City Mobilization – inspiration for sustainable development
Against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s city skyline and the Victoria Harbour, the 2009 Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture was officially inaugurated by the Hon Henry Tang, the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
In his opening remarks, Mr Tang described the Biennale, themed the “City Mobilization”, as having both a dynamic and static side. The dynamic nature of the Biennale brings arts out of the museum and into the crowd and it mobilizes people to explore arts in their true form. The static aspect of the Biennale, offers people the opportunity to think about the future of urban development. Great architectures can capture people’s attitudes towards life and their living philosophy. Mr. Tang said,” The emphasis on sustainability in this biennale allows us to contemplate on how to preserve the continuity of our city after communicating with the displayed showpieces.” Over 80 pieces of work are displayed during the three-month exhibition period. The Biennale is free and open to the public.
2009 Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture is sponsored by the Home Affairs Bureau, co-organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects(HKIA), Hong Kong Institute of Planners (HKIP) and Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA). Mr Tang Jie, Vice Mayor of Shenzhen, Mrs Carrie Yau, JP, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs and local and overseas architects participated in the official opening ceremony.
The Government encouraged and supported the Biennale to select the WKCD as the exhibition site so as to enable visitors to enjoy the magnificent view of the Victoria Harbour while appreciating the works. It also gives the Hong Kong community a good opportunity to warm up to this piece of land, which will become the centre stage of happenings in the arts and cultural scene, in Hong Kong as well as in the Pearl River Delta.
To enable young people to have a first hand feel of the WKCD site as well as a glimpse of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Biennale, the WKCDA, on 19 December 2009, offered a guided tour to participants who had registered for the Youth Forum on 20 December 2009. Some 15 representatives from several youth associations joined the tour. Participants expressed great interest in the different exhibits. One common thought that they shared was that adopting green initiatives is the right direction for the community development. Participants found the tour very useful in preparing them for the Youth Forum held the next day.
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