Consultation Panel. of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Transcription

1 Minutes of the 15 th Meeting of the Date : 27 February 2015 (Friday) Time : 10:30 a.m. Venue : Board Room, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, 29/F, Tower 6, The Gateway, 9 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Attendees: Chairman Prof John LEONG Chi-yan, S.B.S., J.P. Members The Honourable Ronald ARCULLI, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P. Dr. the Honourable Allan ZEMAN, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P. Mr. Derek HUNG Chiu-wah Ms. KO Po-ling, B.B.S., M.H., J.P. Mr. Bankee KWAN Pak-hoo Ms. Ida LAM Choi-chu Mr. LAM Ying-kit Dr. MAN Ying-ling The Honourable Charles Peter MOK Mr. TAI Hay-lap, B.B.S., J.P. Dr. John TSE Wing-ling, M.H. Mr. Coleman WAI Ching Ms. Ada WONG Ying-kay, J.P. Dr. YAU Wing-kwong, J.P. In Attendance: Ms. Bonny WONG Secretary, Board of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Page 1

2 Home Affairs Bureau Mrs. LAI WONG Shuk-han, Avia Ms. Sabrina LAW Chung Miss Bernadette LAM King-tung West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Mr. Michael LYNCH, CBE AM Mr. Duncan PESCOD, G.B.S., J.P. Mr. Louis YU Kwok-lit Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs Principal Assistant Secretary (West Kowloon Cultural District) Assistant Secretary (West Kowloon Cultural District) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Executive Director, Performing Arts Dr. Lars NITTVE Executive Director, M+ Mr. Derek SUN Head, Planning and Development Mr. Michael RANDALL General Counsel Mr. Kingsley JAYASEKERA Head, Marketing and Digital Ms. Wendy LAM Head, Communications and Public Affairs Ms. Lisa TSANG Head, Operations Development (Performing Arts) Absent with Apologies: Dr. HUNG Keung The Honourable Paul TSE Wai-chun, J.P. Mr. William LEUNG Wing-cheung, B.B.S., J.P. Opening Remarks The Chairman welcomed Members to the fifteenth meeting of the Page 2

3 (CP). He also welcomed the representatives of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) and the Home Affairs Bureau to the meeting. 2. Upon the invitation of the Chairman, Mr. Michael LYNCH informed CP that he had submitted his resignation to the Board and that it had been accepted. WKCDA would commence a global search for a suitable candidate to replace him. He said that by the time of his departure in early August, he would have served WKCDA for four years; although faced with many challenges, the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) project had made significant progress, such as commencing the construction works of the Park, Xiqu Centre, M+ Museum, Freespace and Arts Pavilion. 3. Mr. Michael LYNCH reported that Mr. Richard Tse Kin-pang assumed office as Executive Director, Finance on 23 December Mr. Tse had worked at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation prior to joining WKCDA. In addition, WKCDA would appoint an Executive Director, Commercial to be responsible for developing and implementing various business objectives. 4. Mr. Michael LYNCH briefed Members on the progress and programmes of the WKCD project, including Rising Stars of Cantonese Opera, Mobile M+: Moving Images, commencement of the foundation works of M+ Museum and the main structure works of Xiqu Centre as well as the finalisation of detailed design for the Nursery Park and the Arts Pavilion. He also updated Members that planning for fundraising programmes was underway to raise funds for WKCDA s activities, in particular for M+ and performing arts. Agenda Item (1) Confirmation of the Minutes of the 14 th Meeting 5. The Chairman noted that the Secretariat had not received any amendment proposals for the minutes. Members had no other comments and the minutes of the fourteenth meeting were confirmed. Page 3

4 Agenda Item (2) Matters Arising Working Group on Engagement of Youth and the Community ( Working Group ) 6. In response to the Chairman s invitation, Ms. Bonny WONG reported that the Working Group held its first meeting on 6 February Participants included Ms. Ada WONG Ying-kay, Ms. KO Po-ling and Mr. LAM Ying-kit. Although the Honourable Charles Peter MOK could not attend the meeting, he had provided his views in writing prior to the meeting. Ms. Ada WONG Ying-kay was elected as the Chairman of the Working Group. 7. Ms. Ada WONG reported that the Working Group believed that the participation of youth was extremely important as this would cultivate in them a sense of ownership to the WKCD project. She presented three proposed programmes for Members discussion: A. Job Shadowing this programme mainly targets secondary school students. Arrangements would be made for each participant to work with a staff member of WKCDA for a day to get a preliminary understanding of the WKCD project and WKCDA s daily operations. This type of programme was quite common in other industries, especially in the corporate sector, but was less common in the arts and cultural industry. B. Advanced Job Shadowing this programme mainly targets young cultural workers or university students studying in the arts and cultural field, similar to a corporate management trainee programme and would last for a longer period of time (half-day work daily for a three month period). During this period, participants would work in various departments of WKCDA and meet with the department heads to learn about the developments and operations of the WKCD. This would not only deepen participants understanding of the WKCDA, but would also help WKCDA to cultivate new talent. C. Junior this programme mainly targets youths aged below 35 who had a passion for arts and culture. This programme would Page 4

5 invite participants to provide their views on various aspects of the WKCD, such as (1) public open spaces, (2) performing arts, (3) M+ museum, and (4) administrative structures. Participants would be openly recruited during each phase of the programme and appointments would be for approximately six months. Prior to the end of the term, participants would report/express their views to CP. 8. Ms. Ada WONG suggested that although the participation of the wider community was also very important, initial focus should be on youth and the proposed programmes would be implemented in a gradual manner. 9. The Honourable Ronald ARCULLI enquired about the difference between the Advanced Job Shadowing and the current internship programmes of WKCDA. Ms. Ada WONG responded that the Working Group would work with Performing Arts and M+ Departments etc. to coordinate and develop a comprehensive plan such that the Advanced Job Shadowing participants could collaborate with the other interns. The Honourable Ronald ARCULLI thought that WKCDA could invite past interns to participate in these proposed programmes. 10. The Honourable Ronald ARCULLI enquired about the selection of Junior CP. Ms. Ada WONG said WKCDA could open a limited number of positions for young people to apply, participation could be determined by drawing lots or on a firstcome-first-served basis. Representatives from arts groups could also be invited to the Junior CP and details of this could be discussed further. She suggested posting message on Facebook. 11. The Chairman said that it was necessary to provide open access for interested members of the public to participate in the proposed programmes and it was important to ensure the sustainability of such programmes. Ms. Ada WONG agreed that the programmes should be sustainable but it would be dependent on the resources of WKCDA. 12. Dr. Allan ZEMAN opined that youths were the future of the WKCD. He agreed that one important reason for having youths to participate in the programmes Page 5

6 was to obtain their views, but it would also help them understand what WKCDA was doing. WKCDA needed an open platform for everyone to express their opinions, such as a Young Friends of WKCD programme, and to organize various activities targeted for the youth. 13. Mr. Louis YU informed Members that the Performing Arts and M+ Departments were currently working together on how to engage youths and obtain their views on the WKCD project. Dr. Lars NITTVE said that based on his past working experience in Sweden, job shadowing was quite common and effective in the arts industry and would be beneficial to both the participating youths and WKCDA. It was essential to coordinate the job shadowing with the existing internship programmes to avoid overlapping of resources. 14. Mr. Coleman WAI agreed to the proposed programmes in engaging youths. In addition, as WKCD was a long-term development project, he suggested WKCDA to establish a working group with sufficient resources to implement long-term projects with secondary school students as the target. He commented that other short-term projects should also be established to attract students or stakeholders to participate. 15. Ms. Ida LAM supported the programmes and suggested WKCDA should invite youth volunteers to participate in activities. She suggested that an annual review was required if these programmes would turn into a long-term project. She believed that many schools and communities were currently holding similar activities and WKCDA could collaborate with them to prevent resources overlapping. 16. Mr. Derek HUNG suggested considering ways to engage past youth participants to programmes organized by WKCDA so that they could continue to participate in, support, and assist with the promotion of the WKCD project at various levels. Ms. Ada WONG added that the target of Job Shadowing was senior secondary students, and that the time they spent participating in the activities of WKCDA would count towards their Other Learning Experience. She believed schools would welcome this programme and also agreed that something along the line of Young Friends of WKCD as suggested by Dr. Allan ZEMAN could be organized in the future. Page 6

7 17. The Honourable Ronald ARCULLI suggested that in addition to cultural aspects, the Management could also engage youths in the operation of the future park. 18. Mr. TAI Hay-lap suggested the Working Group should improve the proposals based on six aspects: depth, breadth, long-term planning, division of labour among the various departments, age groups of target participants and coordination with partners. 19. Dr. John TSE agreed with the overall proposal but wished to increase the number of participants to enhance its influence. For the administration of the Job Shadowing, he suggested WKCDA should arrange for young people to participate in arts activities rather than general clerical duties in WKCDA. He believed that an educational programme should be in place to make the plan sustainable. For example, prior to the completion of the construction and operation of a venue, a temporary hall could be set up in the vicinity with activities or exhibitions organized for youth participation/education. Ms. Ada WONG remarked that the buy-in of participants was important. It was not easy to gain the youth s acceptance and instil in them a sense of ownership. She suggested WKCDA could review the age distribution of subscribers of its official Facebook page for further analysis. 20. The Chairman believed that while youths were interested in participating in work that could influence the society, they were not given many opportunities at present. He reminded that it was important to stimulate and motivate young people for their long-term development. 21. Mr. LAM Ying-kit said that the Working Group had estimated that around 1% to 2% of the participants would develop a deeper sense of ownership towards the WKCD project and in time they would organize activities on their own. 22. The Chairman asked whether WKCDA was able to manage the additional work load arising from the Job Shadowing. Ms. Bonny WONG responded that it should not be a problem. Page 7

8 23. The Honourable Ronald ARCULLI suggested Communications and Marketing Department should also work with Performing Arts and M+ Departments to develop a complete programme on youth engagement. Mr. Kingsley JAYASEKERA supplemented that last year s summer interns had worked together to produce a promotional video clip for WKCDA. He suggested that the Job Shadowing participants could join various departments in WKCDA to be involved in arts, culture and construction. 24. Dr. MAN Ying-ling agreed to the programmes as suggested by the Working Group as well as Mr. LAM Ying-kit s comments. She suggested WKCDA should build a platform to bring youths together and encourage them to organize their own activities. In addition to developing youths, WKCDA should also start engaging primary school students to participate in WKCDA activities. 25. The Chairman supplemented that the programmes should not be too complicated and that they could start small and then be expanded progressively. 26. Mr. Duncan PESCOD commented that it was not necessary to launch the programmes simultaneously. WKCDA could design programmes according to the progress of the development of the WKCD. Based on his past experience, good mentors were necessary to give maximum effect to the job shadowing experience. 27. Ms. Ada WONG said that the Working Group had generated many ideas, but had only summarized three of them to start with. She suggested holding one to two consultation meetings with youths on the subject of Bylaw as an opportunity for public discussion. She hoped that WKCDA would have sufficient resources to manage and implement the programmes. The Chairman reiterated that the Chairman of the Board had indicated at an earlier meeting that funds would be allocated to support the work of CP. 28. The Chairman thanked Members for their views and suggested that the Working Group should fine-tune the proposed programmes and prepare an implementation plan for further consideration of the CP at the next meeting. Page 8

9 Agenda Item (3) Update on the Progress of the West Kowloon Cultural District Development Update on the progress of the WKCD Development (including hardware and software, and the future direction of the M+ Museum and the performance arts venues, as well as major plans/events. Development of hardware 29. By way of a Powerpoint presentation, Mr. Derek SUN reported on the latest progress of the design and construction work of various hardware facilities as summarized below: A. Xiqu Centre Foundation works had been completed; Main structure works had been commenced in December 2014; Target completion date was B. M+ Museum Detailed design had already reached the final review phase; Foundation works had commenced in August To reduce the impact on costs and progress, WKCDA had decided to first implement the construction for the part of the integrated basement necessary for the M+ Museum and had advanced a lump sum to cover the costs of the construction. It was expected that the main structure works would be commenced in the third quarter of 2015; Target completion date was the first half of C. Park (including the Arts Pavilion and Freespace) Outline design of the WKCD Park was completed and had reached the detailed design stage. Construction was expected to commence in the third quarter of 2015; Page 9

10 Construction works of the Nursery Park for public enjoyment during the construction period of the WKCD Park had commenced and it was targeted to open to the public in the second half of D. Lyric Theatre and Artist Square WKCDA and designers were currently studying the feasibility of combining more PA venues with the Lyric Theatre. A series of meetings with stakeholders including relevant major performing arts groups have been undertaken to update the groups on the potential integration. Design of the Artist Square was underway to match with the neighbouring facilities such as the M+ Museum, Lyric Theatre, offices and residential buildings. Progress would be reported to CP once there were further developments. Performing Arts 30. Mr. Louis YU reported that the performances of the West Kowloon Xiqu Centre Rising Stars of Cantonese Opera were held at Ko Shan Theatre New Wing from 21 February to 2 March The performances aimed to provide a platform for the rising stars of Cantonese Opera to display their talents, and train a group of successors for Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong. The audience reception had been overwhelming and he invited all Members to attend the remaining performances. 31. Since construction works at the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade would commence in 2015, Freespace Fest could not be held this year. Instead, a series of small and medium-sized outdoor activities, namely Freespace Series, would take place in the Nursery Park later this year. The public open space Bylaw and guidelines for street performances, etc. would be piloted in the Nursery Park to pave way for the future operations of the permanent park. 32. In addition to holding outdoor activities, WKCDA also planned to develop programmes on audience and community building; collaborate with local and overseas organisations; nurture young producers, playwright, commission new short Cantonese Page 10

11 opera works; conduct cultural exchange programmes and organize public seminars/forums/demonstrations. Progress would be reported to Members in due course. 33. In response to the youth participation programmes mentioned previously, WKCDA would start preparing programmes on arts learning/education, community plans and performing arts internship programmes this year. Mr. Louis YU looked forward to working with CP to enrich the contents and strategies. [Ms. KO Po-ling joined the meeting at 11:23 a.m.] 34. Dr. Lars NITTVE reported on the latest developments of various aspects of M+ Museum, including: A. Museum collection The number of acquisitions, the total value and an analysis by geographies. B. Exhibition M+ Matters Expanding the 1980s: The Landscape of Art in China and East Asia (January 2015); Mobile M+: Moving Images (February to April 2015); Venue Biennale 2015 (May to November 2015). C. Learning M+ Internship Programme: Spring (March to May 2015), Autumn (September to December 2015); M+ Venice Biennale Internship Programme; M+ Docent Volunteer Programme; M+ Summer Camp (21-24 July 2015). Page 11

12 D. Museum Building Time Capsule Ceremony (29 January 2015). [Mr. Bankee KWAN Pak-hoo left the meeting at 11:40 a.m.] Agenda Item (4) West Kowloon Cultural District Public Open Space Bylaw (WKCDA CP/01/2015) 35. By way of a Powerpoint presentation, Mr. Duncan PESCOD briefed Members on the draft WKCD public open space Bylaw, including the background, general philosophy, vision and mission of the Park, overview of Bylaw and guidelines, and access and events. 36. In response to the Chairman s query, Mr. Duncan PESCOD explained that the concept of WKCD Park was to give equal weight to both leisure and arts and cultural elements. 37. In response to Ms. KO Po-ling s query, Mr. Duncan PESCOD said that the guidelines for street performance, which supplemented the Bylaw, were developed according to the needs and objectives of the WKCD. Mrs. Avia LAI supplemented that, as the WKCDA was responsible for managing the public open space within the WKCD, it would be up to the WKCDA to formulate appropriate guidelines for this purpose according to its own circumstances while it could make reference to the modes of operation in other Government-managed pleasure grounds or parks. That said, the Home Affairs Bureau had consulted Department of Justice and provided feedback to WKCDA regarding the draft Bylaw. 38. Mr. Duncan PESCOD responded to Mr. Coleman WAI s query, explaining that with the exception of some areas that would be closed for repairs and maintenance and during events, the WKCD Park would be open twenty-four hours a day. Dr. Lars NITTVE supplemented that WKCDA had made reference to other 25 most inhabitable cities of the world and that 19of them had parks that were open twenty-four hours a day. This proved that keeping the park open for a long period of time would be feasible. Page 12

13 39. Dr. John TSE brought up a number of misinterpretations in the Chinese version of the Bylaw. Mr. Duncan PESCOD responded that the Chinese version of the Bylaw was a draft only for Members reference. He said that if there was any inconsistency or conflict between the Chinese and English versions, the English version would prevail. He suggested that if Members had any comments on the Bylaw, they could send their comments to WKCDA for follow-up. The Chairman agreed and reminded Members that the Bylaw had been prepared according to the principles that had been agreed upon by CP in the past. 40. Ms. Ada WONG agreed that the Bylaw would be necessary, and opined that WKCDA should clarify on issues that remained to be uncertain or grey area, such as whether all kinds of wedding photography should require prior permission from WKCDA; and how to differentiate between street performance and self-entertainment activities/rehearsals, etc. Although the Bylaw was already less stringent compared to those of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, she believed that it would be better if they were more relaxed. Mr. Duncan PESCOD responded that the Bylaw could not cover everything. He further explained that an application was necessary if wedding photos were taken for commercial purpose. In addition, frontline staff would be able to distinguish between street performances and self-entertainment activities/rehearsals according to the actual situations. No application would be necessary for self-entertainment activities/rehearsals. [Dr. YAU Wing-kwong joined the meeting at 12:05 p.m.] 41. In response to the Honourable Charles Peter MOK s question, Mr. Duncan PESCOD said that although the Bylaw did not mention arrangements for the erection of tents in the park or public open space, there were guidelines explaining the use of public open space, stating that it would be necessary to obtain authorization from WKCDA for occupying a particular space. The basic principle therein was that the park should be kept as free and open and available for the use of the people of Hong Kong as possible, while at the same time retaining a degree of rights and privileges to allow the authorized persons of WKCDA to intervene when necessary, to ensure that the activities of individual park users would not unduly interfere with or impede upon other users. Dr. Allan ZEMAN said that frontline workers should be provided with Page 13

14 sufficient training to prevent disputes with the public. [Post meeting note: WKCDA would state in the Bylaw that camping would not be allowed unless it was part of an organized event which required prior application and approval.] 42. In response to Mr. Derek HUNG s request, Mr. Duncan PESCOD agreed to arrange a consultation meeting with the nearby residents. [Post meeting note: A meeting was held on 19 March 2015 with the nearby residents.] [The Honourable Charles Peter Mok left the meeting at 12:13 p.m.] 43. In response to Mr. LAM Ying-kit s question, Ms. Lisa TSANG explained that in the guidelines for street performance, the suggestion of setting a maximum performance time of 2 hours in any 6 hour period in the same location was a proposed arrangement made with reference to similar parks overseas. [Dr. Allan ZEMAN, Dr. MAN Ying-ling, and Dr. John TSE left the meeting at 12:17 p.m.] 44. In response to Ms. KO Po-ling s views, the Chairman said that CP had previously agreed that the Bylaw should be positioned as more relaxed initially and then be gradually tightened if necessary. Agenda Item (5) Any Other Business 45. The Chairman said that it was the last meeting of the current term. He thanked Members for their contributions to CP. 46. The Chairman said the Secretariat would coordinate the date of the next CP meeting. Page 14

15 47. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:27 PM. West Kowloon Cultural District Authority April 2015 Page 15