Media

HKU weekly notice (from March 21 to March 28, 2015)

20 Mar 2015

 

HKU Hung Leung Hau Ling Distinguished Fellow in Humanities

Professor David Der-Wei Wang to speak on “Panglossian Dream and Dark Consciousness: Modern Chinese Literature and Utopia”

Professor David Der-Wei Wang, HKU Hung Leung Hau Ling Distinguished Fellow in Humanities and Edward C. Henderson Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature at Harvard University will visit the University of Hong Kong (HKU) from March 19 to 22. A series of events will be organised during his visit.  Details are as below:

HKU Hung Leung Hau Ling Distinguished Fellowship in Humanities Lecture:

International Symposium on Utopia and Utopianism in the Contemporary Chinese Context: Texts, Ideas, Spaces

Date: March 20 - 21, 2015 (Friday and Saturday)

Time: 9:00 pm

Venue: Kong Siu Luey Hall, Robert Black College, the University of Hong Kong

Contemporary Chinese Documentary Series: Meet the Director –“China Dream Series: Making Friends with Mr. Zhang”

Date: March 21, 2015 (Saturday)

Time: 6:00 pm

Venue: Room T6, Meng Wah Complex, the University of Hong Kong

More information about the Public Lecture, the Symposium and the film screening is available online at:http://www.hkihss.hku.hk/events/utopia/index.html

Festival PLUS: Special Screening of “Datong: The Great Society” and Discussion with Director Evans Chan and Prof. David Der-wei Wang

Date: March 22, 2015 (Sunday)

Time: 2:30 pm

Venue: Recital Hall, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wanchai, Hong Kong

For more information about the Festival PLUS program, please visit:http://www.hk.artsfestivalplus.org/Events/view/193

Professor David Der-wei Wang

David Der-wei Wang is Hung Leung Hau Ling Distinguished Fellow in Humanities at the University of Hong Kong and Edward C. Henderson Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature at Harvard University. He is also Director of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Inter-University Center for Sinology, USA. In 2004, Professor Wang was elected Academician of Academia Sinica. He specializes in modern and contemporary Chinese literature, late Qing fiction and drama, and comparative literary theory.

For arrangement of interview with Professor Wang and media enquiries, please contact Miss Siow Boon Chia of the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at 3917 8131 or email: sbchia@hku.hk .

Student-led Photo Exhibition of Old Hong Kong Images Held at HKU

A student-led exhibition, "Images of Our City: Landmarks and Coastlines of Central", will run from March 24 to April 10, 2015 in the Foyer of Chi Wah Learning Commons, HKU.

The exhibition introduces the history of reclamation projects in Central. Featuring photos and postcards of various sites, including Queen's Road and Des Voeux Road in the late 19th century, Connaught Road in the early 20th century and Edinburgh Place in the 1950s, the exhibition explores changes to Central's coastline and landmarks across time.

A forum will be held in conjunction with the exhibition on March 31, 2015 (Tuesday). Mr Jacky Yu, webmaster of “Old Hong Kong Photo”, and Dr Patrick Mok, former Manager of the Hong Kong Memory Project, will discuss how online platforms support historic preservation.

Founded in 2012, “Old Hong Kong Photo” aims to conserve the collective memory of Hong Kong citizens through the development of an online museum. The photo exhibition is an initiative led by students from the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 

Members of the media are cordially invited to the Exhibition’s Opening Ceremony and the Forum. Details are as follows:

"Images of Our City: Landmarks and Coastlines of Central" Photo Exhibition

Opening Ceremony

Date: March 24, 2015 (Tuesday)

Time: 6:30pm

Venue: Chi Wah Learning Commons, Centennial Campus, HKU

Exhibition period: March 24, 2015 to April 10, 2015 (closed from April 3 to 7)

Opening hours: 8:00am to 11:00pm

Forum - Old Images Go Online

Date: March 31, 2015 (Tuesday)

Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm

Venue: University Bookstore (G/F, Chi Wah Learning Commons, Centennial Campus, HKU)

Language: Cantonese

Details and registration: http://arts.hku.hk/oldhkphoto-forum

The exhibition is organized by “Old Hong Kong Photo” (http://www.oldhkphoto.com) and co-organized by the Faculty of Arts and Hong Kong Global Network (http://hkgn.net). The forum is co-organized by the University Bookstore.

For media enquiries, please contact Mr Cyrus Chan, Events Coordinator, Faculty of Arts (tel: 3917 4984 email: cyrusc@hku.hk).

Book Talk: Philosophy of Fearism

Speaker:  Mr Desh Subba
Moderator:  Mr Dev Raj Rai (Radio host/ Education Activist)
Date :  26 March 2015 (Thursday)
Time :  6:30 - 8:00 pm
Venue :  Special Collections, 1/F, Main Library, The University of Hong Kong
Language :  English
Registration: http://lib.hku.hk/friends/reading_club/bt2015_03.html

About the Speaker
Desh Subba is a philosopher, novelist and poet. He was born in Dharan, in the eastern part of Nepal and currently lives with his family in Hong Kong. In addition to starting fearism philosophy he has written four novels.

About the Book
Mr Desh Subba finds most people are fearful. Deciding to help humanity ease their fear, Subba shares the "Philosophy of Fearism" in an attempt to theorize fear that is applicable to both distinct and general philosophical purposes.

The first to coin the word, 'fearism', Subba imparts a study that deeply examines what is fear, its manifestation in humans and the ways how man can minimize it. A dictionary definition refers to fear as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain and many more, whether the threat is real or imagined. As it is, Subba asserts that man is bombarded by fear everyday with news of wars, epidemics and violence. "The missing Malaysian airline, civil war in Iraq and Afghanistan, spreading of new viruses and economic crises are happening everyday in the present world. It horrifies people," Subba declares. "They want to escape from this fear. Fearism works as medicine for them." Working on the premise that fear is the most important consciousness in life; Subba uses the concept of fearism as a therapy for everyone who wants to get rid of fear in different applications including business, work and prestige.

Exhibitions and activities at UMAG

1. “The real” in the eyes of artists in “Desiring the Real: Austria Contemporary Art”

Period: February 18, 2015 (Wednesday) to March 22, 2015 (Sunday)

This thematic exhibition presents contemporary artworks by 25 Austrian artists who investigate, through images and installations, representations of ‘the real’, and the subjective perception of reality by individual onlookers.

In “Desiring the Real”, one medium, such as film or video art, can take on the artistic qualities of another art form, such as Chinese ink painting, as shown in the fluid and expressive video installation Cluster (2010) by Rainer Gamsjäger. Through representations of the real, the perception of the receiving persons and their individual paradigms are critical to the understanding of the real and to the judgment of reality.

This remarkable concept was originally commissioned by the Federal Chancellery of Austria in 2012, and has since been shown in modern and contemporary art museums in Serbia, Mexico, Cuba, Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Macedonia and France.

2. “Silent Poetry: Chinese Contemporary Ink”: an imaginary sound of ink paintings

Period: February 11, 2015 (Wednesday) to April 2, 2015 (Thursday)

“Silent Poetry” showcases Chinese ink paintings as if they are beautiful poems which contain no words and sound. Unlike so many of the mass-produced popular artworks today, these Chinese contemporary ink paintings differ from their traditional counterparts in terms of their form, style and techniques. Contemporary ink paintings challenge some concepts of traditional Chinese paintings and individual artists apply unconventional mediums, materials and tools to change the traditional painting practice and to break constraints while preserving their profound values at the same time. Participating artists include Chen Jun, Du Xiao-tong, Hao Shi-ming, Li Wei, Pan Wen-xun, Sun Hao, Xu Hua-ling, Xu Jia-cun and Zhu Zheng-ming.

To tie in with the exhibition, a wide range of activities including workshops entitled “Drawing in the Gallery (Family Class)” and “Artistic Creation: From Photo to Painting” will be held on February 28, 2015 and March 7, 2015 respectively; while an academic lecture entitled “Chinese Contemporary Ink Paintings on transformation, curation and collecting” will be held onMarch 14, 2015 to enhance the public’s knowledge of and interest in contemporary ink paintings.

Guided tours for schools
UMAG exhibitions will involve dedicated education and outreach activities. The museum welcomes all school groups as well as tertiary institutions to request guided tours led by trained docents during our touring hours (Monday-Saturday, 09:30 – 17:00). Guided tours are available in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. To request an appointment, please contact Miss Elena Cheung on 2241-5512 or elenac@hku.hk for booking and further information.

UMAG opening hours:
09:30am – 6:00 pm(Mon to Sat)
1:00 – 6:00pm (Sun)
Closed on University and Public Holidays

Venue: 1/F Fung Ping Shan Building, University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / museum@hku.hk
Fees: Free Admission
Website: www.hkumag.hku.hk