Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) today (9 January) hosted the opening ceremony for its new Digital Art Laboratory. The laboratory will provide students with a virtual and immersive environment for teaching and learning, as well as for showcasing artworks, enabling them to be exposed to the latest technology in the creative industry and to prepare for future career development.
Riding on the occasion, HKMU also unveiled the ‘i-nk’: Extended Exhibition of Ink Global in the newly opened laboratory. A total of 300 masterpieces from the Young Artists Development Foundation are being showcased to the community with virtual reality and multi-media technology, master-minded by HKMU’s Department of Creative Arts.
The opening ceremony of the Digital Art Laboratory and ‘i-nk’: Extended Exhibition of Ink Global was officiated by Dr Nellie Fong Wong Kut-man, Chairman of Young Artists Development Foundation, Dr Eddy C Fong, Honorary Chairman of Young Artists Development Foundation, Ir Dr Conrad Wong Tin-cheung, Council Chairman of HKMU, and Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing, President of HKMU.
In his welcoming speech, Ir Dr Wong said he was delighted to see students make good use of the Digital Art Laboratory to venture into the infinite possibilities of digital art and develop more creative works, providing audiences with more and newer arts experiences.
Ir Dr Wong said that HKMU is a forward-looking institution and that all its creative arts programmes are meant to cater for the manpower needs of the creative, culture, arts, and art technology industries in Hong Kong. “Fostering the development of the local culture and arts industries will help Hong Kong develop into a leading regional innovative hub, and in accordance with the 14th Five-Year Plan, an East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange. This, in turn, will provide more high-end employment opportunities for the young generation,” said Ir Dr Wong.
Ir Dr Wong also expressed his gratitude to the Young Artists Development Foundation for engaging HKMU students in its annual signature event, Ink Global, over the past few years. He said this has provided students with valuable opportunities to showcase the beauty of ink painting with digital art technology.
Dr Nellie Fong said that HKMU and the Young Artists Development Foundation share a similar vision and that both are keen to nurture students’ art talent and creativity. “We are grateful for the tremendous support from HKMU for Ink Global in past years,” she said.
“By combining traditional ink painting with multi-media technology, animation, augmented reality and digital ink strokes, the students have achieved breakthroughs in ink painting, providing an interactive and interesting experience for the audience. This is also an occasion for the public to learn more about Chinese culture and to promote the spirit of ink art,” she added.
Prof. Lam also told the audience that HKMU had just received a total grant of more than HK$70 million from the Hong Kong Government to launch two new programmes. One of them is a “Bachelor of Arts with Honours in New Music and Interactive Entertainment”.
The objective of the programme is to nurture more professional talent in the field of art technology to serve the creative arts sector. He said, “With the ‘Digital Art Laboratory’ opening today, the teaching facilities of the Department of Creative Arts in the School of Arts and Social Sciences will be even more comprehensive.”
He added that the Department of Creative Arts can also make use of the Laboratory to conduct academic research, for example, research on teaching Chinese Literature and Culture with virtual and immersive experiences. He said making good use of the technology will also benefit students and colleagues of other schools and departments.
Located on the third floor of the Jockey Club Campus, the Digital Art Laboratory occupies an area of about 1,700 sq. feet. Equipped with 360-degree and 270-degree immersive CAVE systems, the Laboratory is dedicated for students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) in Imaging Design and Digital Art Programme. It will serve to enhance their training in imaging technology, moving images, visual programming, and other digital arts.
The ‘i-nk’ : Extended Exhibition of Ink Global will be open to the public from tomorrow (10 January) until 7 February. Admission is free. Interested parties are welcome to make an online booking at http://bit.ly/3VLWSaR.
