TAD Festival lights up Dazhi, Neihu in Taipei City

2015/12/21

A three-week festival transforming the commercial and high-tech zones of Dazhi and Neihu into a 24/7 artistic hub is underway in Taipei City.

Staged at 17 galleries until Jan. 3 next year, Taipei Art District Festival centers on an exhibition featuring more than 70 pieces created by 30 local artists, as well as a series of lectures and workshops. The cultural initiative is expected to attract a large number of visitors and help portray the two areas in a new cultural light.

Curator Luo He-lin said Dazhi and Neihu are among the busiest parts of the city during the day, but this changes dramatically after the sun goes down. “Our theme Sleepless Dwelling aims to alter this state of affairs by heightening public awareness of the artistic potential contained in every nook and cranny of the areas.”

One highlight of the daytime display at Dazhi’s Asia Art Center is “Authenticity Temporal Memory” by Chen Wen-chi, head of Department of Communications Design at Taipei City-based Shih Chien University.

The work, comprising black-and-white photographs of urban scenes in Taipei, Bangkok, Kyoto, Shanghai and Tokyo, bears movable type Chinese character script. It conveys the artist’s feelings during his travels and desire to freeze time at such special moments in life.

Equally interesting is “LBSkeletons” by Huang Chih-chieh in the nighttime display at Neihu’s Art Issue Projects. He is renowned as the winner of Germany-based Red Dot Award: Communication Design in 2013.

Fashioned from infrared sensors, microprocessors, plastic tubes and pneumatic cylinders, the tech-heavy artwork detects the approach of people and changes shape while producing various lights and sounds. The installation showcases the young talent’s unbridled creativity and delivers a fresh, interactive experience for visitors.

An added bonus for night owls is graffiti by street artist Candy Bird on the roll-up shutters of Dazhi’s Bergamo and Chini Galleries. This edgy display challenges creative preconceptions and sets a place at the cultural table for greater youth participation.

Launched in 2014, the festival is as an effective platform for coordinating the efforts of galleries and related institutions in adding Dazhi and Neihu to Taipei’s list of exciting artistic destinations.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=240385&ctNode=2194&mp=9)