The Ministry of Culture (MOC) announced that four teams have been selected to explore the theme of post-pandemic “New Normal” on May 10. This project aims at promoting experimental projects of cross-domain creation through technological art. Technological art is no longer simply encompassed by technology or art. In light of the pandemic’s impact on human civilisation, it is necessary to think more comprehensively about the experimental implications of technological art.
The theme “New Normal” is aimed at delving into the changes to everyday life caused by the pandemic. Technological art can give a reflection on how human civilisation adapts and develops to confront the pandemic.
Four selected teams interpret the notion of “New Normal” through entirely different art forms and approaches. The themes include online social interaction, digital power, visual impact and urban scenes, folk culture, traditional Chinese medicine, mechanical violence, theatre performances. Three teams use technology as the main theme in their stories.
Shih Yi-shan’s “Memory War observes the online community environment, utilising an algorithm to interfere with the memory scenes of social media. It experiments changes in human memory in an attempt to counter the manipulation of governmental and digital media forces.
NANONANO’s Heterotopia is built on last year’s processing technology for developing nano-material images in creating illusory micro-landscapes. It uses real-world samples and opens up a dialogue with the world in which they are collected.
Tien Zi-ping’s “Weightlessness Project- Chapter New Normal” captures the strength and beauty found in experimental performance and percussion device interpreted with dance postures. The team explores human experience amidst the pandemic and technological experience through physical and sensory experiences.
Taiwan has been utilising technology to promote its culture, including using advanced technology for a national cultural exhibition. As reported by OpenGov Asia, Taiwan’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) teams up with Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) to film a series of “4DViews Chiang Wei-shui Clips”. They adopt 4DViews technology and utilise the latest 3D video capture technology in the world. The filming process includes four green screens and uses 32 camera sets to capture the entire 360-degree of the filmed subject. Currently, only Japan and Taiwan have studios outfitted with this system.
They use this technology to recreate a standing, 3D full-body presentation of Chiang Wei-shui at the cultural facility, Wei-shui Station in Dadaocheng. Chiang Wei-shui was a doctor, social activist, and democracy pioneer who led several cultural movements against Japanese colonial rule. The project also commemorates the Taiwanese Cultural Association’s (TCA) 100th-anniversary celebrations established by Chiang.
The digitalised Chiang serves as a virtual guide for the permanent exhibition, sharing life stories as well as his views on a democratic Taiwan. The audience can have an interactive and immersive experience with their gadgets in hand.
Both of these programmes are in line with the main policy objectives of Taiwan’s MOC. The MOC states that policies should employ the latest technology to more effectively spread the knowledge of Taiwan’s unique culture and customs both domestically and internationally.
To cultivate culture as an instrument of national power, the MOC aims to ensure the cultural rights of citizens, create an environment that fosters creativity, build and maintain cultural values, and bolster the cultural and creative sector’s competitiveness.
To help Taiwan achieve these objectives, the MOC will adhere to the following three fundamental objectives when developing cultural policies; staying true to the roots of culture, building the nation’s international image, and harnessing the power of technology.