Cathay Pacific General Manager Product Leslie Lu (centre), General Manager Hong Kong International Airport Liza Ng (left) and General Manager Sales & Distribution Toby Smith pictured at The Pier Business Class Lounge.
Cathay Pacific Airways unveiled its new Business Class Lounge at The Pier in Hong Kong International Airport recently after a comprehensive refurbishment. The luxurious lounge is now larger with seating for 550 people.
The Pier Business Class Lounge is divided into “fast” and “slow” lanes where The Food Hall and The Noodle Bar are located in the “fast” lane. This is where passengers can find an array of food and beverages such as coffee and noodles.
There is also a Tea House especially for those craving a soothing drink amidst a tranquil environment while the slow lane is where passengers can put their feet up in the lounge seating equipped with built-in reading lamp and side tables.
Passengers can freshen up in one of the 14 shower suites and a relaxation room for a calm and stress-free experience in order to wind-down and refresh themselves.
Hong Kong Museum of History has taken on an exciting challenge – one that has not only attracted the young hearts of little children in Hong Kong but has also charmed adult and kids alike worldwide with adorable designs and features.
We are, of course, talking about toys. Partnering with Hong Kong Toys Council and the Toys Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, the exhibition weaves through the evolution of toys in the past century and the way industrialists revolutionalise and guaranteed the good quality of items ‘Made in Hong Kong’.
One of the most popular parts of the exhibition features a play area to encourage the importance of play and also the meaning of toys. The exhibits present ways on how entertainment came in various forms including animation, comics, cinema and television, and trends which influence the production of toys. Hong Kong has played a prominent role in the evolution of toys and gone beyond just fun and play.
Toshiya Yui x Tomohiro Yokota x Tomoko Hashida / Floatio AppleverDavid Letellier / Versus
Media Ambition Tokyo, now in its 4th edition, is fast becoming one of the fastest growing cultural showcase of technological art with an experimental twist in urban Tokyo. Organised by the MAT Committee, the exhibition is set to take place for almost a month all around Tokyo focusing on some of the most dynamic part of the city including Roppongi, Aoyama, Ochanomizu, Toranomon and a few more other venues. These venues will host super-edgy artwork, video, music, performances, hacks and talk shows.
Over the years, the programmes have organically increased and expanded covering international and local participants. The exhibition focuses on showcasing the evolving systematic designs of transportation, communication and information and the potential of technology in creating the city’s future. Through experimental projects unlimited by category or genre, MAT aims to develop the reformative movement in technology through art.
Previous collaborators include Apple Store in Ginza and Omotesando, Institut Francais Tokyo, Intersect by Lexus-Tokyo, IMA Concept Store, Digital Hollywood University and the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. In 2016, they have also collaborated with Yasei Collective and producer Keiichiro Shibuya for its opening live show titled ‘Digitally Show’.
SalzweltenDachstein SkywalkView from Dachstein SkywalkDachstein ice cave
Nestled in Austria’s Salzkammergut Lake Region – between the edge of Hallstätter See and the towering Dachstein mountains – is the town of Hallstatt one of Austria’s oldest and most likely most photographed village in the region. Its 16th-century Alpine houses cast shimmering reflections onto the calm waters of the lake with towering mountains on all sides. Accessible only by boat or mountain trail, the lakeside town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is also home to almost 800 residents. Towards the west, a trail leads hikers to the Echern Valley famous for its glacial potholes and Waldbackstrub Waterfall.
For centuries, the village has benefitted from a very sought-after commodity below the surface of the earth: salt. The Hallstatt mines – Salzwelten – is possibly the world’s oldest salt mines with a subterranean salt lake. Connected via a funicular railway, it is said to have been discovered as early as the 15th century and was used until modern times as the most important location for mining in the region. A particular feature here is the “Man in Salt”, a corpse that was discovered in 1734, perfectly preserved with his tools.
At an elevation of 1,677 ft above sea level, the Lake Hallstatt is about 125 meters deep and connects three other small towns. People come to admire the lake from the top, swim in its clear water, or take a boat ride as part of discovering the history of Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut surroundings.
The Dachstein Skywalk, located at an altitude of about 2,700 meters, allows visitors to see over Austria to Slovenia and the Czech Republic on a good day. Voted as one of the highest suspension bridge in Austria, this viewing platform is completely made of glass.
A short cable car ride, plus a 20 minutes walk brings you to the entrance to the Dachstein ice cave. An organised tour of the cave lasting one hour shows you the natural wonders of the ice forms and the man-made ice sculptors including the Grais Castle, Parsifal Cathedral, and the Tristian Cathedral. Annually, more than 150,000 people visit this natural wonder of the alps.
The largest-ever Vincent van Gogh exhibition to be held in Australia, Van Gogh and the Seasons, was unveiled at an exclusive media preview in April at NGV International, with direct descendants of Vincent van Gogh in attendance. Josien van Gogh and Sylvia Cramer, great-grandnieces of Vincent van Gogh, joined exhibition curator Sjraar van Heugten, renowned Van Gogh expert and former Head of Collections at the Van Gogh Museum, for the first reveal of the world-premiere exhibition.
Featuring nearly 50 stunning, vividly-coloured Van Gogh masterpieces, Van Gogh and the Seasons explores the visionary artist’s profound connection to the seasons.
One of the world’s most famous artists, Van Gogh had a brief but prolific artistic career spanning barely a decade before his suicide in 1890 at the age of 37. Van Gogh and the Seasons is on display at NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia, until 9 July 2017. Open daily, 10am-5pm. Tickets available now at NGV.MELBOURNE. The exhibition is organised by the National Gallery of Victoria and Art Exhibitions Australia.
澳大利亚举办最大规模的文森特.梵高 (Vincent van Gogh) 展览会：“梵高与季节-Van Gogh and the Seasons”，梵高的嫡系后裔也出席在4月份NGV国际举行的独家媒体预告会。梵高的侄孙女 Josie van Gogh 和 Sylvia Cramer 连同展览策展人 Sjraar van Heugten (著名的梵高专家和梵高博物馆前负责人)，一起参加了世界首场展览的揭幕仪式。
19th century Quran from Iran, depicting Fath Ali Shah Qajar and son Mohammad Shah Qajar.
Typically, when studying a manuscript, the focus is on what’s in the book, rather than what’s on the outside. After all, as the old adage goes, we must “Never judge a book by its cover.” However, here’s an exhibition that invites you to take a closer look at the covers of books, instead of their contents. Simply called “Islamic Bookbinding,” the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia’s (IAMM) latest temporary exhibition showcases 70 artefacts that comprehensively portray the beautiful elements of bookbindings from around the Islamic world.
18th century Quran from Iran with a protective pouch.18th century Quran from Iran, adorned with multi-coloured gems.
Opened to the public on 8th May, the exhibition begins by tracing the history and types of bookbinding. This is followed by a look at the intricate designs and techniques, as well as the constituting elements that form a bookbinding. The objects displayed are beautifully-handmade, most from leather, lacquerwork and textiles. Some specimens show their age and evidence of frequent use, while others are perfectly-preserved time capsules.
Overall, the exhibition hearkens back to an age where bookbinding was a treasured artform in royal ateliers. Besides their practical function, book covers were ornamented with fine tooling, stamping, gilding and painting to showcase the status of the owner.Some manuscripts are also equipped with additional housings, such as boxes, pouches and slipcases. And then there are those that are so sumptuously decorated with gemstones, they have to be seen to be believed!
The highlights of the exhibition are several rare masterpieces, such as a pair of royal Qajar lacquered book covers, depicting Fath ‘Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1797 –1834) and his son Mohammad Shah Qajar (r. 1834 –1848). Another outstanding piece is a Qur’an binding from the East Coast of the Malay Peninsula, featuring red Moroccan leather and elaborate tooled decorations with a central medallion.
19th-20th century Quran from the Malay Peninsula, featuring bright red leather and gold tooling.
Bookbinding is a topic rarely featured by art institutions, and this pioneering exhibition takes it a step further. It is the first exhibition of its kind to showcase a little-known and almost forgotten part of Malaysian heritage – the art of local bookbinding. Unique emphasis is given to local bindings made from textile that show detailed stitching of the endband placed over the spine.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the IAMM has produced a special catalogue of the same name, featuring artefacts from the museum collection, which will no doubt be a valuable reference on the subject. In addition, the IAMM’s Education Department has lined up a variety of public programmes, including lectures and hands-on workshops for adults and children, throughout the exhbition’s eight-month period.
For further information on this exhibition and its public/ educational programmes, please visit iamm.org.my.
