Tag: exhibitions

There’s a T Rex in town

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IFC’s summer guest – a two-tonne Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil from the US

A 67-million-year-old dinosaur was unveiled in Hong Kong today – in the incongruous confines of one of the city’s glitzier shopping malls.

But whether you love or loathe the location for the ‘Meet The T REX’ exhibition, IFC Mall’s Oval Atrium offers plenty of soaring space, not to mention a huge footfall of people each day.

Hued in a rosy glow from surrounding lighting, the 12-metre long Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil has been brought to Hong Kong from Germany for its first ever ‘tour’. The remains were originally discovered in Northwestern Dakota in the US and were excavated and assembled between 2010 and 2014.

The fossil stands at four metres tall, dominating the surrounding coffee and cosmetics outlets, and weighs a staggering two tonnes.

According to Dr Michael Pittman, who leads the Vertebrate Palaeontology Laboratory at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)’s Department of Earth Sciences, and was officiating at the event launch, Tyrannosaurus Rex was a formidable carnivore.

“It’s jaws were the most powerful ever known, more powerful than a Great White shark or a lion, and its teeth were the largest of any carnivorous dinosaur. It could demolish its prey with ease; even digested bones have been found in coprolite (fossilised faeces) samples.” And contrary to how the T Rex is popularly portrayed in movies, it would have been covered in bird-like feathers rather than scales.

While IFC’s guest visitor would have lived on the north American continent, dinosaur discoveries have also been made in parts of China. However, in Hong Kong findings are so far confined to fossilised fish, some of which date back to the Late Jurassic period, around 147 million years ago.

The Pok Fu Lam-based Department of Earth Sciences at HKU has a small museum of fossilised remains, but as yet there is no dedicated permanent exhibition space in Hong Kong for paleontological exhibits. “The Science Museum recently hosted a temporary exhibition (‘Legends of the Giant Dinosaurs’, which closed in April) and the public is welcome to visit our little display at HKU on weekdays, but yes, obviously a permanent exhibition space is something we would love to see here,” said Dr Pittman.

Highlights of ‘Meet The T Rex’ include a 65 million-year-old thigh bone which the public is free to touch as well as interactive exhibits spread throughout the mall.

Meet The T Rex runs until June 27, 10am-9pm daily, Oval Atrium, IFC Mall, Central, ifc.com.hk/MeetTheTREX

 

 

French artist hits the decks with chocolate records

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Artist Dr Julia Drouhin with her playable chocolate records at Harbour City

French artist Dr Julia Drouhin arrived in Hong Kong this week with her stash of playable chocolate records. Not only are the records sweet tasting, they produce an amazingly sweet sound, too. Dr Drouhin spent this morning’s media launch alternating between Canto Pop, The Beatles, Chinese opera and Abba.

The exhibition, The Sound of Chocolate, is part of this month’s wider chocolate festival hosted by Harbour City in TST.

Each chocolate record lasted for about four or five plays before the diamond tip of the record player began to scratch the grooves. The audience of local photographers and journalists was then able to tuck in.

According to Drouhin, there’s nothing new about chocolate ‘vinyl’. German companies were distributing the very same to children 100 years ago as part of a public relations initiative to promote their products.

Back in her Tasmanian home, Drouhin has perfected the art of creating the records using pinkysil silicon which she pours into a frame over the original vinyl record and then leaves to set. The resulting silicon mould is then carefully peeled away.

“The silicon is also great for giving your vinyl a really good clean – all the dust motes hiding in the grooves come away when you peel away the silicon,” says Drouhin.

Melted chocolate is then poured into the mould and the whole contraption placed in a fridge overnight. “The chocolate must be dark, milk chocolate doesn’t work because it contains too much sugar. This effects the smoothness of the chocolate and gives a rougher finish which of course means the sound quality is comprised.”

Once set, the chocolate carefully prised out of the silicone and can then be spun on a turntable.

Drouhin has exhibited all over the world but this is the first time she has used her chocolate to play Canto Pop.

She says chocolate is only good for 45” singles, although she says ice works very well with 33” long players (ice of course is harder to play as the environment must be below freezing – chocolate merely requires a room set to around 18 degrees).

Drouhin’s chocolate records will be on display as part of Harbour City’s The Sound of Chocolate Art Exhibition which runs until Feb 25. There will be daily live playings every 20 minutes between noon and 8pm, Gallery by the Harbour, Shop 207, 2/F, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, TST. For full details about this exhibition as well as the wider Harbour City Chocolate Trail 2018, see harbourcity.com.