RCCAPV: EdUHK's Groundbreaking Creative Arts Research Centre Championing Public Value

Interviewer: Andy Ng & Eric Lam

Writer: Eric Lam

Photographer: Sherman Tse

The Research Centre for Creative Arts and Public Value (RCCAPV) was established in July 2025. This innovative centre aims to become an internationally recognised university-level institution at EdUHK, harnessing the transformative power of creative arts to generate meaningful public value.

In an interview with FHM Research Bulletin, RCCAPV Director Prof Mette Hjort, Head of the Department of Literature and Cultural Studies at FHM and Chair Professor of Film and Media Studies, outlined the Centre's vision, core focus areas, strategic partnerships, and its commitment to promoting public value across society.

RCCAPV Director Prof Mette Hjort

Scope: From Traditional Forms to Emerging Expressions

RCCAPV embraces a comprehensive understanding of the arts, spanning from traditional forms such as literature, music, and theatre to cutting-edge expressions including NFT art and AI collaborations. The Centre recognises the importance of both physical and virtual spaces where creative work is developed and disseminated through digital platforms and blockchain technologies. "With its dedicated focus on creative arts, RCCAPV champions innovative research that enhances art's multifaceted contributions to society—across cultural, social, ethical, spiritual, health, and inclusion dimensions," Prof Hjort explains. These values collectively serve the public interest by nurturing cohesive, sustainable communities where humans can flourish in harmony with both other species and the natural environment.

Foci:  Three Key Areas

RCCAPV's mission encompasses three core areas that demonstrate its commitment to leveraging creative arts for societal benefit:

I. Artistic Projects as Catalysts for Policy Formation

The Centre cultivates environments for imaginative discourse on pressing societal challenges including aging populations, diversity and inclusion, social cohesion, and climate change. "Through art, we inspire creative solutions to complex problems and advocate for policies that prioritise collective well-being," Prof Hjort notes. "RCCAPV also develops robust ethical frameworks for AI applications in the emerging Art Tech field, harnessing cutting-edge technologies such as holograms and synthetic voices to create innovative performances that challenge conventional thinking."

II. Creative Arts for Human Flourishing

"The RCCAPV will explore art's profound capacity to enhance human flourishing by creating inclusive environments for individuals with special needs, restoring hope and social connections during periods of illness, and fostering meaningful experiences for those facing marginalisation," Prof Hjort emphasises. The Centre is committed to developing impactful research initiatives with multiple objectives—promoting psychological well-being and resilience through art's therapeutic and transformative potential, while actively supporting 'social prescribing' of art in Hong Kong.

III. Global Wisdom Exchange in a Metaverse Creative Arts Lab

Through its innovative Metaverse-based Creative Arts Lab, RCCAPV establishes dynamic collaborative platforms where practice-based researchers from Hong Kong and China engage meaningfully with international communities, with particular emphasis on Belt and Road nations and the African continent. The Centre orchestrates purpose-driven, SDG-informed collaborations between creative teams worldwide, transcending traditional East-West exchanges to forge substantive partnerships with the Global South. "By nurturing rich dialogue across diverse cultural traditions, we seek to deepen our collective understanding of art's public value and its essential role in designing sustainable futures," the Director says.

Vision: Support Human Thriving through Arts Practices

The transformative potential of creative arts is central to RCCAPV's identity, as evidenced by the core projects and key partnerships proposed for its inaugural development phase. "Envisioned as a flagship university-level centre at EdUHK, RCCAPV will concentrate on creative arts research, practice-based methodologies, impactful public performances, and the cultivation of meaningful public discourse on art's capacity for social transformation," Prof Hjort articulates. This pioneering centre will be unprecedented not only within EdUHK but throughout Hong Kong's entire higher education landscape. "RCCAPV aspires to make a substantial contribution to a distinctive space that its practice-based research will help to support, and to offer creative and teach-supported arts practices that in turn support human thriving," Prof Hjort emphasises.

Prof Hjort, RCCAPV Director and Prof John Erni, RCCAPV Co-Director at FHM’s ‘Humanities Can!’ Launch Event

Collaborations: Africa-focused Initiatives

Drawing on the Director’s extensive networks in Morocco, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania, RCCAPV will work with universities and third sector organisations across the African continent to facilitate a properly global conversation about the creative arts as engines for the creation of public value. "Our initial focus will centre on Tanzania, particularly Zanzibar," Prof Hjort elaborates, "where FHM delivered an innovative summer programme featuring manifesto-based creative collaborations between Hong Kong and Zanzibari students, expertly facilitated by local Zanzibari practitioners alongside two dedicated EdUHK tutors."

Public Value: Generate through Three Channels

"In the context of creative arts, 'public value' encompasses both the tangible and intangible benefits that artistic expression contributes to society as a whole," the expert elucidates. This multifaceted concept captures the transformative impact of artistic initiatives on policy development, collective well-being, and meaningful cultural exchange, with particular emphasis on advancing inclusivity, diversity, and profound social transformation. "Within the RCCAPV framework, public value manifests through three primary channels," she elaborates. "First, through creating dynamic spaces for imaginative discourse addressing urgent societal challenges; second, by enhancing human flourishing through thoughtfully designed inclusive artistic environments; and third, by fostering cross-cultural, policy-oriented dialogue that amplifies traditionally marginalised voices and perspectives."

Public value manifests through three primary channels within the RCCAPV framework

The Path Ahead

With its ambitious vision, strategic partnerships spanning continents, and commitment to addressing pressing societal challenges, RCCAPV is poised to redefine how we understand the relationship between creative expression and public value. As Hong Kong continues to develop its unique identity as a global arts hub bridging East and West, the Centre stands ready to make a lasting contribution to both local communities and the international conversation about art's role in shaping our collective future.