Thematic Talk “Technical Design of Freespace”

Speakers: Rae Wu, Senior Manager, Technical and Productions (Performing Arts), WKCDA

Low Kee Hong, Head of Theatre, Performing Arts, WKCDA

Freespace is one of the venues of the West Kowloon Cultural District scheduled to open in 2019. It includes a flexible black box theatre that can accommodate 450 people seated or 900 standing. How is the technical design of this space like? How would it answer the various creative and technical needs of different cross-disciplinary programmes?

Freespace Tech Lab

Presenter and Production: Zuni Icosahedron

Co-organiser: West Kowloon Cultural District

Creator, Artistic Director & Spatial designer: Mathias Woo

Technical Director: Rae Wu

Producers: Low Kee Hong, Doris Kan, Bobo Lee 

What is Freespace?

Freespace is situated in the centre of the Art Park of the West Kowloon Cultural District, and it is scheduled to open in 2019. It is a flexible performance space that includes a black box theatre (33m x 20m x 10m) that can accommodate 450 people seated or 900 standing, a foyer café and bar with facilities for live music performance, a multi-function conference room, and a large open air lawn that can be used for hosting large-scale outdoor events.

What has Freespace to do with Tech Lab?

Theatre is a live experience.

The audience enter a theatre, and experience a live performance in the same space, at the same time, watching the same performers, interacting with the same stage lighting, sound and multi-media effects. In a theatre performance, the technical aspects (staging, lighting, sound) are elements of performing arts just as important as the performers, while the entire theatre space (architecture) itself is constructed by technologies. “Freespace Tech Lab” is a three-year project infusing innovative stage technology and performing arts, providing a platform for exchange between related technology providers of performing arts and participants, with a view to enhancing the applications of stage technology.