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Swire Properties Dialogue Series

In 2019 Swire Properties partnered with The Royal Academy of Arts to create a series of focused sessions with leading local and international speakers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to architecture. The dialogues were curated and moderated by The Royal Academy of Arts’ Artistic Director Tim Marlow.

Talk 1 : Christopher Le Brun PRA: The Role of the Artist in the 21st Century
Moderator: Tim Marlow, Artistic Director, Royal Academy of Arts
Speaker: Christopher Le Brun, PRA,President, Royal Academy of Arts

Christopher Le Brun is a painter, sculptor and printmaker as well as the 26th and current president of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Christopher will discuss his artistic career and how he manages this dual role of artist and leader of an institution with over 250 years of history.

Talk 2 : Urban Realities and the Future of Arts and Culture
Moderator: Mia Yu, Independent Curator
Speaker: Laura Ning,CEO, Mao Ji-Hong Arts Foundation;
Paul Owens, Co-founder, BOP Consulting

Global urban culture policy is shifting towards more egalitarian and citizen-centered models. What can cities, individuals and local stakeholders do to ensure the continuity of a vibrant artistic community? What is the role of culture in the urban context.

Talk 3 : FoldHaus: From Burning Man to Hong Kong
Moderator: Tim Marlow, Artistic Director, Royal Academy of Arts
Speaker: Annette Diefenthaler,Artist, FoldHaus;
Joerg Student,Artist, FoldHaus

In recent years Burning Man, the annual festival that takes place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, has become the hotbed of interdisciplinary, participatory artistic expressions that best exemplify the rise of the contemporary maker culture. FoldHaus discusses the idea of “art for everyone”— for the audiences and also for the makers.

Talk 4 : Taste vs Trend
Moderator: Talenia Phua Gajardo, CEO, The Artling
Speaker: Simon Groom, Director, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art;
Zhou Li, Artist

Taste has been studied and analysed by illustrious philosophers for centuries. But how is ‘taste’ created and shaped nowadays? Have trends overtaken the taste-making process? Who has taken the role of the discerning eye: the tastemaker or the trendsetter?

Talk 5 : Permanent or Temporary. Now or Forever. What is the Role of Time in Art?
Moderator: Tim Marlow, Artistic Director, Royal Academy of Arts
Speaker: Paul Cocksedge, Designer and Co-founder, Paul Cocksedge Studio;
Willi Dorner, Artist;
Ying Kwok, Independent Curator

What is the difference in our perception when it comes to experiencing new architectural, artistic, or design installations? Does it frame our responses differently? Are we more willing to accept challenging work if we know it is only temporary? Does being temporary somehow diminish or enhance the social impact of a work?