A unique animal exhibition that combines the strengths of the School of Creative Media (SCM) of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and the National Palace Museum (NPM) in Taipei has won a Gold prize at the MUSE Awards.

The “ANiMAL: Art Science Nature Society” exhibition, which was on show from October 2018 to January 2019 at CityU Exhibition Gallery, won in the category “Onsite Digital Experience” at the Alliance of American Museums Convention. The MUSE Awards recognise outstanding achievements in Galleries, Libraries, Archives or Museums (GLAM) media and celebrate scholarship, community, innovation, creativity, education and inclusiveness.

“The show is unique in its blending of art and science, its engagement with some of today’s most urgent issues and the creative blossoming of the CityU and NPM partnership,” said Professor Jeffrey Shaw, Yeung Kin Man Chair Professor of Media Art and curator of the exhibition, adding that he was delighted the exhibition had attracted international recognition.

Dr Isabelle Frank, Director of CityU Exhibition Gallery, said she was thrilled about the award. “The prize demonstrates that the exceptional level of the interactive, media-rich installations of this exhibition, and their seamless blending with the on-site exhibition. This prize, the first of many I hope, will encourage us to continue setting the highest standards for all future exhibitions,” she said.

NPM said that it hoped to adopt diversified curatorial thinking and use digital technology to connect NPM artifacts and contemporary life experiences together in order to promote sustainable ecological development and fulfill its social responsibilities as a museum.

The exhibition, our third collaboration with NPM, showcased representative animals from different eras. It joined NPM’s rich Chinese painting and sculpture collections with some of the latest artistic media techniques developed at SCM.

In addition, One Health research from the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences at CityU presented at the exhibition highlighted the growing threats to animal life posed by climate change, environmental degradation, disease transmission, and other dangers.