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PolyVerse Exhibition Concluded with Innovative AI Film Competition and Cultural Heritage Symposium

(February 27, 2025) Hong Kong - The "PolyVerse - Culture and Art Technology Exhibition" concluded with a prestigious closing ceremony and awards presentation for “The AI-Powered Legacy – 48 Hour AI Film Competition” at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Curated by Prof. Henry Duh, Associate Dean (Global and Industry Engagement) of PolyU's School of Design, the exhibition was supported by 10 prestigious art institutions across China. 25 pioneering research projects and installations were showcased using LG's ultra-fine Smart AI monitors. This extraordinary collection of digital art and cultural innovation demonstrated the dynamic intersection of traditional heritage and cutting-edge technology. (Prof. Kun-Pyo Lee, Dean of PolyU School of Design, delivers opening remark to PolyVerse – Culture and Art Tech Exhibition.) (Prof. Henry Duh, Associate Dean of PolyU School of Design (Global and Industry Engagement), delivers curator’s remark to PolyVerse – Culture and Art Tech Exhibition.) (Group photo with sponsors and judges of The AI-Powered Legacy – 48 Hours AI Filmmaking Competition. (From Left) Mr Peng Cheng, CEO of EcoPlants, Mr Rico Wong, Senior Manager of LG Electronics HK Ltd., Dr Charles Cheung, Co-Director of PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre and Deputy Director of NVIDIA AI Technology Center, Prof. Henry Duh, Associate Dean of School of Design and Director of PolyU Research Centre for Cultural and Art Technology and Director of PolyU- NVIDIA Joint Research Centre, Prof. Kun-Pyo Lee, Dean of School of Design,  Alan Lee, Audiovisual Expert, Dr Terry Lam, Dean of the School of Film and Television, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Ms Joyce Lam, Senior Supervisor of LG Electronics HK Ltd.)   (Group photo with all the award winners of The AI-Powered Legacy – 48 Hours AI Filmmaking Competition and participating artists of PolyVerse – Culture and Art Tech Exhibition.) (Group photo with moderator and keynote speakers. (From Left) Dr Zhou Zhibin, Assistant Director of PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre,  Prof. Wu Yangbo, Associate Professor of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Prof. Yu Chunna, Professor of Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, Prof. Ren Hongwei, Associate Professor of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Dr Terry Lam, Dean of the School of Film and Television, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Prof. Yang Bo, Associate Professor of Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts)   "This exhibition represents a significant milestone in bridging traditional cultural heritage with cutting-edge technology," said Prof. Duh. "The scale of participation, with over 80 creators and researchers contributing their insights, demonstrates the enormous potential for technology to revolutionize cultural preservation and artistic expression."   The symposium presentations explored various aspects of digital cultural preservation, virtual reality in art, and sustainable development in cultural heritage protection. The PolyU Research Centre for Cultural and Art Technology and PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre served as a collaborative platform that brought together leading academics and industry experts, showcasing their dedication to advancing the field. (The exhibition view of PolyVerse – Culture and Art Tech Exhibition.) Explore the virtual exhibition now For media inquiries: rc.cat@polyu.edu.hk

The AI-Powered Legacy: 48 Hours AI Filmmaking Competition Winners Announcement

The AI-Powered Legacy - 48 Hours AI Filmmaking Competition received remarkable films produced within the challenging 48-hour timeframe. 10 Poly student teams and 15 public teams have demonstrated exceptional creativity and technical proficiency in AI-generated content. We are pleased to announce that our distinguished panel of judges, in collaboration with our valued sponsor LG, has selected the following winners:   Student Group Gold Award: Team: Winwin Film title: The Fortress   Silver Award: Team: Chuntianhuahuayoueryuan Film Title: The Blinds   Bronze Award:  Team: Wonder Film Title: New Utopia   Special Mention: Team: Random Noise Film Title: Black in White     Public Group Gold Award: Team: THE PLOUGH FILMS Film Title: One More Glance   Silver Award: Team: C47 Production Hong Kong Film Title: Once Upon A Time   Bronze Award:  Team: Jo Jo Ventures Film Title: Luna   Special Mention: Team: Common Sense Squad Film Title:The Greatest Taxi Dog   LG Best Immersive Award: Team: Creaite Film Title: The Last Spark   We congratulate all participants for their outstanding contributions. The films are available for viewing from 24 Jan - 27 Feb 2025 in the PolyVerse - Culture and Art Tech Exhibition. Award Winners will be contacted regarding award collection. For more information, please contact Miss Wong at rc.cat@polyu.edu.hk.  

The AI-Powered Legacy: 48 Hours AI Filmmaking Competition Concludes with Groundbreaking masterpieces

PolyU Research Centre for Cultural and Art Technology, in collaboration with PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre and School of Design, proudly announces the successful conclusion of "The AI-Powered Legacy," a pioneering 48-hour filmmaking competition held at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) from 2 November to 4 November, 2024. This unique event brought together 25 teams of AI experts and film practitioners to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and filmmaking, resulting in a dynamic showcase of creativity and technological innovation. Participants were challenged to leverage cutting-edge AI technologies to produce compelling visual narratives, pushing the boundaries of traditional storytelling.   Ahead of the event, participants had the chance to attend exclusive workshops hosted by the research centers. They learnt from a series of workshops with topics covering NVIDIA NIM, inference microservices for flexible deployment across multiple platforms; AIGC Creation class led by the founders of 32 Digital Omnimedia Co., focusing on the use of ComfyUI, LoRA, ControlNet, and more. The workshops concluded with story-telling skills and technique training, featuring insights from Director Nicolas Lesaffre of an award-winning animation studio Nikopicto. Participants were equipped with access to state-of-the-art resources, including generative video and image platforms, cloud computing extend introduction to AI creation, before embarking on their creative journeys.   The success of "The AI-Powered Legacy" underscores the transformative potential of AI in filmmaking and sets the stage for future collaborations and innovations in the field. The organizers express their gratitude to all participants, judges, and sponsors for their contributions to this landmark event.   Please stay tuned for the announcement of the winners in December! Select submissions will be featured in the upcoming Art Tech Exhibition, scheduled to run from 24 January through 27 February 2025 in School of Design, PolyU, offering further exposure to the innovative works produced during the competition.   For more information, please contact Miss Wong at rc.cat@polyu.edu.hk.

Art-Tech Odyssey: the Creative Possibilities at the Intersection of Art and Technology

As digitalisation continues to shape our society, the intersection of art and technology is at the forefront. The PolyU Research Centre for Cultural and Art Technology (CAT) hosted the opening ceremony for its inaugural exhibition of "Researching the Future" and “The Academic Convergence of Art and Technology” Symposium on 11 December 2023.   The exhibition was held at PolyU from 11 December to 31 December 2023. It is a showcase of innovative research by scholar-artists from renowned Asian universities, highlighting the seamless integration of art and technology. Participating scholar-artists including Prof. KAN Tai-keung, SBS (PolyU), Prof. INAMI Masahiko (The University of Tokyo), Dr GAO Feng (Peking University), Dr KANG Yiyun (KAIST, South Korea), Dr KHOO Eng Tat (National University of Singapore), Dr LAI Mei-kei (Macao Polytechnic University) used computer chips, sensor devices, AI, computer vision and engineering to create captivating landscapes, surreal realms and immersive soundscapes. These creations reflect on the spiritual aspects of technology, express humanistic concern and showcase a wide range of art-tech possibilities.   On the opening event, Prof. INAMI Masahiko from The University of Tokyo presented JIZAI ARMS performance that has amazed many guests. “The Academic Convergence of Art and Technology” Symposium will be followed in the afternoon.   6 featured scholar-artists and guest speaker Prof. TAN Liang (Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts) shared their insights on artistic research in the field of cultural and art technology.   About the exhibition  

The Inaugural Meeting of the JHMUA for Future Human Habitats Science and Design

On September 22, 2023, Prof. Henry Duh, Director of PolyU-Nvidia Joint Research Centre, joined the Inaugural Meeting of the JHMUA for Future Human Habitats Science and Design in Nanjing University.   The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Wang Zhenlin, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party Committee and Vice President of Nanjing University. Based on the topic Interactive Design, Prof. Henry Duh and Prof. Tong Ziyu, Director of Computational Design and Intelligent Construction Laboratory of Nanjing University introduced the initiatives to carry out scientific research and teaching cooperation. Representatives from Jiangsu Smart City Planning and Digital Governance Engineering Research Center, Nanjing University Urban Morphology Research Center and Sino-Portuguese Cultural Heritage Protection Science The heads of the “One Belt, One Road” Joint Laboratory delivered their speeches in the fields of cross-cutting design, smart cities, urban science and cultural heritage.   The Jiangsu-Hong Kong-Macau University Alliance (JHMUA) was jointly established by Nanjing University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The University of Macau under the initiative of the Jiangsu Education Department and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government. The inauguration ceremony attracted more than 100 leaders, scholars and students from 14 universities in Jiangsu, Hong Kong and Macau participated in this event.

Asia Pacific Art and Culture Technology Forum cum the Opening of Research Centre for Cultural and Art Technology Centre and PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) announced the establishment of the Research Centre on Cultural and Art Technology and the PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre on 24 July 2023. The Centres' Opening Ceremony, hosted by Professor Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, was held together with the Asia Pacific Art and Culture Technology Forum where renowned industry leaders shared insights on the applications of generative AI. Centre Director Professor Henry Duh announced the "Call for Global Collaboration" that targeted to support Hong Kong art and culture. The event was attended by guests from different industries, including Invest HK, the British Consulate-General, Adobe, Moleskine, Unity, Tencent Games Lightspeed Studios, and more, who are also important stakeholders of the Centre's. The Centre looks forward to partnering with institutions and funding bodies to work together and support local art community and cultural groups.

PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre Signing Ceremony

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is collaborating with NVIDIA to establish a joint research center for the innovation of culture, art technology and interactive media with the goal of nurturing talents and conducting collaborative research. The School of Design of PolyU (PolyU Design) will team with NVIDIA for the establishment of PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre, which aims to become a leading research centre in culture and art technology. The PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre is to be set up by PolyU and NVIDIA. It is NVIDIA’s leading global research centre partnered with an education institution to facilitate art, design and media innovation.   Leveraging Hong Kong’s position in China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA) with vibrant art and creative activities, PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre intends to become the hub of culture and art technology research internationally, driving creative innovation in the art-tech field. This academia-industry collaboration combines the strengths of NVIDIA technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics and high-performance computing, and PolyU’s expertise in cross-disciplinary research and education, to promote and create impactful and creative research on art technology. PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre will provide a various training courses and sharing by NVIDIA for School of Design students and researchers to develop their technical skills and gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art technologies, with the hardware and technical support from NVIDIA. Opportunities to connect and collaborate with industry professionals and experts from both PolyU and NVIDIA can be expected.   Prof. Henry DUH from PolyU Design and Dr Charles CHEUNG from NVIDIA AI Technology Center are appointed as  Co-Directors of the joint research centre to fosters knowledge exchange and potential industry partnerships, enhancing students' understanding of real-world challenges.  “PolyU always seeks for strong community engagement to produce timely and cutting-edge industry relevant research. By leveraging NVIDIA’s expertise in artificial intelligence, we will provide a collaborative platform for GBA culture groups and art communities to create new forms of arts,” said Prof. Henry DUH.

Upcoming Funding and Opportunities Announcements

We're thrilled to announce the launch of our new research center website. We now have an online hub to share our ongoing work and opportunities with the broader community. This is just the beginning of our expanded efforts. As we continue to establish our initiatives and network of partners, even more exciting prospects will unfold. Our goal is to foster cutting-edge multi-disciplinary solutions for cultural preservation, fostering new artistic expressions with the help of technology and we want ambitious innovators like you involved every step of the way. What to Expect While full specifics are still in development, the future opportunities include: Project funding for innovative research ideas through Call for Proposals Hands-on experience through fellowships or internships  Access to our facilities, mentorship and industry connections These will be a chance to directly contribute to impactful work at our center. And we are excited to launch these endeavours soon. Application Information Exact dates, requirements and submission processes are currently being finalized. We anticipate opening applications for the first round in middle of September 2023.