Latest news with #KowloonWalledCity
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Is there a place for AI art? These Hong Kong artists say yes
In spite of an open letter signed by over 6,500 artists, demanding the cancellation of Augmented Intelligence – Christie's artificial intelligence (AI) art auction that ran from February 20 to March 5 – the event was a commercial success, bringing in more than US$728,000, with 28 of the 34 displayed pieces sold. The letter, written to auction hosts Nicole Sales Giles and Sebastian Sanchez, stated: 'Many of the artworks you plan to auction were created using AI models that are known to be trained on copyrighted work without a licence. These models … exploit human artists, using their work without permission or payment to build commercial AI products that compete with them. 'Your support of these models … rewards and further incentivises AI companies' mass theft of human artists' work.' This work by Bianca Tse used AI to generate an impression of the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout But it should be said that not all artists are against the use of AI – there are those in Hong Kong who fully embrace it and even make it their primary creative medium. Bianca Tse, for instance, believes there is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding AI art and the technology behind it. For example, high-profile artists like Refik Anadol, whose work was featured in the auction, train their models using their own work or data sets, where the copyright claims should 'clearly' belong to the artist. 'My understanding of commercial AI models is that they don't target specific artists' works, but are trained on vast data sets comprising trillions of images from various sources,' Tse explains. 'The AI learns to imagine and create – much like how a human artist learns by observing and interpreting the world around them.' Tse, who graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design, says her big turning point came when she stopped seeing AI as a threat and started viewing it as a 'powerful creative partner'. Liza Dorrer. Photo: Handout Liza Dorrer, who is completing her PhD at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and teaches specialised courses on AI image-generation tools Midjourney and Stable Diffusion for interior designers and architects, believes that the debate on whether AI art is 'real' art comes down to the technology behind the tools.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Twilight of the Warriors exhibition opens at Hong Kong Kowloon Walled City site
An exhibition inspired by the Hong Kong blockbuster Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In will return with an expanded showcase of traditional local crafts for the first time, including a hand-painted flower board and an iron arch. The exhibition, previously held at the airport and a shopping centre in Kai Tak, has reopened in the former yamen building at the Kowloon Walled City Park, where Hong Kong's 'city of darkness' was originally located before being demolished in 1994. The free exhibition is set to open to the public on Saturday and will run for three years, according to the government. Replicas of the sets from the award-winning martial arts film will be on display, similar to the two previous exhibitions, with additional recreations of nostalgic scenes from the 1980s that go beyond the film and have not been showcased to the public before. Besides signature sets such as the barber shop, No. 7 Restaurant and tailor shop, the new edition has included a new dental clinic, fish ball factory and plastic moulding workshop used to produce and sell various everyday utensils such as hot-water rubber bags and toilet plugs. Another highlight is an immersive projection titled 'Rooftop of Light and Shadow in the Walled City', showcasing the day-and-night life of the notorious Kowloon Walled City in the 1980s, accompanied by the roaring sound of low-flying aircraft over the densely populated residential area.
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Twilight of the Warriors exhibition to sustain heritage tourism in Hong Kong
An exhibition of replica sets from the acclaimed martial arts film Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, located at the original site of the Kowloon Walled City, will sustain Hong Kong's tourism enthusiasm, particularly for historical areas that evoke a sense of nostalgia, experts have said. Advertisement Scheduled to open this month for a three-year run at Kowloon Walled City Park, the exhibition will showcase classic sets from the Hong Kong box office hit, including a barber shop and tea stalls, with daily life recreated through an immersive experience, allowing visitors to travel back in time to the 1980s. Kowloon City was one of nine tourist hotspots identified by a government working group on Tuesday. These locations will feature expanded attractions and promotions to draw more tourists seeking in-depth trips to the city. In addition to the exhibition, the Tourism Commission plans to extend the 'City in Time Project' to Kowloon City district this year. Using augmented reality technology, tourists will be able to experience the Kowloon City of old, including the Walled City, Kai Tak Airport and its evolving landscape. This initiative aligns with the growing trend of 'city walks' and in-depth tours, highlighting the charm of the Walled City, vibrant Thai culture, Chiu Chow delicacies, memories of the old airport days and well-known movie scenes. Visitors take a walk back in time to the old days of Kowloon Walled City as part of the Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In exhibition. Photo: Dickson Lee Notably, some businesses, such as a tea leaf maker and a fish ball shop, which once operated within or near the Walled City, subsequently relocated to nearby Kowloon City and have since thrived, continuing their legacy.
