• Cultural Ecologies: Communicating Contemporary Art in the 21st Century
• Measuring Creativity, Happiness, and Well Being
• Creative Education Summit
• Media Arts in the Contemporary Society
• Experiencing Architecture
• Asian Arts, Culture and Modernity

Media Arts in the Contemporary Society

Co-organiser of Session 6 & 7: Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC)

The "Media Arts in the Contemporary Society" seminar is an extended dialogue of the interactive exhibition "Body Movies In Hong Kong". It aims at enlightening the public to understand more about media arts. Renowned media artists and curators, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (from Canada), Eddie Berg (from England) and Won-il Rhee (from Korea) will engage the audiences by presenting the long term development of media arts within the phenomenon globalization.

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is the media artist of the exhibition "Body Movies In Hong Kong". He develops large-scale interactive exhibition in public space, usually deploying new technologies, custom-made physical interfaces and relationship between new media arts and human beings. With the use of light and shadow performance, this exhibition underlies a message that the alienated presence of urban people are released through interactive communication. His works have been shown in many European cities such as Rotterdam, Linz and London.

Mr. Eddie Berg is the artistic director of the British Film Institute, and the founder and formerly chief executive of the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology in Liverpool, England. A multi-media curator, he has been curated a number of prestigious and popular film and media arts exhibitions and biennales including the Liverpool Biennial. His lastest endeavour is to create a new ￡60m international centre for film and moving images in London's South Bank by 2012.

With the experiences of curating over 120 arts and cultural events to date, Mr Won-il Rhee's curational works include the exhibition held at the ZKM Center for Art and Media in Germany, the Gwangju Biennale in Korea and currently the 2006 Shanghai Biennale.

The Hong Kong Arts Development Council will feature a world class interactive media arts exhibition "Body Movies In Hong Kong" from 10th to 19th November 2006 at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. This exhibition is part of the official programmes of The Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum (ACCF) 2006 organized by the Home Affairs Bureau. "Body Movies" is an interactive media arts installation that has received awards and exhibited in major cities such as Rotterdam, Linz, Liverpool, London, etc. The artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, has adapted the original work by incorporating local elements - images of city people produced by 8 local photographers. Silhouettes of visitors measuring between 2 to 30 metres high will appeare on the wall-screen, depending on how far they are from the screen. The silhouettes will also tricker the appearances of latent city people images. All images will be projected on the walls of Hong Kong Museum of Art and MTR's Ventilation Shaft.

It is the first time for this significant large-scale award-winning interactive exhibition is presented in the Asia Pacific region since its inception in 2001. With the fusion of projected images and architectures in front of the Victoria Harbour, "Body Movies in Hong Kong" will bring a harbour-fest atmosphere to the audiences participating in this interactive exhibition. With the use of light and shadow performance, this exhibition underlies a message that the alienated presence of urban people are released through interactive communication.

The Artist - Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is one of the most important media artists working anywhere in the world today. He develops large-scale interactive installations in public space, usually deploying new technologies and custom-made physical interfaces such as robotics, projections, sound, internet and cell-phone links, and other devices. His work has been commissioned for events such as the Cultural Capital of Europe in Rotterdam (2001), the United Nations' World Summit of Cities in Lyon (2003), the opening of the Yamaguchi Centre for Art and Media in Japan (2003), the Expansion of the European Union in Dublin (2004), Sydney Biennale (2006). His works have been shown in many renowned international festivals and museums.

At the Prix Ars Electronica in Austria, he has received a Golden Nica, a distinction and two honourable mentions. He also won two BAFTA British Academy Awards for Interactive Art in London, "Best Installation" at the IDMA awards in Toronto, a distinction at the SFMOMA Webby Awards in San Francisco etc.

For enquiries: Ms. Roxane Tsui
Tel: 852-2582 0268
E-mail: rtsui@hkac.org.hk