Publication

While tangible and intangible cultural heritage is an invaluable marriage of the wisdom, knowledge and skills of traditional craftsmanship, there is no guarantee for their perpetual existence. Fortunately, the opposite effect often takes place when things are carried to the extremes. We are pleased to see many people feeling the urge to revisit traditions, culture and heritage despite our mostly digitised lives, which are driven by recent technological advancement and super computing power.

A good number of creative talents are leveraging technology to preserve traditional cultures. Some are building databases, while some others are learning the skills from master crafters to keep the know-hows alive. Some torch bearers are also incorporating enhancements into age-old crafts. When innovative ideas are employed in heritage conservation, the outcome may reach new heights.

Heritage preservation is an ongoing endeavour in many advanced metropolitans. In China, such efforts form a part of the national strategy. Following the opening of Xiqu Centre, M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the last couple of years, different sectors have become more interested in cultural heritage and we are now blessed with different heritage preservation projects and many innovative works.

SIGNED has always make it a core mission to bring new concepts to our readers, which is why we have chosen the theme of "cultural innovation" for issues #28 to #30. We will feature different aspects of cultural heritage and report our findings with stories about preservation and innovation gathered from the creative community.
To bring our readers a diverse selection of topics about the cultural heritage in the grand 21st century, SIGNED #28, #29 and #30 will be covering "cultural innovation in everyday life", "cultural innovation in arts" and "cultural innovation in the digital space" respectively.

We will first explore the modern interpretation of tangible cultural heritage from the aspect of everyday live. Our inquiry will next delve into the more intangible side of cultural heritage of art, aiming to find insight into the contemporary spirit within. Last but not least, we extend ourselves to the digital world, which is now integral to modern living.