Lee touts vital role of art, religion

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter, in Miaoli County

Art and religion play an equally important role in a country as politics and the economy, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday in Sanyi Township (三義), Miaoli County.

The 89-year-old former president was speaking to a group of woodcarving artists at Sanyi Woodcarving Museum, saying that art and religion are important in the 21st century because “technology cannot solve everything.”

Map brings Britain artist to Taiwan

Taipei, Oct. 8 (CNA) Repeated claims that "Taiwan is a part of China", made by Chinese friends after seeing her creation of a China map without Taiwan, encouraged visiting artist Susan Stockwell to gain first-hand experience of the island.

That was what brought Stockwell, a British artist, to Taiwan last week for a three-month stay through the "Taiwan-U.K. International Fellowship Program," an artist-in-residence program run at the Taipei Artist Village.

Stockwell, who has been doing extensive international work, created a paper map of China during her last residency in Nanjing, China. The response from her friends were unexpected, she said, as almost all of them pointed out that she left out Taiwan, but never mentioned Macau and Hong Kong, neither of which were on the map.

Her friends repeated to Stockwell over and over again that Taiwan is a part of China, which made her very angry, she said.

The U.K. Royal College of Art graduate said she had learned a little about China-Taiwan relations before, but the incident dramatically boosted her curiosity. She jumped at the opportunity upon learning an opening at the artist exchange program.

"I think it was fate that brought me here, " she said.

Stockwell will stay in Taiwan until Dec. 22, after which she will present her work in an open exhibition. She plans on visiting old buildings, Taipei's MRT, and computer factories in Taiwan in the coming week as she seeks inspiration before coming up with artistic ideas.

The fellowship program, co-sponsored by the Council for Cultural Affairs and U.K's Visiting Arts and Arts Council England, is entering its third and last year. Seven Taiwanese artists went to United Kingdom while six U.K. artists have come to Taiwan.

French street art development serves as example for Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 3 (CNA) The development of French street art is the result of a 30-year process of cultivation. While the French experience serves as a good example for Taiwan, it will also take Taiwan a long time before street art blossoms, said a French cultural worker Monday.

Street art in France, which originated in the 1970s in the wake of the 1968 university students' social movement, provides an example for Taiwan to follow, but that experience can neither be duplicated nor copied because it takes time for any art form or culture to grow, said Elodie Presles, a producer at France's national street art center in Marseilles.

The French government has been playing an important role in the development of street art, supporting artists and cultural events with funds from national budgets, Presles said, adding that the government recognizes that art and culture are invaluable national assets, and compensates unemployed artists to encourage them to pursue their artistic careers.

In France there are hundreds of art festivals held in various cities every year, but "Rome wasn't built in a day. Most of them started out as an event of two to three groups and gradually expanded to 100 - 300 groups today," she said.

The national street art center in Marseilles would like to invite Taiwanese artists to perform in France in the future as the center aimed at establishing an European and a global network of street art, Presles said.

Traditionally, city streets have been considered "second-rate" performance spaces in Taiwan, said Su Yao-hua, chief executive of Taipei Artists Village (TAV).

It was the same in France in the 1970s, when street performers were not considered "real artists, " Presles said. Things changed in the 1980s though, she said, when graffiti, hip-hop, and street acrobatics were accepted by the public as genuine art forms.

VIENNA STATE OPERA TO MAKE DEBUT IN TAIWAN

Taipei, July 16 (CNA) Austria's Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper), one of the best known opera houses in the world, will be making its Taiwanese debut in September, organizers announced Monday in a press conference.

Led by Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa, the 130-member visiting group will perform "The Marriage of Figaro" (Le nozze di Figaro) , which was composed by Wolfgang Mozart in eighteenth century and has been one of his most popular operas, during three performances in Taiwan, including two shows in Taipei on Sept. 22 and 23 and one in Kaohsiung on Sept. 24.

However, the performances will be in the form of a concert instead of an opera, meaning performers will not be acting, nor in their operatic costumes, said Niu Hsiao-hua from the main organizer The Management of New Arts (MNA).

"It's unusual for Vienna State Opera to bring its full complement of musicians -- choir, musicians and soloists -- on tour and Maestro Ozawa does not conduct every performance, which indicates that the shows in Taiwan will be extraordinary and a great opportunity to appreciate world-class music, " Niu said.

The Vienna State Opera, Niu said, has been widely regarded as one of the four best opera houses in the world, along with Italy's La Scala, Paris Opera and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

Seiji Ozawa, 71, has worked with famous symphony orchestras in Berlin, Boston and Vienna throughout his career and has been music director of the Vienna State Opera since 2002. Ozawa, India's Zubin Mehta and Singapore's Choo Hoey have been described as the three best Oriental conductors, Niu said.

The group consists of about 60 choir members, 50 musicians and a dozen soloists. They will also stage performances in South Korea and Singapore on its Asian tour.

RUSSIAN PIANIST TO HAVE SECOND SOLO RECITAL IN TAIWAN

Taipei, May 21 (CNA) Russian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk, the youngest pianist to win three major international piano competitions, will perform a second solo recital in Taiwan Wednesday, the concert organizer said Monday.

Gavrylyuk by the age of 23 had won top prizes in three of the most prestigious international competitions: the Arthur Rubinstein 11th Piano Master Competition in 2005; the 4th Hammamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan in 2000; and the 3rd Horowitz International Piano Competition in Ukraine in 1999.

Born in Ukraine in 1984, Gavrylyuk began playing at the age of seven and decided at the age of nine that he wanted to be a professional, for which he received support from his folk musician parents.

"Taiwan has been a special place for me. And I will be glad to feel the passion of Taiwanese audience again after six years, " said Gavrylyuk, who arrived in Taipei Monday.

Responding to a media question about his playing style, Gavrylyuk said his job "is always try to remind the audience about the true beauty of life and always be sincere to the stage" because "deep inside, people are very similar."

"Most of all, I try not to stand in the way of music, " he said.

LONG-AWAITED HUASHAN CULTURE PARK TO BE OPERATIONAL NEXT JUNE

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) Located in the heart of Taipei City, the long-awaited Huashan Culture Park will begin operations next June, the Council of Cultural Affairs (CCA) announced in a press conference Wednesday.



The culture park, which went through four years of planning and the tenure of three CCA chairmen, includes an experimental film zone, an area to host a variety of creative cultural activities and exhibitions and a building as a "flagship base" for Taiwan's creative industry, said CCA chairman Chiu Kun-liang.



Public expectations are high for the project. Looking back, it's been a long and winding road since 1998, when a group of cultural workers urged the government to turn the old brewery dating back to 1916 into a culture park, Chiu said.



In 2002, the massive property -- located on Zhongxiao East Road, one of Taipei's busiest streets -- was designated as one of Taiwan's five culture parks. However, little progress has been made since then as public debate has heated up on the park's planning.



Starting June 2007, the culture park is expected to be "a showroom" for all kinds of exhibitions and activities and cross-over artforms, and for all ages, Chiu said, adding that the park will benefit creative and cultural industries as well as non-profit organizations.



The park is an ideal place to host cultural and artistic events because of its location and historical setting, said Liu Wei-gong, a Soochow University professor who was responsible for Huashan Culture Park's research plan.



Taiwan's cultural and creative industry has been rich in producing content while lacking an integrated platform and collective efforts. The industry is currently in fierce competition with China, which has been catching up, Chiu said.



"It's time for Taiwan to move forward and speed up," he said. "Hopefully, with the operation of the Huashan Culture Park and similar projects, Taiwan can establish a network for the cultural and creative industry and increase its global competitiveness," said Chiu.

ST. PETERSBURG PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM IN TAIWAN

Taipei, Nov. 9 (CNA) The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, regarded as one of the best in the world, will stage two concerts in Taiwan Nov. 10 and Nov. 11, organizers said Thursday.

The Russian orchestra, led by conductor Yuri Temirkanov and consisting of 120 musicians, will perform at the National Concert Hall on its fourth visit to Taiwan.

All proceeds of the Nov. 10 concert will be donated to the Sacred Heart Home, an institution located in Chiayi County dedicated to caring for people who are severely mentally or physically challenged.

The concerts are being sponsored by the Wan Hai Charity Foundation and the Powerchip Semiconductor Corp. Cultural Foundation.

U.S. DANCE GROUP FOUNDER SURPRISED AT TAIWAN'S DANCE TALENT

Taipei, Oct. 31 (CNA) With Taiwan's incredible dance talent, Taipei can be the dance capital of the world if it wants to be, and corporates can be of great help along the way, the founder of a U.S. dance group said Tuesday.

"There is such incredible dance talent here on the world level. Taipei can be the dance capital if it wants to, but it needs to make investments, " said Jonathan Hollander, founder of Battery Dance Company (BDC).

"Maybe dance is a key for Taiwan to gain global recognition, " said Hollander, who founded BDC in 1976.

The New York-based group concludes a six-nation Asia tour, which has taken them to Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines and Taiwan in six weeks, with a performance Tuesday in Taipei.

Hollander and the BDC dancers conducted 11 master classes and workshops during their six-day stay in Taiwan.

Hollander has worked with dancers from Cloud Gate, Taiwan's most prestigious dance troupe, and some BDC dancers have worked with Shue Fang-yi, the first Taiwanese principle dancer in the Martha Graham Dance Troupe in New York.

Corporates can also be a great help and a bridge between arts groups and public institutions in a "triangular relationship, " Hollander told about 50 corporate representatives in a speech focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Corporate involvement, both on the company and employee level, in the community and art groups not only helps employees with their networking, personal growth, self-esteem and companies with their corporate pride and image, but also helps those art groups in need of funding, he noted.

"It's important to have that mutual respect between the corporate sector and artists, " he said.

FILM FESTIVAL SHOWS 'NEVER SAY DIE' ATTITUDE OF TAIWANESE FILMMAKERS

Taipei, Oct. 23 (CNA) The increasing number and broader themes of films featured in the 2006 South Taiwan Film and Video Festival show Taiwanese filmmakers have a "never say die" attitude, an encouraging sign in Taiwan's film industry, a veteran Taiwanese director said Monday.

"The film entries this year are full of vibrance and diversity, which tells me this is a promising film festival and that these young men just refuse to say die to the awful environment in Taiwan's film industry," said Lee You-ning, a former director who serves as a festival juror.

The themes of the 10 films nominated for the category of best documentary range from Taiwanese history, environmental issues to the story of an Internet writer.

In addition, stories of sex workers, a college student facing graduation and a child who lost her father are some of the eight nominations for best film.

"The film festival was established to provide independent filmmakers with an additional outlet to present their work. Judging from the festival's increasing popularity, I'm glad to say we did just that," said the event's main organizer Huang Yu-shan, also a director.

The success of independent films in recent years has boosted young filmmakers' confidence, something not seen among Taiwanese directors before because of a long "down period" in Taiwan's film industry, which has been suffering since the mid-1980's, Huang added.

The South Taiwan Film and Video Festival, established in 2001, is devoted to showcasing new independent films. The 2006 event will be held from Nov. 3 - Dec. 9 in various central and southern cities.

INDEPENDENT FILMS FEATURED IN SOUTH TAIWAN FILM FESTIVAL

Taipei, Oct. 23 (CNA) The 2006 South Taiwan Film and Video Film Festival announced 26 nominees in three categories Monday, as the festival featuring independent films looks to rival the mainstream Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.

Entering its sixth year, the film festival that began as an experiment has been attracting more and more attention and applications, main organizer Huang Yu-shan said, as a record-breaking 213 films were entered this year.

The festival, which takes place Nov. 3- Dec. 9 in the southern cities of Kaohsiung, Tainan, Chiayi and Taichung, was established in 2001 to encourage independent filmmakers and the film culture in south Taiwan, where "you can see a huge 'visual arts gap' compared to the north of Taiwan," said Government Information Office (GIO) minister Cheng Wen-tsang.

Winners of best documentary, film and animation categories will be announced at the award ceremony Nov. 26 in Tainan's Chihkanlou, built during the Dutch occupation of Taiwan.

Over the years, the festival has distinguished itself from its northern counterpart, Huang said. Several independent films, such as "Let it be" and "Jump! Boys," came out of the festival, achieving relative box office success and local accolades.

"It's encouraging for numerous local filmmakers, especially young people who are passionate about making films. It was a driving force that encourages them to keep on producing films," she said.

This year is no different. The opening film, "The Road in the Air," directed by Isaac Lee, and the closing film "Exit No. 6" directed by Lin Yu-hsien -- the same director who directed "Jump! Boys" -- have been the festival's most talked-about independent films of the year.

Dozens of foreign films will be screened during the festival, as well as a feature created by two promising young directors -- Cheng Yu-chieh and Ho Wi-ding.

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA TO CELEBRATE ANNIVERSARY WITH CONCERT

Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) will celebrate its 20th anniversary in a concert Oct. 23 featuring the works of Richard Strauss, a spokesman announced Thursday.

Led by Music Director Chien Wen-pin, more than 100 NSO musicians will perform in the anniversary celebration, which is titled "The Richard Strauss Cycle" and will take place at the National Concert Hall.

NSO has also commissioned local composer Pan Hwang-long to write anew symphony for the occasion. Titled Hetevophony Concerto for Orchestra, Pan combines beiguan (a form of traditional Chinese music) with Western orchestration to create a fusion of Eastern and Western musical styles.

"The NSO's overall improvement as a group in recent years has been astonishing, " Pan said, adding that he believes the NSO is capable of performing any high-difficulty work now.

In addition, Ricardo Morales and Daniel Matsukawa, the woodwind principal players of the Philadelphia Orchestra, will team up with the NSO to perform Richard Strauss' Duett Concertino.

INT'L ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION LAUNCHED FOR KAOHSIUNG ARTS COMPLEX

Taipei, Oct. 16 (CNA) The Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA) launched an international architectural competition Monday to design the largest performing arts complex in Taiwan -- a NT$6.5 billion (US$200 million) project to create the National Kaohsiung Performing Arts Center (NKPAC).

"We hope the arts complex will be the catalyst to begin bridging the cultural gap between northern and southern Taiwan," CCA vice chairperson Hong Ching-feng said of the center, which will be located in the southern metropolis of Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second largest city.

The NKPAC will occupy the 67-hectare Wei-Wu-Ying Metropolitan Park (a former military base), and include three theaters and one concert hall -- providing a total seating capacity of 5,800.

In addition to the NKPAC's main building, the project includes the design and planning for the surrounding area, Wei-Wu-Ying Metropolitan Park and nearby Zongzheng Park.

Architects from around the world are eligible to enter the two-stage open competition to secure a NT$702 million contract (US$21.2 million) with the best design. The winner will be announced in March 2007, said Lin Cho-hao, director of the NKPAC preparatory office.

"Hopefully the project will be mentioned in the same breath as New York's Central Park and London's Hyde Park," said Hsu Po-yun, who serves as commissioner of the CCA's Committee on Architectural Art and is one of the competition's 10 jurors.

The NKPAC's construction is expected to be completed in 2011, Lin said.

CANADIAN PAINTER HOLDS EXHIBITION IN TAIPEI

Taipei, Sep. 7 (CNA) A Canadian English teacher and painter whose work is being displayed at the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei said Thursday that his "most unforgettable experiences" are what inspire his painting.

Cole Swanson said that during a trip to Jaipur, India a few years ago, a massive flock of pigeons in front of Albert Hall caught his attention.

"The birds that littered the front steps were so numerous that I could barely walk a straight line through them. When they rose into the sky, I became lost. The wings of the birds were so many that my whole world dissolved right in front of my eyes, " said Swanson, who lives in Taipei and makes his living teaching English.

"I was left with the pure sensation of their multitude. They were no longer birds; they were an enormous living thing, " he said, adding that this is why he has been focusing on pigeons as the main theme of his work ever since.

Swanson, 23, has been living in Taiwan for eight months and plans on staying for another six months. Being able to earn money teaching English while painting in his spare time is what brought him to Taiwan after spending a year in India studying Indian folk design and miniature painting.

"An artist is someone who tries to express a certain kind of identity. I'm a little bit different. For me, this is an exhibition that does not necessarily believe in anything, " he said cryptically.