Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui | 'Art • Technology' Exhibition 4.0 presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, featuring the theme exhibition 'My City'

Description

The first theme exhibition of the 'Art • Technology' Exhibition 4.0 presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) is now officially launched. Entitled 'My City', it comprises a cross-media live performance and an online interactive artwork. By combining piano, media art, and emotion-tracking technology, 'My City' reimagines Hong Kong as a fluid resonance field, exploring the ever-evolving relationship between memory, emotions, and the cityscape. The artwork extends live performances and interactive participation to the stage and public spaces, inviting audiences to slow down and approach Hong Kong not merely from the perspective of its architecture or urban relics, but from memory, rhythm, and the future, thus re-establishing a connection with the city. Every moment is both unique and intimately tied to the emotional pulse of present-day Hong Kong.

Cross-media performance capturing the city's emotional pulse

'My City' is a 50-minute cross-disciplinary performance that will be staged at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Theatre on 8–9 October as the opening act of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Festival. The creative team includes curator and producer Kwong Ka-ling, media artist Qu Yuanche, music director Lam Fung, and artistic director Cheung Sai-wang. The work integrates live performance and installation art, reflecting on memory, urban transformation, and the emotional connections that shape the Hong Kong experience. Within the theatre space, a poetic imagination of 'My City' unfolds.

The theatre space will be transformed into an immersive visual art field, with layered city lines, coastal contours, streets, people, and objects intertwining with abstract light and shadows. Piano and digital technology merge, with piano keys transformed into light and shadow lines, creating a multisensory experience where sound and image resonate with each other in a realm between reality and virtuality.

Divided into a prelude and five movements, 'My City' guides the audience from real cultural existence to digital transformation and further into a vision of the future. Each section explores from different angles how memory, technology, and art intersect, reinterpret cultural experiences, and imagine the ever-evolving urban identity of Hong Kong. In the final chapter of the performance, emotion-tracking technology will be employed, utilizing the data collected during the prelude to outline the audience's emotional fluctuations, combining sound and image to make each performance a singular, unrepeatable, and collectively emotional audiovisual landscape.

As the opening performance of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Festival, 'My City' showcases Hong Kong's potential for cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation in the performing arts. It also invites the audience to reflect on the significance of cultural preservation in the age of digital transformation, and how shared emotions and collective memory carry the stories of 'My City', extending them into the future.

Reimagining 'My City' through a non-human lens

Extending the creative theme of 'My City' to public spaces, media artist Qu Yuanche's online interactive artwork 'Cabinet of Curiosities' will be displayed on the LED screen at the Salisbury Garden from 2 to 22 October, transforming the screen into an online interactive digital playground.

'Cabinet of Curiosities' is created based on the concept that 'everything is central'. It invites the audience to embody 88 objects, creatures, places, and cultural symbols within Hong Kong's rich cultural context, including fish balls, wood cotton, wild boars, Star Ferry, and Tiger Balm Garden, as well as various traditional festivals. Through their mobile devices, viewers can enter a virtual Hong Kong landscape and explore it from different perspectives, interacting with other participants in real-time. In this process of exploration, they will discover unexpected connections and relationships. 'Cabinet of Curiosities' offers a non-human perspective on the city, envisioning Hong Kong as a network of stories, memories, and encounters, where every object becomes a center of experience and meaning.

The live performance and interactive artwork together form a unique experiment that blends art, technology, and emotions. 'My City' invites the audience to pause and savor the moment, perceiving Hong Kong as a field that carries emotional pulses, where memory, emotions, and future imaginings intersect.

Curator and producer Kwong Ka-ling says, 'My City' is not a mere listing of urban landscapes, nor is it about preserving objects in a static form. The formation of a city stems from countless subtle responses. How we walk through the streets, remember the city's rhythm, and locate ourselves within its flow—all these contribute to the making of a city. The work aims to explore the present and the future, inviting the audience to journey with a city in constant flux. By combining piano, media art, and emotion-tracking technology, we create a collective field that is constantly rewritten between memory and anticipation, with each performance resonating uniquely in the present.'

Media artist Qu Yuanche says, 'Cabinet of Curiosities' invites the audience to view Hong Kong from a fresh perspective. When we embody an object, a place, an animal, or a cultural symbol, we begin to perceive the city in a different light. A city is not just defined by landmarks but is a network of interconnected stories. Through these encounters, we discover new relationships that continue to shape the way we understand and imagine Hong Kong.'

Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Mr. Kenneth Fok, says, 'In line with our 'Strategic Development Directions 2026–2028', we actively promote the integration of art and technology. Through the 'Art • Technology' exhibition series, HKADC supports innovative artistic practices, connecting creativity, technology, and public participation. As the first exhibition of 'Art • Technology' Exhibition 4.0, 'My City' demonstrates that artists not only view technology as a creative tool but also leverage it to deepen human connections, enrich cultural exchanges, and expand the ways in which audiences experience art and technology.'

During the exhibition period, the public can also participate in a range of activities, including guided tours and live performances, to delve deeper into the interplay between urban memory, cultural experiences, artistic innovation, and the relationship between technology and emotions.

Limited quota, first-come-first-served. Register now: www.arts-tech.hk/exhibition/city-reverie

Event details:
'My City'

I. Digital Playground
Date: 2–22 October 2026
Time: 10:00 am–10:00 pm
Venue: Salisbury Garden LED Screen, Avenue of Stars

II. Performance
Date: 8 October 2026 (Fri)
Time: 8:00–9:00 pm
Venue: Hong Kong Cultural Centre Theatre

Creative Team
Curator and Producer: Kwong Ka-ling
Media Artist: Qu Yuanche
Music Director: Lam Fung
Artistic Director: Cheung Sai-wang

1. 'My City': An immersive live performance integrating art, technology, and music

'My City' is a live performance consisting of a prelude and five movements, bringing together local musicians, media artists, and film art creators to extend contemplations on the city and memory from the present to the future. With a deep-time perspective, the work reconsiders how technology and emotions resonate with each other, envisioning the city as a dynamic field of perception.

Centered on piano performance and immersive visual effects powered by a game engine, the work challenges the binary opposition between preservation and loss in the context of digital technology, proposing instead a process of transformation. In the final chapter, the performance will be co-created based on the audience's emotional data collected upon entry, making each show a singular, unrepeatable experience.

Performance Highlights

Ÿ   Before the performance, the audience can input their emotional data in the emotion data collection area, collaboratively creating a unique musical piece for the night.

Ÿ   20 minutes before the show, the audience can immerse themselves in the gaming environment, stepping into the world of 'My City' through immersive projections and sound effects.

Ÿ   Two pianists seamlessly switch between two small grand pianos and two electronic keyboards, embarking on a cross-disciplinary musical journey across five movements.

Ÿ   The venue is surrounded by紗幕, with projections and screens lighting up the space to present a dynamic fusion of media art and live performance.

Date: 8 October 2026 (Fri)
Time: 8:00–9:00 pm
Venue: Hong Kong Cultural Centre Theatre
Fee: $280
Tickets: www.urbtix.hk/event-detail/15455

2. Sensing the World: Emotional Interactive Art Tour

Led by media artist Qu Yuanche, this tour delves into the creative concepts and contexts behind 'My City' and 'Cabinet of Curiosities'. Participants will wear emotion-tracking devices, translating their emotional data into an interactive medium for communication with the artworks. More than just a tour, it is a unique experience of co-creating a field of perception, technology, and urban memory. Within the interplay of data and visuals, dialogue, and exploration, a singular field of perception unfolds.

Date: 11 October 2026 (Sun)
                17 October 2026 (Sat)
Time: 2:30–3:15 pm and 4:00–4:45 pm
Duration: 45 minutes
Venue: Salisbury Garden Lawn, Avenue of Stars (Meet in front of the screen)
Quota: 20 per session
Fee: $30
Language: Cantonese
Registration: www.popticket.hk/event/city-reverie