Visitors to become artists at Taipei festival

2015/11/06

Digital Art Festival Taipei is set to kick off Nov. 13 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, showcasing interactive art programs combining contemporary art forms with the latest production techniques.

Organized by Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the 10-day event features an eclectic lineup of exhibitions on animated films, interactive art installations, GIFs and video games, as well as competitions, electronic music concerts and avant-garde performances by talented artists from home and abroad.

According to event curator FabLab Dynamic, the development of new technologies enables the public to better understand artistic creation and become a part of the festival, which is themed Digitopia this year. “We think everyone is an artist, and there is every reason to encourage interactions between involved talents and festival-goers via collaborative practices.”

One highlight of the event is the “Derivative Chain”—a 3-D printer that continually produces the components of other 3-D printers to generate an endless production process. This functioning art piece is operated in conjunction with various “makerspaces,” where like-minded individuals can attend do-it-yourself workshops to share ideas and techniques. A program including lectures and discussions concerning the assembly of 3-D-printed products will also be held on site.

Another praiseworthy program is “PPES Reading Hut” by WikiHouse, led by British architect Alastair Parvin. The small, partially enclosed reading space is designed based on simple open-source concepts, utilizing low-energy techniques and customizable to individual users’ needs.

Working with the Graduate Institute of Architecture of National Chiao Tung University and the Association of Humanitarian Architecture in Taiwan, the team behind the reading hut welcomes festival-goers to help construct the space. The completed hut will be donated to the Beiping Elementary School in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu County.

An additional bonus performance, “Render Ghost,” is to be staged Nov. 20-22 to wrap up the festival. Designed by performance art company CBMI—this year’s Digital Art Performance Award winner—the interactive artistic experience employs dry ice, laser beams, powerful fans and the latest sound effects to create a space straight out of science fiction.

Wearing head-mounted displays and dust-free garments, visitors become performers on the digital interface-like stage, wandering about the space where the digital and virtual worlds converge.

“The mesmerizing interplay among light and sound is certain to deliver an unforgettable futuristic atmosphere to let the audience’s imaginations run wild,” the curator said.

Since 2006, the annual festival has aimed to promote cutting-edge digital art forms and address issues of human creativity and technology.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=238579&ctNode=2194&mp=9)