East Kowloon Cultural Centre Public Artwork

Located at the intersection of Ngau Tau Kok Road and Kwun Tong Road, the East Kowloon Cultural Centre (EKCC) is a new vibrant development of the local neighbourhood, bringing fresh art and cultural vibes to the area. Through the East Kowloon Cultural Centre Public Artwork Commissioning Project, the Art Promotion Office called for proposals from creative talents such as artists, designers, and architects from March to May 2020, inviting them to create public artworks that captures and showcases on the past, present, and future of East Kowloon. The works are installed within the EKCC, creating a lush, harmonious artistic garden landscape that connects the public with art and culture.

Two sets of commissioned works are Cornelia Erdmann’s Nine Dragons’ Dance and STICKYLINE’s Living in the City. Nine Dragons’ Dance features nine dragons set to dance amid a dreamy symphony of colours in an opulent atrium. Living in the City features a flock of geometric 3D sparrows at The Corner near the Ngau Tau Kok Road Bus Station that welcomes travellers with a heart-warming visual experience. As you visit the EKCC, admire its magnificent architecture and immerse yourself in its cultural ambience, be sure to stop by these two wonderfully inspired works and feel their captivating charm!

Venue: The Plaza, The Steps and The Atrium, East Kowloon Cultural Centre, 60 Ngau Tau Kok Road, Kowloon
Opening hours: 10am – 10pm daily (except The Plaza that is open all day)

Free admission

Inspired by flocks of sparrows resting on poles or being fed on streets, the sculptural installation Living in the City mimics the lively behaviours of sparrows. This serves as a metaphor for the robust mentality of ordinary people living in the city.

This artwork, Living in the City, created by STICKYLINE, captures common traits of sparrows. It metaphorizes the ordinary people of Hong Kong as they strive for their living. These lively birds have left the wild and settled in the metropolis, a testimony to their extraordinary courage and adaptability. The work should resonate with viewers, living in a similar situation, as they endeavour to achieve their personal goals in the midst of a city in transformation. Standing at the feet of the sparrows offers varied perspectives of the district, which has evolved from a resettlement cum industrial area to an urban, commercial and residential zone. The installation is a manifestation of everyday scenes with the aims to evoke viewers’ memories of the ever-changing city and their appreciation of small things in life.

Using minimal shapes to trace the contours of sparrows, the geometric sculptures become an abstract form of their dynamic movements. They are meticulously set at The Plaza and The Steps of the East Kowloon Cultural Centre (EKCC), and their scale attracts viewers’ attention even from afar. Mirrored surfaces reflect an eclectic mix of streetscapes around the EKCC and the buzz of East Kowloon district, blending in the surroundings seamlessly. The gleaming sparrows allow space for imagination, both up close and from a distance.

Nine Dragons’ Dance, a site-specific art installation, mesmerising with its stunning visual display of animated, colourful triangular shapes combining elements of traditional Chinese culture with cutting-edge technology to create a unique spectacle in The Atrium of the East Kowloon Cultural Centre. The centrepiece of the installation is a series of nine abstract dragon sculptures — sequences of triangles crafted from reflective acrylic sheets. Each dragon is intricately designed and illuminated with vibrant hues that cast multiple triangular shadows and reflections onto the wall. The dragons’ dazzling dance is set in motion through a light choreography giving the impression that they are floating and moving gracefully through the space.

The installation takes its inspiration from the rich symbolism of dragons in Chinese mythology and their meaning for East Kowloon. Nine Dragons’ Dance seeks to evoke these qualities through the medium of light and motion as well as the triangles that represent both the spines and spikes of dancing dragons and the peaks of the Kowloon mountain range. Through its blend of tradition and modern, the installation offers a visual narrative that respects and celebrates the cultural significance of the East Kowloon area, inviting viewers to contemplate the profound connections between art, mythology, and culture.

Cornelia Erdmann is a German visual artist, researcher and curator based in Hong Kong since 2006. With a foundation in fine art and architecture, she skilfully explores the interplay between subjective realities and objective spaces, integrating light as a key medium in her pieces. She is renowned for her site-specific installations and public artworks, which have been showcased in private and public collections and featured at global light art festivals. Her art has been exhibited in museums, galleries and art festivals worldwide, demonstrating her broad appeal and versatile artistic capabilities.