people to think from varied points of view about given topics. They can stimulate debate and discussion among citizens, changing their perceptions of the real world through art.

Educational: museums can ensure that on leaving, everyone learned something they didn't know before, especially young people. Museums can also act as an educational authority by collaborating with schools and nonprofit organizations to bring art to the masses.

Centers for creativity: museums can engage visitors in participative projects, inspiring creativity among audiences through exposure to art. By offering people constant exposure to art, this can help develop their appreciation and interest in art.

Archival memory: museums can act as archives for history, traditions, places and people - serving as reservoirs for different generations and their collective memories.

Storyteller: museums can interpret a theme and display works in a manner that is informative in relating the past, present and future. Well-curated shows give viewers a spatial and contextual experience - better than any other medium.

Revitalization: museums can, through architecture and programming, help revitalize a town not on the tourist map. (The Bilbao effect through the Guggenheim, say.)

Local training ground: museums can act as training grounds for local artists, helping promote their careers and putting them under the international spotlight. This can greatly help the local art community mature, since museums will become clear venues for emerging artists.

Hong Kong Art Vanguard Association members - architect Nicholas Ho and art historian Stephanie Poon - don't always see eye to eye.

New West Kowloon culture chief vows to finally get show on road
The Standard
Friday, August 05, 2011

The new chief of the West Kowloon arts hub has pledged to speed up development of the project, which has dragged on for more than five years.

Michael Lynch, who toured the headland area around the site's promenade yesterday, said details of the final stage of the public consultation exercise will be announced in weeks, and proposals presented to the Town Planning Board by the end of the year.

It was his first media briefing since Lynch, 60, took on the role of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chief executive on July 25.

The Australian, who leads and manages the site's artistic and project development, said he is surprised the site "still looks exactly the same" as on his last visit 3 years ago.

The spot, on reclaimed land, is "potentially the best site in the world" in promoting arts and culture, he said, while pledging to lead the team to accelerate the HK$21.6 billion project.

"Hopefully, we will create the sense of enthusiasm for the project that all of you will feel excited about," he said.

Lynch was accompanied by Chan Man-wai, the authority's project delivery executive director.

As soon as the town planning exercise is over, one of the authority's priorities is to make the land "much more attractive than present" by developing a 23-hectare public park in the wedge-shaped development site, Lynch said.

He said he has met authority board members, government officials and key cultural stakeholders over the past 10 days, and also exchanged ideas with architect Norman Foster, whose "City Park" design was selected for the project.

Lynch, a former director of the Australian Broadcasting Corp, was appointed in May and replaces Graham Sheffield. Briton Sheffield resigned for health reasons in January, just five months after taking up the job.

The authority has seen top-level resignations and delays since a government committee was set up in 2006 to come up with recommendations about the low-density project.

Part of the site is now used as a temporary promenade managed by the government.

Arts chief loves city, not the chicken feet
The Standard
Thursday, September 01, 2011

It wasn't a baptism of fire but more like a foodie exercise for Michael Lynch in his first month on the job as chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

Lynch, the 60-year-old former chief executive of the Sydney Opera House and Southbank arts complex in London, said it might be his taste buds that got him through what he describes as "the hardest part of a new job."

That's because he had to leave his family, his house and "it is about adjusting to a different place in a different way."

He joined the authority on July 25 on a three-year term after a global search that followed the shock resignation of his predecessor, Graham Sheffield, for health reasons.

Lynch, an Australian, said it is his first time working in an environment where he doesn't speak the local language but it is his love of food that "helped him to breeze through easily."

"I get Chinese food three times a day, so I am feeling absolutely happy on that front," he was quoted as saying in the August issue of the WKCD e-newsletter, which was uploaded yesterday.

Lynch said he eats almost everything except chicken feet and shark fin, which he finds "highly overrated."

He needs all the help he can get as the third stage of the public engagement exercise on the HK$21.6 billion project, based on the winning design by architect Norman Foster - dubbed "City Park" for the 40-hectare waterfront arts complex - will begin this month.

Lynch has a new Chinese name, "Lien Nah-chi," which means "continuously taking wisdom."

Another fact that he revealed: he caught polio when he was three. That's why the first thing he agreed to do officially was attend the awards night for the Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong.

He said his hectic schedule here reminded him of his seven- year reign at the Southbank Centre in London in 2002.

His favorite painter is Russian Wassily Kandinsky, his favorite singer is Canadian Leonard Cohen, and top actress for him is Cate Blanchett, also an Australian.

His wife, Chrissy Sharp, will move here in October.

Tang in zero-emissions drive for culture hub
The Standard
Monday, September 26, 2011

The future West Kowloon cultural hub will also pioneer a green city vision right down to its power generation facilities.

That's according to Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, who expressed confidence the government is willing to put in billions more dollars to realize the "City Park" idea.

Tang, speaking as the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority head, has yet to announce when he will step down as chief secretary to run for the post of chief executive in a move that may also require him to resign as the arts czar.

The political speculation is likely to give an extra buzz to Thursday's unveiling of the hub's development plan, which is based on a "minor" enhancement of Foster+Partners plan for a City Park, which had gained public traction in the past two exercises in 2009 and last year.

Tang said that besides "green power" generation, the park will also have a monitoring station for roadside emissions.

"West Kowloon will be the future pioneer of a green city," Tang told The Standard.

Terming sustainability as "the most important ingredient," he said Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah has agreed it is worth committing more resources to green features.

Thursday's announcement is expected to encompass phase one facilities and their completion dates, as well as the green features.

Following in its immediate wake on Friday will be the launch of a month-long public consultation exercise, the visual concept of which will be a 1:250 scale model of the arts hub and information panels that will be put on display at the Heritage Discovery Centre in Kowloon Park through October 30.

The plan will also incorporate "desirable features" from the other two master plans, including a more accessible Chinese opera center.

Still the subject of negotiations between the authority and the government is the additional HK$4 billion needed to build underground infrastructure, which threatens to add considerably to the original project cost of HK$21.6 billion.

The first level of the underground facility will be set aside for vehicular traffic and the second story for an underground car park.

Tang said it will be difficult to stop private cars from coming to the hub given its public nature.

Therefore a "zero-emissions underground [infrastructure] will be a good idea," he said.

Because it is infrastructure, it makes sense for a portion of its HK$4 billion cost to be met through the public purse, an authority spokesman said.

The City Park will have a cooling system for its 17 buildings, waste and water recycling systems and use renewable energy sources.

The original concept also calls for an elevated rail and a biobus service.

"This [final] design will serve as the basis for launching construction next year, pending approval from the Town Planning Board," said consultation panel chairman Stephen Cheung Yan-leung.

By csk_stg from a Hong Kong discussion forum :

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l65/csk_stg/201111050012.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l65/csk_stg/201111050013.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l65/csk_stg/201111050014.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l65/csk_stg/201111050015.jpg

Bamboo christening for Kowloon hub
The Standard
Friday, December 09, 2011

Cantonese opera is coming to the West Kowloon cultural hub - and the fact that the project has not yet been built won't stand in its way.

The four-day program cum contemporary visual arts exhibition will be held during the Lunar New Year next month at a purpose-built bamboo theater.

The event will mark the launch of the design and construction stage of the future cultural district and celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

West Kowloon Cultural District Authority's chief executive,Michael Lynch, said that tickets will cost only HK$10. The bamboo theater will be able to seat 800.

And Louis Yu Kwok-lit, executive director for performing arts, said there will be stalls and exhibitions at the fringe of the theater, reminiscent of how festivals were celebrated in Hong Kong in the old days.

Leung denies conflict in W Kowloon project
The Standard
Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Chief executive candidate Leung Chun-ying has been accused of a conflict of interest involving the West Kowloon Cultural District project.

In an exclusive report, East Week magazine said Leung was one of 10 judges in the 2001 concept planning competition - despite his company acting as a consultant for one of the competitors.

Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah, the former secretary for planning and lands bureau, was quoted as saying he was shocked when he stumbled across the alleged conflict of interest while checking nearly 160 competition entries. He then met with Leung, asking him to step down as judge.

Liberal Party vice chairwoman Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, who was on the judges' panel, recalled Leung was excluded in the final stage.

Lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah said if the conflict accusation is true, Leung's role was unreasonable even if unintentional. Tong called on the government to release the relevant information in accordance with the Power and Privileges Act.

Another legislator, Cheung Man-kwong, urged the government to clearly explain what happened, as Leung's credibility is at stake.

Reacting yesterday, Leung was at first unwilling to comment, saying: "Let me check first."

Later, when asked why he had provided consultation services to candidates, he said: "It happened 10 years ago. Several professional teams participated in the competition, but neither my company nor I joined any of the teams.

"One quantity surveyor under a particular professional team asked our company about related comments and information on land prices in West Kowloon. But we did not take any money in return.

"There was no business relationship, or conflict of interest. I have already reported the case to the jury committee chairman and government bodies."

Meanwhile, the Federation of Trade Unions has threatened to boycott Leung and rival Henry Tang Ying-yen if they do not reveal their positions on statutory working hours.

Federation chairman Cheng Yiu-tong accused them of behaving worse than Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen on the issue.

"Tsang, at least, is studying the issue, but Leung and Tang only say they will let the public discuss it first," Cheng said. The federation holds 60 votes in the 1,200-member election committee.

I don't really like it...http://www.collegefun4u.com/track.php?u=4

Cash Kowloon
The Standard
Thursday, March 15, 2012

The West Kowloon Cultural District, all 40 hectares of it, could well be the crown jewel that every leading property developer aspires to. What makes the chunk of waterfront space even more desirable is that more land may be annexed.

Last Friday, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority's latest development plan was submitted to the Town Planning Board for approval. It proposes an area along Canton Road and Austin Road be included, increasing by 2 percent the land in the district, taking the total to 4.4 million square feet.

The gross floor area of seven out of 10 mixed-use sites was also increased by 0.2 percent.

That includes 7,000 sq ft added to a site designated for hotel use. The arts and cultural district, located along the West Kowloon waterfront and accessed by the Kowloon MTR station, comprises 10 sites of mixed use and six for arts, culture, entertainment and commercial use.

For arts, culture, entertainment and commercial use, the six sites provide GFA of 3.95 million sq ft.

The mixed-use sites would have a total floor area of 3.92 million sq ft: 1.62 million sq ft for hotel and office, and 1.6 million sq ft for residential use, and the rest for public facilities and common areas.

Cushman & Wakefield Valuation Advisory Services Greater China national director Vincent Cheung Kiu- cho expects the district to provide 410 hotel rooms, with an average 2,153 sq ft including space for facilities. There will also be another 59 floors of office space, each of 15,005 sq ft. The residential sites may provide up to 2,485 flats, he estimates.

"Heights of all buildings are limited to 70-100 meters. Assuming an average ceiling height of 3.7m for each floor, the flats will be built in 21 buildings of 19-20 stories, and one of 27 stories," Cheung said.

"If there were to be six flats on each floor, the average size of flats in the district could be about 650 sq ft, assuming that there are no stipulations of flat size and number of flats."

A residential project of that size would be comparable to Mei Foo Sun Chuen, where building height limits are applicable.

Cheung added that apartments in the cultural district are likely to cost an average of HK$15,000 psf. With sea views, that could rise to between HK$18,000 and HK$20,000 psf.

A neighboring project with similar flat sizes and comparable to property that may be built in West Kowloon is consortium-built The Coronation.

In January, the consortium led by Sino Land (0083) introduced to the market the 740-unit project. The flats, sized between 403 and 2,652 sq ft, sell for an average HK$15,695 psf.

Some agents see greater potential in pricing. "Many potential homebuyers are interested in flats in the cultural district," said Ming Leung, district sales director at Hong Kong Property. "As much as 30 percent are mainland buyers, who are attracted to the location close to the future terminal of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express rail link."

The railway will run from West Kowloon to Shenzhen. The terminus is in the north of the art hub district and will be linked to Austin and Kowloon stations. According to MTR estimates, Kowloon Station will be an eight- to 10-minute walk from the rail terminus and there will be a two- to three-minute walk from the terminus to Austin Station.

Leung said flats to be built may be comparable to projects that provide bigger apartments with seaviews nearby, such as The Cullinan and The Harbourside atop Kowloon Station.

Artists need room to move
The Standard
Monday, March 26, 2012

The start early this month of a design competition for a West Kowloon Cultural District arts venue has many people excited.

But those who currently represent the Hong Kong arts community, international commercial galleries, often present works by foreign and mainland artists.

Their move to go with art that can capture a wider and richer market may be only logical, but for the SAR to truly become a genuine arts hub, local participation is a must.

Artists must be given an edge if Hong Kong is to develop an even more unique cultural identity, while the public is educated to appreciate their works.

It is and must be a cathedral of art for locals first. In every arts hub - New York, London, Paris, Bilbao and Tokyo - locals are the ones pushing the boundaries. Being the ones who live in and build the city they are the best people to create an identity for it.

One of the most feared scenarios is that a significant portion of the arts hub will be reserved for property development.

In Hong Kong, artists are always fighting a losing battle for space. High rental costs are pushing artists outside urban areas, and many of them are forced to find space in warehouses and factory buildings.

A few decades ago, these buildings became havens for artists because they provided maximum versatility with minimum rent. In Fo Tan, artists created a village-like environment where painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians and others gathered to let creativity blossom.

However, the reach of capitalism has finally arrived at their doorsteps. Now, artists are forced to move again, like gypsies.

The West Kowloon project has allocated art studios for artists to rent. For them to fully blossom the government must help on the subsidy front as well.

It would be a great shame if real estate, one of the pillars of the SAR's prosperity, became the weapon that killed the city's talents.

Developers are not the enemies here, local budding artists, international galleries and local developers can all exist in harmony.

Many believe the new chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, is the one who can realize this dream.

Architect Nicholas Ho and art historian Stephanie Poon don't always see eye to eye.

Draft West Kowloon Cultural District Development Plan published
Friday, March 30, 2012
Government Press Release

The Town Planning Board today (March 30) announced the publication of the draft West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) Development Plan.

The Development Plan covers an area of about 40.91 hectares to the south of Austin Road West and the Western Harbour Crossing Toll Plaza. It is intended to be developed into an arts, cultural, entertainment and commercial district with a distinguished identity.

In accordance with section 21(9) of the WKCD Authority Ordinance, the draft Development Plan replaces the draft South West Kowloon Outline Zoning Plan in relation to the area delineated and described in the draft Development Plan.

The draft WKCD Development Plan No. S/K20/WKCD/1 is now available for public inspection during office hours at the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, the Planning Enquiry Counters in North Point and Sha Tin, the Tsuen Wan and West Kowloon District Planning Office and the Yau Tsim Mong District Office.

Any person can make written representations in respect of the draft Development Plan to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before May 30. Representations made to the Town Planning Board will be available for public inspection.

Copies of the draft Development Plan are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the Development Plan can be viewed at the Town Planning Board's website at www.info.gov.hk/tpb/.