West Kowloon Cultural District
King’s Asian CCI Research Society – Crea ve Spaces in Asia Jeffrey D. Liu Introducing the WKCD in 5 Points: • The WKCD is a proposed and developing project to “boost cultural and entertainment establishments at Hong Kong” • located at the waterfront west of Yau Ma Tei, it will feature a new museum of visual culture (M+), numerous theaters, concert halls, and other performance venues • Taking up 40 Hectares the district will include 17 core arts and cultural venues as well as space for arts educa on. • Managed by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA); current CEO is Michael Lynch, former CE of London’s Southbank Centre • Directly financed by the government with an upfront endowment of HK 21.6 billion (1.7 billion GBP) A sense of scale… A sense of scale…
• HK is the most dense “high-income urban area” – 67,000 people / sq. mile or 25,900 people per sq. km (Pop. Density in London is 12,331 per sq. mile) • Property prices are third highest in the world (second behind London)
The plan Core Arts and Cultural Facilities (CACF) • A Mega Performance Venue, designed for popular music events, and flexibility for other art forms and large-scale entertainment events • Exhibi on Centre Complex; designed for large-scale cultural, entertainment and commercial events. • A Great Theatre – large scale theatre produc ons • A Musical Theatre – intended primarily for broadway style musicals and performances, including western and Chinese opera/dance • A Lyric Theatre – facility with orchestra pit for dance, ballet, opera, musicals and theatrical performances • Freespace with Music Box M+
• New museum of visual culture slated to open in 2018 (date has been pushed back), been in planning stages since 2005 • Designed by Herzog & de Mueron (best known for designing the Tate Modern) – approximately 60,000 m2 • Director Lars Ni ve – best known for being the founding director of the Tate Modern • M+ Sigg collec on – over 1500 works donated by Swiss collector Uli Sigg, “universally recognised as the largest, most comprehensive and important collec on in the world of Chinese contemporary art from the 1970s to the present” • “nomadic exhibi ons” already being held by M+ while they are wai ng for the museum building to be completed M+ Building
Museum for visual culture – contemporary art, design, architecture, and popular culture. Construc on 2015 - 2018
Xiqu Centre
Large and small theatre, with commercially operated Tea House, showcase venue for Chinese Opera. Construc on 2013 - 2016
West Kowloon Terminus
Planned: largest underground HSR sta on; Located next to WKCD; connec ng it to mainland China directly [Shenzhen, Guangzhou, PRD], and eventually to the main high speed rail to Beijing. HKD$ 62.4 billion (approx 5 billion GBP)
What has the WKCD been up to? • West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade • West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre – first cultural event held by the WKCDA, at the future site of the Xiqu Centre, focusing on Cantonese Opera, visual art installa ons, and film • Freespace Fest – Contemporary music and performing arts fes val, which focuses on audience par cipa on • Mobile M+ and M+ Ma ers Events – a variety of public programs such as talks (M+ Ma ers), “nomadic exhibi ons” (Mobile M+) • Clockenflap Music and Arts Fes val – annual fes val incorpora ng interna onal and local music, art, and film. 30,000 in a endance last year What has the WKCD been up to? : Waterfront Promenade What has the WKCD been up to? : Freespace Fest What has the WKCD been up to? : 14 Listed M+ Events since 2013 Potential Criticisms:
• History of setbacks in developing the WKCD - project proposed in 1998 • “tourism, not culture, that prompted the government to propose an arts hub” – not a place for Hong Kongers, but a tourist a rac on (a rac ng mainland Chinese or interna onal tourists) • Money could be spent on arts educa on and arts employment for HKers – only the HKAPA as dedicated arts university, who will be ge ng the job opportuni es in WKCD? • Commercial use of the space – retail shops and dining in WKCD Impact/implications of the WKCD • “Overall, development of the WKCD will not only bring value- added contribu on to the Gross Domes c Product (GDP) of the economy, visitor spending and employment opportuni es, but also various intangible benefits for the development of a crea ve economy, nurturing local talents, a rac ng and retaining investors and talents, raising quality of life, reinforcing economic integra on with the Pearl River Delta and branding Hong Kong as a world-class city.” – from the WKCD execu ve summary 2014 • HK as a financial center, WKCD signifying a shi towards a cultural center?
Sources:
• h p://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/aedas-kowloon- terminus • h p://www.expressraillink.hk/en/database/xrl-in-hk.html • h p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_cultural_policy • h p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Kowloon_Cultural_District • h p://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/ar cle/1432869/west- kowloon-cultural-district-should-be-about-arts-not-money-experts • h p://hk-magazine.com/city-living/ar cle/decade-dithering • h p://www.masterplanningthefuture.org/?p=1943 • h p://www.westkowloon.hk/en/mplus/learn-about-the-collec on • h p://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/londonfacts/default.htm? category=2 • h p://www.hab.gov.hk/en/policy_responsibili es/ arts_culture_recrea on_and_sport/arts.htm • h p://www.westkowloon.hk/en/the-district/reports-and-papers