Cultural Infrastructure
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department manages all public recreational sports and cultural facilities in Hong Kong, including museums, city halls, civic centres, etc. Recent developments include the West Kowloon Cultural District, the East Kowloon Cultural Centre (expected to be completed in 2022), and the New Territories East Cultural Centre which was being concepted in 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2026. Many of them are designed by world-class architects and will be equipped with the latest stage technology. The 2019 policy address stated that the East Kowloon Cultural Centre will adopt advanced innovative technologies, including all-rounded computer stage facilities and execution systems, to provide artists and art groups with better hardware and further enhance Hong Kong’s status in the international art scene.
Application of new media software: HKCC-AR Journey in Time
Opened in 1989, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC) is located on the former location of the Kowloon Station of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. From its establishment in 1910 to its demolition for the construction of the Cultural Centre in 1978, this railway station has witnessed the history of Hong Kong and has been filled with our recollections. To celebrate the Centre’s 30th anniversary in 2019, Zuni has adopted state-of-the-art technologies of Augmented Reality (AR) in conjunction with the Soundscape system to develop an AR mobile application to recreate the sound and scene of the former Kowloon Railway Station.
The interface of HKCC-AR Journey in Time mobile application.
Image/Zuni Icosahedron
Programming and Talent cultivation: Z Innovation Lab
Since 2017, Zuni has organised the “Z Innovation Lab” series to explore the forefront of stage technology through showcasing, exchanging and training, exposing the multitude of possibilities of a black box theater. The audience enters a theatre and experiences a live performance while simultaneously interacting with the same stage lighting, sound and multi-media effects as the performers do. In a theatre performance, the technical aspects (staging, lighting, sound) are elements of performing arts just as important as the performers, while the entire theatre space (architecture) itself is constructed by technologies. As the disciplines of innovative technology and multimedia design continue to develop, these audio and visual tools and technologies should not be experienced on a two-dimensional level only. The theatre offers the possibilities of a “live” environment, a space for carrying, exploring and integrating different creativity and technologies. “Z Innovation Lab” infuses innovative stage technology and performing arts, providing a platform for exchange between providers and users of technology in the performance art scene in order to enhance the applications of stage technology.
In 2017, the focus of the “Freespace Tech Lab” co-organised by Zuni and the West Kowloon Cultural District was “Sound, Light and Space”. Soundscape, Kinetic Winch, Projection and Lighting and GiantMirror were applied in performances. The Studio Theatre of Hong Kong Cultural Centre was converted into an experimental venue with four mirror walls, and the possibilities of this experimental space were explored through the endless reflections of the mirrors.
Using endless reflections of mirrors, the artist breaks the limitations of space.
Image from “Movement Lab” (2017)/ Zuni Icosahedron
Breaking down the boundaries of time and geographic zones with technologies, a telematic performance in two cities in sync was shown.
Image from “Z/Z Twin Lab” (2018)/ Zuni Icosahedron
In 2018, Zuni’s Z Innovation Lab and the Zurich University of the Arts joined hands to launch the Z/Z Twin Lab with a telematic performance in two cities in sync. Breaking down the boundaries of time and geographic zones, it aims to train students from the two places in the application and development of stage technology. Z Innovation Lab incorporates the technology of motion capture, virtual avatars, 3D audio and more, recreating the audio-visual space of Deishui Naamyam in Blind Musician Dou Wan.
In 2019, the Z Innovation Lab put on a reinterpretation of the lost Banyan performance Rotten Big Ass at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The “Professional Series” was launched for stage technology practitioners and students, while the “Stage and Technology Workshop” and “HKCC-AR Journey in Time” were available to the public. The Z Innovation Lab highlighted innovative performance spaces and enhanced the understanding of the relationship between built spaces, technology and the theatre, setting the tone to discuss the development of the theatre as a whole.
Using advanced stage space and sound effects to interpret the lost Banayn performance.
Image from “Rotten Big Ass” (2019)/ Zuni Icosahedron