Helen SoandYolanda Lam

Opinion | How developing art tech can boost Hong Kong’s cultural soft power

Economies like Britain, South Korea and Taiwan have already caught onto the trend driven by the convergence of arts and technology. Hong Kong’s new policy effort needs a team with a long-term vision for the arts and cultural scene

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Visitors try out a virtual reality exhibition, “Univers/e”, at the Hong Kong Space Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Nora Tam

Helen SoandYolanda Lam

Published: 9:45am, 3 Dec 2020Updated: 10:23am, 3 Dec 2020

It’s official: Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced in her policy address the government’s first policies towards the development of “art tech” in Hong Kong, a much needed move for the cultural and creative industries, even more so given the Covid-19 relapse across the city.

Art tech is essentially a global cultural trend driven by the growing convergence of arts and technology. Even before Covid-19, it had been disrupting cultural ecosystems worldwide.

Some economies have already caught onto the trend: Britain, with its #CultureisDigital project; South Korea, with its Korea Creative Content Agency; Taiwan, with its cultural policy agenda. These governments have devised blueprints, dedicated funding and built experimental spaces to facilitate creative projects involving technology, such as using virtual reality in theatres or art galleries.

Art tech is revolutionising how people perceive, consume and respond to arts and culture, creating new possibilities for artists, audiences and industries.

In Hong Kong, the government will set up an inter-bureau task force to formulate development strategies for art tech – to be led by the Home Affairs Bureau, with support from the Innovation and Technology Bureau, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, and the Education Bureau.

In principle this makes sense, as art tech straddles the portfolios of these bureaus. We applaud the decision to bring the Education Bureau on board, for there is a need to connect educational institutions with the industry to better nurture young talent with the skill sets to sustain the new ecosystem of art tech.