Roots 脈絡

Exhibition
21 Mar 30 Mar 2025
10:00 am – 6:00 pm (Monday – Sunday)
Project Balcony (M6310), L6, Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre, City University of Hong Kong
Free admission. Prior registration is required 2 days in advance.
Roots exhibition poster

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There is no online registration service on Saturday and Sunday. Please reserve in advance.


Curatorial Statement 策展人語

Cultural festivals hold a special place in nearly all cultures, deeply rooted in local traditions or religious practices, intertwining tangible and intangible aspects of cultural heritage. As carriers of collective memory, festivals serve as bonds that connect the past, present, and future of a place, shaping the cultural identity of its people.

The exhibition Roots focuses on the Kawagoe Festival, one of the three major festivals in the Kanto region of Japan, presenting the outcomes of a collaborative research project between the School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong and the Graduate School of Media Design at Keio University (Japan). By collecting individual festival stories from local residents and communities, the project aims to address the lack of grassroots voices in traditional cultural heritage archives. Through the use of 3D modeling, sound, video, interactive installations, and set design, the artists create an immersive space that invites audiences to listen to and explore the memories of the Kawagoe Festival while envisioning its future.

The title Roots symbolizes the Kawagoe Festival as a branch or thread that links the people, events, and objects of this land. As living cultural heritage, these festivals not only witness social development but also showcase the essence of regional culture within a limited timeframe. By engaging with the memories and imaginations of these festivals, we can explore and reflect on the similarities and differences among cultural festivals worldwide. These interconnected threads of diverse cultures collectively form the main artery of human civilization.

節日幾乎在所有文化中都佔據著特殊的地位,深深扎根於地方文化或宗教傳統,糅合了地域內有形與無形的文化遺產。作為集體記憶的載體,節日如同紐帶,連接起一方山水的過去、現在與未來,塑造了當地居民的文化身份。

展覽《脈絡》聚焦於日本關東三大祭之一的川越祭,呈現了香港城市大學創意媒體學院與日本慶應義塾大學媒體設計研究科聯合研究項目的成果。通過收集當地居民與社區的節日故事,該項目彌補傳統文化遺產檔案中缺失的基層聲音。藝術家運用3D建模、聲音、影像、互動裝置與布景設計等多種元素,創造出一個沉浸式空間,邀請觀眾聆聽並探索當地居民的川越祭記憶,同時設想節日的未來圖景。

《脈絡》之名寓意川越祭如同一條支脈或線索,串聯起這片土地上的人、事、物。這些傳統節日作為活態文化遺產,既是社會與歷史發展的見證,也在有限的時間內凝練並展現地域文化的精髓。因此,當我們聆聽並體驗這些節日的記憶與想像時,會發現並聯想到世界各地節日文化之間異同。這些不同文化的脈絡彼此交織、相互影響,共同構成了人類文明的主脈。

Artists / Research Team Members 藝術家/研究團隊成員

School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong 香港城市大學創意媒體學院
Song Zijing 宋紫荆
Prof. Christian Wagner

Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University 日本慶應義塾大學媒體設計研究科
Sifan Chen 陳思帆
Prof. Chihiro Sato 佐藤千尋

Curator 策展人
Song Zijing 宋紫荆

Special Thanks 特別鳴謝
Cultural Property Protection Division, Kawagoe City 川越市文化財保護課
Hikawa Shrine 冰川神社

Guided Tours 策展人導覽

21.03.2025 (Fri) 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
23.03.2025 (Sun) 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
28.03.2025 (Fri) 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
30.03.2025 (Sun) 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM


VISITOR ARRANGEMENTS

1. All visitors entering the University campus must be pre-registered via the University's Visitor Registration System (VRS). The VRS can be accessed via Office Admin under AIMS by departmental staff who have VRS access privileges.

2. Once the visitor's information has been submitted via the VRS, an email will be sent to the visitor with a special QR code attached from the CityU-Visitor Registration System. The visitor must show the QR code and may need to present his/her personal ID to the security staff at campus entrance on the day of the visit. Upon confirmation, the visitor will receive a label valid for the day.

3. For guests who didn't receive the above email with the QR code, please check your spam or junk email folder in case the email was accidentally marked as spam.

4. A single email address cannot be shared with multiple visitors for registration on the same day.

5. Please refer to the Personal Information Collection Statement (PICS) for Visitor Registration System on our university's website: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/fmo/download/Personal%20Information%20Collection%20Statement_VRS.pdf

6. The Organizer/Presenter reserves the right to change, suspend or cancel the Event and Campus Access Policy or amend its terms and conditions at its discretion and to refuse entry to any person without prior notice.