Media

HKU weekly notice

01 Dec 2017

 

HKU’s astronomers interpret the Geminid Meteor Shower
Promote stargazing manners and dark sky conservation
The Geminids, which is considered as one of the best meteors with the best observing conditions this year, will occur from December 4 to 17, 2017.  Information about the peak and locations of observing meteors stream across the sky goes viral on the Internet recently. Nevertheless, the observing conditions of various meteor showers in a year actually depend on a multitude of natural and artificial factors.

To promote the observation of Geminid Meteor Shower and dark sky preservation, the Department of Physics, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has prepared a series of educational infographics at a glance for amateurs and it is available for public access on the Internet. HKU Physics is also launching the “Be a responsible stargazer • Enjoy the meteor shower” Campaign to encourage the adoption of proper stargazing manners and the promotion of light pollution reduction. 

Dr Jason Pun Chun-shing and Dr So Chu-wing, two astronomers from the HKU Physics Department will meet the media next Monday to explain the factors affecting meteor shower observation, introduce the education pack and share the “tips” for observation.

Details of the media briefing are as follows:
Date: December 4, 2017 (next Monday)
Time: 11:00 to 12:30
Venue: Room 112, 1/F, Knowles Building, HKU

Spokespersons:
Dr Jason Pun Chu-shing, astronomer in HKU Physics Department and the Principle Investigator of the Hong Kong Night Sky Brightness Monitoring Network
Dr So Chu-wing, astronomer in HKU Physics Department and Project Manager of the Hong Kong Night Sky Brightness Monitoring Network

Media enquiry:
Ms Rhea Leung, Communication and Public Affairs Office (tel: 2857 8555/ 9022 7446; email: rhea.leung@hku.hk);
Ms Cindy Chan, Faculty of Science (tel: 3917 5286/ 6703 0212; email: cindycst@hku.hk).

HKUL - Paper and Ink: Ming and Qing Dynasty Manuscripts from the Jiayetang Collection
The Main Library of the University of Hong Kong will present Paper and Ink: Ming and Qing Dynasty Manuscripts from the Jiayetang Collection, Fung Ping Shan Library, The University of Hong Kong exhibition at the 2nd Floor Atrium/Exhibition Area of the Main Library from December 4 to 21, 2017.

Two thousand and seventeen sees the eighty-fifth anniversary of the Fung Ping Shan Library.  Celebrated by sinologists, historians, librarians and those with even a passing interest in Chinese libraries as one of the world’s great East Asian Libraries, the University of Hong Kong takes great pride in its achievements, its history and its enormous contributions to East Asian scholarship and beyond.

To mark its history and achievements, the exhibition and an accompanying booklet are presented as an illustration of the depth and beauty of the collection as well as a celebratory reflection on the Library’s future.

The twelve manuscripts on display have been selectively chosen to highlight the often hidden beauty that lies in such texts with their calligraphy and illustrations worked by hand with brush and ink.  One can only be left in awe upon gazing at the manuscript of the Confucian classic Congshan Du Zhouyi (A Treatise on the Book of Changes), by Fang Shisun (Song) or Shuofu (A Collection of Random Sketches), by Tao Zongyi (Yuan), said to be a “world treasure” and made before the book itself was printed.  The accompanying panels to these and the other manuscripts will assist your appreciation of what is to be found in this exhibition.

As we speed through this digital age, this exhibition provides us with an opportunity to pause and reflect, to marvel at what has preceded us and to ponder the bright future that lies ahead for the Fung Ping Shan Library as it hastens towards its centenary.

Details of the Exhibition
Date: 4 – 21 December 2017
Venue: Atrium/Exhibition Area, 2/F Main Library, the University of Hong Kong
Time: during Main Library opening hours (closed on public holidays)

Media Contact:  Mr. Gary Chin, Tel: 2859 2211 / Ms. Marina Yeung, Tel: 2859 8903

UMAG exhibitions
1. Ifugao Sculpture: Expressions in Philippine Cordillera Art showcasing the powerful simplicity of the rice terraces

Period: Now till February 4, 2018 (Sunday)

The works displayed in the show range from sculptural objects, including ‘bulul’ statues, deities associated with the production of bountiful harvests; ‘hipag’ (or ‘hapag’) figures, war deities used as vehicles through which divine help can be summoned; sculptural boxes used in ceremonies, the ‘punamhan’; and various boxes for the storage of food—sometimes called ‘tangongo’ or ‘tanoh’—along with other functional items such as ‘kinahu’, food bowls, and toys.

Fascinated with the modern abstract style of these carved 19th- and 20th-century sculptures, the exhibition takes an artistic rather than an anthropological approach, highlighting the aesthetics of the displayed artworks rather than signifying them as ethnic markers or religious tools. For instance, both the bulul figures and boxes are deeply connected to cultural rituals, while they present abstract expressions of a group of talented rural artists.

Together, these selected pieces showcase the aesthetic and artistic side of a wide range of Cordillera sculptural art from the 18th through the 20th centuries. The pieces are arranged in line with various centres of artistic gravity—‘archaic’, ‘minimalist’, ‘transition’—although the lines are sometimes blurred, and most of the ‘archaic’ material also shows ‘minimalist’ elements.

One of the essays in the exhibition catalogue draws comparisons with other tribal arts and describes their influence over modern Western artists, such as the Russian Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), the Romanian Constantin Brancusi (1876–1957) and the French artist George Braque (1882–1963). This claim is based on visual comparisons and it is each object’s physical structure, design value and international character that is highlighted in the current exhibition.

Venue: 1/F Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

2. First display of North Korea’s 20th Century Propaganda Posters in HK

Period: Now till January 28, 2018 (Sunday)

Rice is Socialism!
Stylistically influenced by communist brutalist propaganda and ideologically informed by the core work on North Korean art—Kim Jong Il’s 1992 publication Treatise on Art (Misullon)—all of these state-commissioned posters promote ‘correct’ forms of socialist realism, thereby documenting the socio-political and economic policies communicated from the Leader to the North Korean people. In so doing, daily activities are aligned with political beliefs. For example, the metaphorical configuration of rice farming with the cultivation of socialism.

Beyond their overtly ideological character, the posters also confer messages related to practical agricultural technology, industrial and social developments, while portraying a distinctly human picture of the varied urban and rural communities. Altogether, the imagery displayed offers insights into a country that few have visited and from which first-hand information remains sporadic and inconsistent at best.

Venue: 2/F Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam

Opening Hours:
09:30 – 18:00 (Monday to Saturday)
13:00 – 18:00 (Sunday)
Closed on University and Public Holidays
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / museum@hku.hk
Admission: Free
Website: www.umag.hku.hk/en/

Media enquiries:
UMAG Programme Assistant Miss Chelsea Choi, Tel: (852) 2241 5509, Email: cchelsea@hku.hk