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Art Tech reinvents Kung Fu and opera traditions

29 May 2026

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ARCHE transforms the way one encounters and experiences the contemporary practice of Kung Fu by connecting it with songs and placing this intangible cultural heritage in a musically dramatic context as an installation accessible to the audience.

 

To some people, opera and Kung Fu (Chinese martial arts) may have little in common. But to composer Professor Eugene Birman, opera singers and Kung Fu practitioners are connected through “chi” (a Chinese concept for breath). His new applied research art tech project, ARCHE, explores the practice of Kung Fu and its connections to songs, placing this intangible cultural heritage in a musically dramatic context as an installation.

Transforming Chinese martial arts through art tech

The immersive opera performance premiered this month at the 20th Munich Biennale, an internationally renowned festival for world premieres and a laboratory for new music theatre. The work was developed by Professor Birman, Associate Director (Internationalisation) and Associate Professor of the Academy of Music at HKBU, and Dr Katharina Schmitt, a librettist and stage director. 

Professor Birman said, “ARCHE is among the first multimedia productions of its kind, blending martial arts in both its pure and pop culture forms with the worlds of opera, music theatre and art tech. We do this to expose this incredible tradition rooted in our local culture to new, global audiences, so that it is not just ‘preserved’ but actually in a constant cycle of innovation and reinvention.”

In ARCHE, composition, libretto, spatial and directorial concepts are intertwined, and the breath was drawn as a motor for rhythm, sound and movement. The work also draws on the Kung Fu culture in varied contexts in the East and the West: from classical martial arts treatises to 1970s Kung Fu films, and from breakdance inspired movements to wuxia (martial chivalry) novels like Jin Yong’s The Legend of the Condor Heroes. “Fujian White Crane” Kung Fu, a renowned Southern Chinese martial art designated as China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008, was also featured.

Bringing Chinese intangible cultural heritage to global audience

To celebrate the world premiere of ARCHE, HKBU co-hosted the Hong Kong Reception, “Decoding Heritage in Art Tech: An Overture”, with Munich Biennale and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Munich on 10 May. The Reception was supported by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Invest Hong Kong, and showcased HKBU’s cross-disciplinary creative achievements that transcend physical and geographical boundaries. 

At the reception, Professor Andreas Kratky, Director of the Academy of Visual Arts at HKBU, moderated a panel discussion “China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Meets Global Audiences: The Role of Art Tech”. Speakers included Professor Birman, Dr Schmitt, Ms Marlene Schleicher, Dramaturgy and Editorial of Munich Biennale, and Professor Jeffrey Shaw, Chair Professor of the Academy of Visual Arts at HKBU. They shared key insights into the cross-disciplinary work of ARCHE, and discussed their visions for broadening international collaborations and cultural exchanges to create global impact.

ARCHE was commissioned by the City of Munich for the Munich Biennale, and was initiated as part of the art tech project “Future Cinema Systems: Next-Generation Art Technologies” led by Professor Shaw and supported by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Government of the HKSAR. It aspires to create a compelling narrative about the Chinese cultural heritage with global audiences and enrich their understanding of the Chinese culture.

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(From right) Mr Billy Leung, Deputy Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Professor Jeffrey Shaw, Chair Professor of the Academy of Visual Arts at HKBU; Ms Marlene Schleicher, Dramaturgy and Editorial of Munich Biennale; Dr Katharina Schmitt, Director and Playwright of ARCHE; Professor Eugene Birman, Associate Director (Internationalisation) and Associate Professor of the Academy of Music at HKBU; Professor Andreas Kratky, Director of the Academy of Visual Arts at HKBU; Ms Nelly Lam, Assistant Director (Strategic Alliance and Promotion) of the Institute for Innovation and Translation at HKBU officiate the Hong Kong Reception, “Decoding Heritage in Art Tech: An Overture”.