Oral History and Archives Project

“Oral History and Archives Project” was launched by Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) on a pilot basis to film and to organize relevant materials and physical objects of twelve veteran arts practitioners in 2019. It serves to record the biographical and anecdotal information on video, and to preserve information that enriches the interview in a timely fashion. With the additional funding supported by the Home Affairs Bureau from 2020, the project will film around seventy veteran arts practitioners and their materials will be digitalised.

All materials created for the project and selected by the interviewees, such as rare footages and programme booklets from earlier times, will be digitally archived after identifying and receiving subsequent receipt of written consent from the respective holders of intellectual and industrial rights. Materials will be uploaded to the project website (https://artsoralhistory.hk/) according to their level of authorised use, while raw footages of all video recordings will be kept at the Arts Information Centre of HKADC. Public are welcome to access the raw materials onsite by appointment.

The first batch of arts practitioners released on the project website includes: CHOO Heng-cheong, David CLARKE, David GWILT and LAI Ming; interview videos of the remaining thirteen arts practitioners will be completed later this year. Interviewees of the project were nominated by art advisors and members of different art form groups, and the shooting priority was finalised by the council members of HKADC. All shootings were scheduled in accordance with the interviewees’ preferences.

It is hoped that the public may learn about the life stories of arts practitioners through the project, understand the developmental trajectories of the local art scene through different arts practitioners’ perspectives and experiences, and cherish the arts development in Hong Kong.