Upcoming Event
HKBU is delighted to present ARCHE, an immersive Kung Fu-Opera experience at Munich Biennale. ARCHE is developed by Professor Eugene Birman, Associate Director (Internationalisation) and Associate Professor, Academy of Music at HKBU and writer and director Dr Katharina Schmitt. The work focuses on the human body as a living archive and Kung Fu as a form of bodily knowledge acquired through imitation over centuries between diverse bodies. The core medium ARCHE explores, and stages is the chi: the breath which connects Kung Fu practitioners and opera singers alike. The performative situation of the piece depicts the process of a transfer of knowledge between bodies in a scenic version of a game of telephone, which becomes the motor of formal variations of Kung Fu and a scenic telling of the passing of time. Composition, libretto, spatial and directorial concept are intertwined and draw on breath as a motor for rhythm, sound and movement as well as on references to Kung Fu culture in varied contexts in East and West: from classical martial arts treatise to 1970s Kung Fu films, from breakdance inspired movements to wuxia novels like Jin Yong's The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
Initiated as part of “Future Cinema Systems: Next-Generation Art Technologies”—the largest applied research Art Tech project funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government with HK$34.5 million, ARCHE aspires to be a compelling narrative to share Chinese cultural heritage with global audiences and empower a stronger confidence of Chinese culture. In particular, “Fujian White Crane” Kung Fu, a renowned Southern Chinese martial art designated as a China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008, is featured in the showcase.
In celebration of this novel collaboration and cultural exchange, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin and HKBU will co-host the Hong Kong Reception “Decoding Heritage in Art Tech: An Overture”. Tentative arrangements are as follows:
| Date: | 10 May 2026 (Sunday) | |
| Time: | 1:50 – 4:00 PM | Networking Reception(Registration starts at 1:30 PM) |
| 4:00 – 4:20 PM/ 4:30 – 4:50 PM* | ARCHE Performance *Due to limited capacity, you may be assigned to the 4:00pm or 4:30pm session on site. | |
| Venue: | Festival Tent, Muffatwerk Zellstraße 4, 81667 Munich, Germany | |
By Invitation only. For any inquiry, please contact iit_event@hkbu.edu.hk.
Programme*
| 1:30 PM | Registration |
| 1:50–4:00 PM | Event Starts |
Welcome Remarks Mr Billy Leung | |
Panel Discussion China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Meets Global Audiences: The Role of Art Tech Moderator Professor Andreas Kratky, Director, Academy of Visual Arts, HKBU Speakers
| |
Special Remarks Munich Biennale | |
Closing Remarks Ms Nelly Lam | |
Networking Cocktail | |
| 4:00 PM onwards | ARCHE Performance Venue: Studio I, Muffatwerk, Zellstraße 4, 81667 Munich, Germany Note: Due to venue capacity limit, guests will be arranged to join either one session at 4:00–4:20 PM or 4:30–4:50 PM. |
*Programme and schedule are subject to change
