Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong

WKCDA and YMCA Co-present the Crossover Lab Initiative 2023
To Guide the Youth in Savouring Art and Culture
Through Sharing Art Experiences with the Community

 

Art has the power to inspire, spark joy and offer fresh perspectives. The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) and Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong (YMCA) co-organised the Crossover Lab Initiative 2023 (the Project) from March to July, which aims to promote art to the public, and enable them to discover the joy it brings through a wide range of art experiences. The Project successfully concluded earlier. Through this 5-month Project, over 700 youths from underprivileged groups had been invited to enjoy a series of art and cultural programmes in the West Kowloon Cultural District (the District) with the aim to broaden their horizons. They were also encouraged to bring back their art experiences to the community. By sharing their learning with more than 2,000 members of the public, this Project benefits both individuals and the community.

 

Enjoying Cantonese Opera and Virtual Backstage Crew Experience

To engage the youth in the wonder of performing arts, around 120 young people were given a unique opportunity to enjoy Magic Tea House in the Xiqu Centre. The performance presented by the Tea House Theatre Troupe featuring robotics and AI technology, brought to the youth a new perspective on Cantonese opera, a traditional Chinese art form. Before entering the venue, the youth also learnt from a brief introduction of Cantonese Opera, enriching their understanding of this art form and its cultural significance.

 

Rico Lau, one of the participants who appreciated Cantonese Opera for the first time, found the performance Magic Tea House very interesting and said, ‘I was most impressed by the robot in the theatre, and I even thought it was a real person at one point! I would like to watch more Cantonese Opera in the future, and I hope to have the opportunity to perform on stage.’

 

Teenagers enjoyed the performance Magic Tea House attentively

 

To gain a better understanding of the performing arts, beyond mere spectatorship of the performances, it is also important to learn about backstage work and roles. The Project therefore arranged for nearly 100 children to participate in an interactive play-and-learn workshop CrewKids Online Mission, which provided children with an introduction to the role of the backstage theatre production crew, with live facilitators offering insights into the skills and technical equipment required to stage exciting performances. This workshop consisted of a virtual backstage crew experience on a multiplayer gaming platform, where participants got to help in different backstage positions.

 

Discovering Chinese and Western art and culture at the Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+

A total of around 500 young people visited the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) and M+ under the guidance of docents and educators respectively. In the Guided Tours to the HKPM, they had the chance to appreciate Chinese cultural heritage as well as the art treasures from other parts of the world up close, and to gain insights into daily life in the Forbidden City from dawn to dusk. In addition, the youth visited M+, Asia's first global museum of contemporary visual culture. At the Guided Visits to the M+ Collection, they were able to discover behind-the-scenes stories about highlighted objects from the M+ Collection, including their makers and artists. 

 

Ahmad Furkan, an ethnic minority youth who visited the District and HKPM for the first time under the Project, was pleasantly surprised by the activities arranged and said, ‘At first, I thought the exhibitions would be boring. But after experiencing them in person, I found the Chinese history and court life very intriguing. I was especially impressed by the clothing in the past, as there are many details and designs on the fabrics that represent the Chinese culture. I will share this experience with my parents and friends, and I am excited to visit the District again in the future to explore more Chinese art and culture.’

 

A docent introduced the exhibits of HKPM to the young people

 

Participants explored the highlights of the M+ Collection under the guidance of educator

 

Sharing the Art Experiences with the Community through Henna and Photography

With all this marvellous adventure in the District, what was even more exciting was that some of the youth were motivated to bring their newfound art experiences back to the community through participating in the focus activities. In pursuit of the knowledge of Chinese culture gained from their experience at HKPM, 20 ethnic minority youths tried incorporating elements of traditional Chinese culture observed from Chinese ceramics into their traditional art, Henna, and created unique and stylish Henna designs by combining Chinese and foreign traditional cultures. Then they also served the community by providing free Henna drawings to the neighbours in Tuen Mun and Tin Shui Wai. A total of around 120 participants attended the two workshops, which provided exposure to traditional cultures of different places and encouraged mutual appreciation for cultural inclusion in Hong Kong.

 

Teenagers created Henna body painting for the neighbours

 

The Project also featured the Photo Shooting Programme Series, which engaged more than 70 participants of the Guide Visits to the M+ Collection in workshops on photo shooting and creative works before their visit to the District. During the workshops, the youth learnt from professionals the skills of phone photography and creation, which enhanced their interest of expression through arts, design, digital image and photography. During their visit to the District, they were able to translate what they learnt into action by taking photos and creating their artwork to show the District in their angle. The artworks were submitted for the I See ______ in West Kowloon: Photography and Creative Works Competition Photography Exhibition. Outstanding works were subsequently exhibited in an exhibition in Lam Tin, allowing youth to introduce the District to more than 2,000 visitors in their unique perspectives and bringing the Crossover Lab Initiative 2023 to a successful conclusion.

 

Lilo Yuen, the winner of the competition, has a keen interest in art. She expressed her confidence in continuing to develop her artistic potential after winning the competition and said, ‘After attending the training workshops, I learnt to incorporate my own creativity into my daily life, and I will continue to make use of these photographic and creative skills in my works in the future. I will also visit the District again with my family and friends, because it is not only a very leisurely space, but also a place full of artistic flavour.’

 

The winner of the I See ______ in West Kowloon: Photography and Creative Works Competition Photography Exhibition introduced her work to the public

 

The Project had opened a gateway for young people from underprivileged groups to embrace art and culture, and encouraged them to serve the community. We hope it becomes a nourishing ground for their artistic development which further encourages the youth to unleash their potential and to explore the District as regular visitors in the future.

 

 

Activity Photos
Welcome to download and publish the photos via this link: https://www.ymca.org.hk/en/photo/8424

 

###

 

About the West Kowloon Cultural District

The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on 40 hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces, and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances, and cultural events, providing 23 hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.
www.westkowloon.hk

 

About Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong

Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, established in 1901, is a Christian Service organisation based in Hong Kong as part of the global YMCA movement. The Association is committed to building a civil and compassionate Hong Kong through uniting people with the same spirit to extend the Kingdom of God; fostering youth leadership to shoulder social responsibility with keen concern for the motherland and the world; promoting multiple service programmes based on holistic personal growth, commitment to the underprivileged and reconciliation extending from self to society; and actively integrating ESG principles into social services, leading the industry to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
www.ymca.org.hk

 

 

 

Media Enquiries Ms Ruby Tsui	Ms Isabelle Liu
Assistant Manager, Communications and Public Affairs Communications and Public Affairs Department	Communications Officer Corporate Communications & Marketing Section
West Kowloon Cultural District Authority	Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong
Tel：2200 0102	Tel：2783 3325
Email：[email protected]	Email：[email protected]