Designer of Beijing Olympics opening ceremony will speak at UB March 9

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Han Lixun, the chief designer of what may be the most spectacular public celebration ever mounted -- the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics -- will present an illustrated talk about his work at the University at Buffalo on March 9.

It will take place at 10:30 a.m. in the Screening Room, 112 Center for the Arts On UB’s North Campus. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Using slides, Han, who is a revered figure in his field, will reveal working behind-the-scenes with some of the best-known figures in the contemporary arts world on the design and presentation of the Olympics ceremony.

He will describe how the ceremony evolved from the point of conceptualization to material and technical choices, and from visualizing the design in a given space to its realization through the collaboration of architects and engineers.

The presentation also will offer insight into China’s historical and contemporary culture, including its politics, ethics, aesthetics, technology and world of design. Han will discuss ways in which the arts are helping to satisfy social demands in China and will offer career-building skills and strategies.  

A question and answer period will follow his lecture.

Han Lixun is a 1985 graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, where he studied scenic design. He later undertook the study of art and space design at the Art Academy of Dusseldorf under stage and costume designer, theater director and opera director Karl Kneidl. Han’s career has included extensive work in theatrical design, event design, interior design, theme-park design, public art, art installation and site-specific theatre.

This presentation is made possible through UB’s Confucius Institute and the UB Techne Institute for Arts and Emerging Technologies. It will be on the program of the Upstate New York Spring Conference of the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology.

It is on the program of the Upstate New York Spring Conference of the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology.