HKBU Art Tech Symposium Brought Together Art Tech Leaders to Explore the Future of Arts

The end of the year welcomes a wave of cultural and technological events around Hong Kong. Adding to this wave is the two-day Art Tech Symposium hosted by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) at its Tsang Chan Sik Yue Auditorium on 7 and 8 December. Globally renowned scholars and experts in art technology came together to share their state-of-the-art research and insights in the discipline, while the new generation of art tech enthusiasts and emerging AI artists engage themselves in vibrant discussions and exchange.

Hosted by HKBU and sponsored by National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre, this Symposium was organised with the aim of advancing the development of art technology between Mainland and Hong Kong by providing a platform to facilitate exchange among academics, and as part of our effort to propel Hong Kong’s positioning as the hub for culture and creativity. 

The Symposium was attended by more than 75 distinguished scholars and 200 researchers. The online viewers exceeded 1.36 million through the various live streaming platforms. Officiating guests at the Opening Ceremony included Professor Alexander Ping-kong Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU; Professor Dai Qionghai, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Dean of the School of Information Science and Technology at Tsinghua University; Professor Guan Xiaohong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the Faculty of Electronics and Information Engineering at Xi’an Jiaotong University; Mr Hsu Hoi Shan, President of the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Center; Ms Wu Cheng, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR;  Professor Guo Yike, Provost of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Professor Sun Maosong, Executive Vice Dean of the Tsinghua University Institute for Artificial Intelligence; Professor Martin DF Wong, Provost of HKBU; Professor Jeffrey Shaw, Chair Professor of the Academy of Visual Arts at HKBU; and Professor Johnny M Poon, Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research) and Founding Dean of the School of Creative Arts at HKBU.

Great minds meet sparked novel ideas

The Symposium brings together leading academics in arts and technology from Mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as a new generation of researchers who are dedicated to pushing forward the frontiers of this new discipline.

Professor Alexander Ping-kong Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, said in his opening remarks, “HKBU has always been at the forefront of arts and technology education and research, and is committed to nurturing a full range of arts and technology talents for the new generation, and contributing to the arts, cultural industries and creative industries. This Symposium provides a platform for experts and scholars in technology and new media arts from the Mainland and Hong Kong to meet and share their insights in this fast-growing discipline of art and technology.”

Professor Johnny M Poon was the moderator of the keynote presentations.

Professor Dai Qionghai presented on “Metaverse Art Transformation”. His speech showcased the most recent progress and technology in metaverse and art, as well as the new digital life that humanity will usher into in the future. Professor Guan Xiaohong spoke on “Quantification and Cognition of Music Computational Intelligence” which explored quantitative methods for AI-aided composition and researches on the mechanism of music cognition in brain science. Professor Guo Yike shared his exploration and achievements in leading art technology projects on “When Art Meets AI” in recent years. Professor Sun Maosong shared the latest research progress in Music AI. Professor Jeffrey Shaw and Professor Martin DF Wong also introduced HKBU’s Future Cinema Systems and the researcher’s achievements in Art Tech to the guests.

Two academic presentations and a roundtable discussion were held during the Symposium. Professor Celine Song of the HKBU Department of Interactive Media of the School of Communication and Professor Chen Li, Associate Head (Research) of the Department of Computer Science moderated the two sessions entitled “The Impact of AI on Art” and “Human-AI Collaboration in Art Creation” respectively. Experts and scholars coming from Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Beijing Normal University, East China Normal University, and Shaanxi Normal University shared and discussed on the latest developments in the field of art and technology. 

The roundtable discussion was participated by scholars and PhD students coming from HKBU, Tsinghua University, and the Central Conservatory of Music.

Supporting Hong Kong as a creative hub

HKBU has always been known as the cradle of creativity in Hong Kong. In the past few years,  our Department of Music, Academy of Film, and Academy of Visual Arts HKBU have dedicated ourselves to cultivating creative arts talents and spearheading advancement of art technology in Hong Kong. By leveraging our interdisciplinary strengths, HKBU has led in recent years pioneering research on the integration of AI and arts with an emphasis on art technology. Not only this has set a new scene in higher education but also pushed forward the city’s advancement in art tech and creative industries. 

Dr. Clement Chen, the Chairman of the Council and the Court at HKBU, pointed out that Hong Kong, as an international city where Eastern and Western cultures converge and flourish, has a unique advantage in propelling the advancement of art technology. The city’s rich cultural heritage and vibrant artistic community provide a fertile ground for the exchange and fusion of diverse artistic practices. HKBU is at the forefront of arts and technology education and research in Hong Kong. Since its inception as the School of Creative Arts, HKBU has continued to promote best research practices for the advancement of arts and technology in Hong Kong. From the pioneering Turing Artificial Intelligence Symphony Orchestra to the imminent completion of the Jockey Club Campus of Creativity, the university maintains a strong focus on forward-looking exploration for future artistic development.

The Art Tech Symposium organised by Hong Kong Baptist University has introduced the newest advances in the realms of art and technology to Hong Kong, offering fresh prospects to researchers from both Hong Kong and the Mainland. The Symposium is dedicated to fostering pioneering developments in arts and technology in both areas, thus establishing their pre-eminence in the research of these fields, worldwide.