Foxymoron

Museology

For those of you outside of Hong Kong, this is a picture of what West Kowloon, the government's proposed HK$40 billion (US $5.2 billion) cultural center might look like if it is finally built in a million years. The highlight of the conceptual design is a glass canopy by Norman Foster. It's pretty, eh? Yeah well, pretty comes at a price and it could cost more than HK$10 billion (US$1.2 billion) alone. The cost (and some argue, the impossible design) of the canoopy was part of the reason the government's original proposal for the cultural hub was scrapped in February.

So they're starting all over, this time with a consultative committee and advisory groups which will recommend what core arts and cultural facilities should be in the 40 hectare district. One is the museums advisory group which has the difficult task of deciding which museums, if any, will be built. I personally, think it's inevitable that there will be museums in the cultural district but the government spokeswoman I spoke to was reluctant to say anything.

That said, given the Audit Commission's critical report of government-run museums which cited severe operating deficits for the past four years with little revenue (and some say, little interest), the museum advisory group and consultative committee should look at the audit report for some important information.

Here's my artilce in today's paper about museums in West Kowloon.

Everything Starts with a Handshake

My friend Keiyu has launched his new website/business, Handshake. In short, it is a classified website specially designed for Hong Kong. Yes, there is a Hong Kong Craigslist, but Handshake is bilingual and prettier. Handshake, I think, is better. But it is new and needs more posts.

Before there is an official launch, it must have more public participation so please start a handshake. If you have services to offer, items for sale, looking for a date, want to promote and event, etc. let the world know. It's free, you can't lose.

Art Now in China

Back from Beijing with a slightly clearer head despite the sand/dirt/shit-infested air there. Last year, my trip to China was about seeing history. This time around, I saw more of the city's present culture. Beijing may be less developed than Hong Kong, but the SAR lags behind when it comes to the arts. I'm not talking about showing famous artists in galleries (that's just part of it). I'm talking about developing talent from an early stage to nurture the city's place in the global cultural landscape. This can be applied to the visual arts and music. I can't comment on dance or theatre since my knowledge in those fields are limited, but I suspect it's the same.

My host took me to Dashanzi Art District. There, the military buildings turned art galleries are home to some contemporary Chinese artistst. For the most part, the art didn't impress me. But I thought it was interesting to see Chinese artists use Western techniques. I wonder if the subpar technique is due to the little access to Western art that the Chinese have had until recently. Regardless, it was nice to feel and see something happening. What it is exactly is unclear.

Although there are many things I love about Hong Kong (the ability to communicate, convenience, not having to jaywalk through eight lanes of traffic, quirks, better food), I found myself jealous of Beijing. Despite the smelly squat toilets, air pollution, spitting and rudeness, Beijing is cooler than Hong Kong. Beijing is the poor unclean bohemian, who although schizophrenic, is about to make some brilliant artistic breakthrough. Hong Kong is the emotionally stable and attractive yet self-indulgent banker. Would I prefer to be an unclean schizophrenic bohemian over an emotionally stable attractive banker? I'm not sure, but I would definetly prefer talking to the former over the latter.

If you go to Beijing, check out Bed Tapas and Bar. Decent mojitos, nice staff, great decor of traditional Chinese furniture, minimalistic concrete "stuff" in the Hutongs and they were spinning the Lazy Dog discs on Sunday night.

Photo: A "shop" in Dashanzi's 798 Factory turned Gallery building. The woman was selling art books.

Beijinging

I'm in Beijing right now, getting away from Hong Kong for a few days. It's the first trip away from the city since I moved there. Beijing isn't exactly a relaxing vacation. The toilets alone stress me out. And the traffic! But still, I'm having a good time just discovering the indie scene (for better or for worse) and enjoying the company of my good host, Erin.

I would post more photos but unfortunately, I think my digital camera is near it's death, or at least needs some medical attention. It's only seeing black, so I guess it's lost its eye-sight in its old age (but it's not even three years old). If you'd like to contribute to the camera fund, I accept cash and personal cheques.

In the meantime, check out the fabulous new Joyce Is Not Here website. I hear she's working on a blog too so look forward to that in the near future.