ENG-2015 — Page 383

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Recreation, Sport, Culture and the Arts

Images, from February to April; 'Mobile M+: Live Art, a series of public performing art events and exhibitions that explored various aspects of 'liveness' in December; and a series of free outdoor performing arts events called 'Freespace Happening' at its Nursery Park from August. The WKCD Authority also organised cultural exchange programmes, seminars, workshops, training programmes, internship schemes and other collaborative projects.

Urbtix

The Urban Ticketing System, or Urbtix, is one of the most widely used computerised ticketing systems locally. It provides convenient and reliable ticketing services through counter booking at 36 outlets, and via the internet, telephone and a mobile app. In 2015, the system processed 4.2 million tickets with proceeds of more than $856 million.

Culture and Arts Organisations

Hong Kong Arts Development Council

The Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) plans, promotes, funds and supports the overall development of the arts. Besides encouraging public participation and advocating arts education, the council endeavours to advance arts criticism, raise the standards of arts administration and strengthen arts policy research. It also operates various grant schemes.

The council grooms talented people and cultivates arts administrators and budding artists by providing opportunities to receive training and to take part in competitions, cultural exchanges and internships both in Hong Kong and abroad. In 2015, it offered Arts Administration Scholarships (Local/Overseas), Hong Kong Scholarships on the Clore Leadership Programme, Taipei National University of the Arts - Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts Internship Scheme, Mori Art Museum Internship, ImPulsTanz - Vienna International Dance Festival Internships, Sage Gateshead Internships and HKADC UAL Scholarships, and launched Overseas Training for Arts. Administrators - Thematic Study Visits Scheme and Personal Development Grant. The council also launched an Arts Administration Internship Scheme and Arts Production Internship Scheme.

Major HKADC arts promotion events in 2015 included the first literary arts festival Litstream, the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2014, the 7th Arts Ambassadors-in-School Scheme and Fresh Wave 2015. For the first time, the council led an 80-member delegation to take part in the Performing Arts Market in Seoul. The delegation comprised representatives of small and medium-sized arts groups and individual arts practitioners funded by the council, artists and arts groups selected to present performances, and representatives of the territory's nine major performing arts groups, Hong Kong Arts Festival and WKCD Authority.

The council continued to co-present with RTHK Artspiration, a weekly television series on arts, artists and cultural events, and with Cable TV ArTour, a monthly segment for the programme Close to Culture, featuring local young artists.

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