Designer of Beijing Olympics to speak at UB

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 on March 9 at UB.

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

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

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 through 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 talk.

Han 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 the UB 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.

For more information, contact Eric Yang at 645-7919.

The UB Confucius Institute is part of a network of 400 such institutes around the world that promote the teaching of Chinese language and culture. The institute is a collaborative program involving UB's Asian Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences; Capital Normal University, a longstanding UB educational partner in Beijing; and Hanban, the executive body of the Chinese Language Council International, a non-governmental and non-profit organization affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education.