Tai Kwun Conversations: UNESCO Series – Innovations in Urban Heritage
17 Jun 2022, FridayTai Kwun — Centre for Heritage and Arts is pleased to present the collaboration with UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok). This series of conversations explores innovative strategies for integrating urban heritage into the wider goals of sustainable development. With a regional focus on Asia and the Pacific, it aims to inspire local actions and creative solutions as the catalysts for implementing the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on World Heritage properties and the surrounding communities. It has amplified pre-existing structural issues and raised new problems related to heritage management in the broader context of a city. This series provides an opportunity for creating new value propositions beyond the immediate pandemic response for the achievement of long-term sustainability in terms of economic, social and environmental dimensions.
The three co-curated sessions include: Urban recovery through culture, arts and creativity (4 July); Urban sustainability and resilience through nature and culture (1 August); and Heritage, power and gender in cities (5 September). Speakers from across the globe and Hong Kong will engage in a lively discussion online and onsite in Tai Kwun’s JC Cube.
The talks are presented in the hybrid format of live/online events with the moderator and a live audience and at Tai Kwun’s JC Cube, as well as a pre-registered online audience.
Urban recovery through culture, arts, and creativity
With a keynote speech on UNESCO’s Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Recommendation, this Tai Kwun Conversations begins with a holistic vision and strategies for urban revitalisation. It explores the role of creativity and the arts in revitalising cities and public spaces, highlighting the power of culture as a transformative driver for sustainable development.
Moderator:
Desmond Hui, Professor and Head, Department of Art and Design, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
Speakers:
Jyoti Hosagrahar, Deputy Director, UNESCO World Heritage Centre (keynote speaker)
Edman Choy, Hong Kong Studio Director, Herzog & de Meuron
Commentary:
Xin Gu, Senior Lecturer, School of Media Film and Journalism, Monash University
Date & Time: 4 July 2022, 7:00pm
Format: JC Cube and Online
Free registration on the Tai Kwun website
For more information, please visit:
https://www.taikwun.hk/en/programme/detail/tai-kwun-conversations-unesco-series-urban-recovery-through-culture-arts-and-creativity/1029
Urban sustainability and resilience through nature and culture
To tackle climate change and disaster risk mitigation, the second Tai Kwun Conversations in the UNESCO Series explores green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, blue-green infrastructure and economies, and nature-based solutions for urban resilience.
Moderator:
Mee Kam Ng, Vice-chairman of the Department of Geography and Resource Management, Director of the Urban Studies Programme, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Speakers:
Christine Loh, Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, former Under Secretary for the Environment in the HKSAR Government (2012-2017)
Kotchakorn Voraakhom, Chairwoman of the Climate Change Working Group of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA World); CEO and Founder of Landprocess and Porous City Network
Commentary:
Wendy C. Atieno, Programme Officer, Ecosystem-based Adaptation, International Union for Conservation of Nature
Date & Time: 1 August 2022, 7:00pm
Format: JC Cube and Online
Free registration on the Tai Kwun website
For more information, please visit:
https://www.taikwun.hk/en/programme/detail/tai-kwun-conversations-unesco-series-urban-sustainability-and-resilience-through-nature-and-culture/1030
Heritage, Power and Gender in Cities
The final Tai Kwun Conversations in the UNESCO Series considers gender roles, social mores, power relations, and the impact on urban inclusion or exclusion and social mobility or immobility. Speakers share their views on rewriting heritage narratives and reimagining an inclusive urban community that represents a multiplicity of identities.
Moderator:
Sealing Cheng, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Speakers:
Roslyn Russell, Director, Roslyn Russell Museum Services; Chair, UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Committee
Chantal Wong, Co-founder of Learning Together, Women’s Festival, and Things That Can Happen (2014-2017)
Date & Time: 5 September 2022, 7:00pm
Format: JC Cube and Online
Free registration on the Tai Kwun website
For more information, please visit:
https://www.taikwun.hk/en/programme/detail/tai-kwun-conversations-unesco-series-heritage-power-and-gender-in-cities/1031
Tai Kwun Conversations: UNESCO Series – “Innovation in Urban Heritage” |
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Urban recovery through culture, arts, and creativity |
4 July 2022, Monday |
7:00pm-8:30pm |
Urban sustainability and resilience through nature and culture |
1 August 2022, Monday |
7:00pm-8:30pm |
Heritage, Power and Gender in Cities |
5 September 2022, Monday |
7:00pm-8:30pm |
Programme details are subject to change, please refer to the Tai Kwun websites for news and updates.
Visitor Information
The entire Tai Kwun site is open to the public daily from 8am to 11pm.
Tai Kwun’s social distancing measures comply with the latest safety regulations. All visitors will be required to use the "LeaveHomeSafe" App upon entering Tai Kwun and must either provide a COVID-19 vaccination record or the relevant exemption certificate for inspection upon request in accordance with the Vaccine Pass Direction. Exhibition and event spaces in Tai Kwun are subject to active checking of Vaccine Pass. The frequency of cleansing is being stepped up for high contact surfaces throughout the day, and hand sanitiser stations are available throughout Tai Kwun. Visit the Tai Kwun website for more details: https://www.taikwun.hk/en/visit/visiting_tai_kwun.
Programme details are subject to change, so please refer to the Tai Kwun website for news and updates.
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Tai Kwun — Centre for Heritage and Arts
Tai Kwun is Hong Kong’s Centre for Heritage and Arts — a cultural destination for inspiration, stimulation and enjoyment. We aspire to offer the best heritage and arts experiences, and to cultivate knowledge and appreciation of contemporary art, performing arts and history in the community.
Tai Kwun invites all visitors on a journey of discovery that unites across multiple genres of arts, heritage, culture and lifestyle in Hong Kong. Here, visitors will discover the rich heritage of the site through the thematic exhibitions and immersive public programmes that explore Hong Kong’s history and culture, alongside a multitude of vibrant and inclusive contemporary art presentations and performing arts offerings all year round.
Opened in May 2018 and operating on a not-for-profit model, Tai Kwun is the fruition of a joint partnership between The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Government of the HKSAR to conserve and revitalise the buildings of the historic Central Police Station compound, which represents one of the most significant revitalisation projects in Hong Kong. The site comprises three Declared Monuments of Hong Kong – the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison – all have been meticulously conserved, with unfailing attention to authenticity. The site also includes two new buildings – JC Contemporary and JC Cube, by renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron – and several outdoor spaces – Parade Ground, Prison Yard and Laundry Steps – providing an exciting venue for the public programmes presented by Tai Kwun and its partners.
Tai Kwun, which means “big station” in Chinese, is the colloquial name used by Hong Kong people to refer to the former police headquarters and the surrounding compound. The name has been adopted as a reminder of the historical importance of this living heritage site.
In 2019, Tai Kwun received the Award of Excellence in the 2019 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. This is the highest honour of the prestigious Awards, which bestows an international recognition of the outstanding achievement in the conservation and revitalisation efforts of Tai Kwun.
For more information, please visit our website: https://www.TaiKwun.hk.
UNESCO
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in education, sciences and culture. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
UNESCO, as the UN specialized agency with a global mandate on culture, is engaged in unleashing the power of culture for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Thanks to its normative action, UNESCO moves the 17 SDGs ahead through its six cultural conventions by driving sustainable impact. Culture provides the necessary transformative dimension that ensures the sustainability of development processes.
UNESCO developed the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), a tool for the integration of urban area conservation, management and planning strategies into local development processes and urban planning. The 10th Anniversary of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the HUL serves as a catalyst for greater adoptions of the HUL approach.
Established in 1961, UNESCO Bangkok serves a dual role as both the Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education and as a Cluster Office covering Thailand, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Singapore, along with Vietnam and Cambodia, in cooperation with the respective country offices and the antenna office.