After four weeks of webinars that gave audiences an insight into Taiwan’s performing arts industrty, with artist interviews that gave unique perspectives of four tour-ready productions and webinars that deepened audiences’ understandings of various topics, Taiwan Season 2020 Online Symposium “Connecting with Taiwan” has finally wrapped up with the ending of last webinar on Friday.
The week started off with host Donald Hutera putting Hsiu-Wei Lin of Tai Gu Tales Dance Theatre in the hot seat, interviewing her about the groups tour-ready production The Back Of Beyond. Viewers welcomed unique insights to the performance itself, along with learning about Lin’s pedagogical beliefs about dance.
The final pair of webinars for the month focused on the topic of indigenous performing arts in both Taiwan and the world. Wednesday’s webinar saw Cheng-Hua Chiang, Head of Programming and Production for the Pulima Art Festival, talk on indigenous dance production, with guest Watan Tusi, the Founder and Director TAI Body Theatre, and Feng-chih Tsou – Head of Programming Section at the National Theatre & Concert Hall. The ensuing conversation on the current state of indigenous performing arts in Taiwan, with Cheng-Hua Chiang providing a historical background on the oppression of indigenous peoples, proved popular with the audience.
The last webinar on Friday looked at the curation of indigeneity in Taiwan, with Cheng-Hua Chiang returning as the key speaker. Guests Dondon Hounwn, Director of Elug Art Corner and Phpah Art Festival, artist Anchi Lin gave their perspectives on indigenous performing arts in Taiwan, with several of the guests elaborating on their discovery of the history of their own indigenous identity. Jacob Boehme, Founding Creative Director of Yirramboi Festival in Australia and Perth Institute of Contemporary Art’s Engagement Programs Curator Ashley Yihsin Chang provided an international perspective, drawing comparisons between Australia’s relationship with First Nations and Taiwan’s relationship with Indigenous peoples.
The end of the second webinar marked the end of Taiwan Season 2020, however the month-long programme did indeed end on a high, with Taiwan Season 2020 Online Symposium “Connecting with Taiwan” winning The Infallibles Award. Amy Saunders – Head of Participants Services at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – commented on how the Taiwan Season team had “brought the spirit of the Fringe alive this month more than anybody else”. The Founder of the Infallibles Award, Stefania Bochicchio joined the chat to present award virtually over livestream.
Jih-Wen Yeh, the curator of Taiwan Season 2020, was also on the livestream to accept the award, taking the opportunity to thank the artists, key speakers, guests, technical teams, her fellow team members and the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office and the Minsitry of Culture in Taiwan. On the support given to Taiwan Season by the Fringe Society, Jih-Wen said: “I feel we’ve had a closer relationship with the fringe society than we’ve had in the past six years… It’s quite weird, we’re not together but I feel a bond with the Fringe more.”
Dr. Pin-Chuan Chen, Director of the Cultural Division at the Taipei Representative Office, also gave thanks to the Fringe and Jih-Wen Yeh, reflecting on the difficulty of the transition to digital events. “The thing we’re doing”, he commented, “is supporting artists from Taiwan and trying to communicate with different territories… to our knowledge and experience from Taiwan to different countries”. Dr. Chen also thanked the audience, for supporting Taiwan Season 2020 and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
This year’s Taiwan Season 2020 Online Symposium “Connecting with Taiwan” has proven that despite the adversity of a pandemic, there is still opportunity for cultural exchange and broadening understanding. We are now looking forward to next year’s physical events, and the opportunity to see those four tour-ready productions live!