Human Connections in Digital Art: 2020 NTT-TIFA

Due to the developing COVID-19 situation, please note that all programmes listed in this article are subject to changes. For the latest information and updates, please refer directly to the organiser’s website.

Technology has magically subverted the human perception of reality, and also enhanced its theatrical impact. In the 2020 Taiwan International Festival of Arts at the National Taichung Theater (NTT-TIFA), with wild imaginations that cross disciplines and push boundaries, a total of 9 performances and 2 exhibitions are presented.

Blank Out, a poetic chamber opera combining with live-streaming projection and 3D film by Michel van der Aa, and Chronicle of Light Year: Taipei – Copenhagen, a dreamlike and internationally acclaimed piece featuring hologram technology by CHOU Tung-yen, both convey the entangled connections in family and blur the lines between reality and virtual, life and death.

Chronicle of Light Year: Taipei – Copenhagen (Photo Credit: Carl Emil Carlsen)

With real-time synchronization of films created by Dutch film director Lucas van Woerkum, the live orchestral music, conducted by Darrell Ang, gives a mutually-responsive interpretation of the visual and musical narratives in Symphonic Cinema.

The latest work of WANG Lien-cheng, the NTT’s Artist-in-Residence, The Scenery of Little Light leverages a combination of technology and body movement to explore various prospects of digital aesthetics and kinesics, while The Ultimate Battle by Noora Hannula engaging the audiences in a wild encounter between modern dance and 3D animation.

The Scenery of Little Light (Photo Credit: National Taichung Theater)

Taking the first Chinese le bon goût written by LI Yu as a starting point, director WANG Chia-ming sets out Leisurely Pleasures．Casual Reflections in an exploration of self-coordination during times of upheaval, quoting profusely with new media designs by CHUANG Chih-wei.

WAVE∞ (Photo Credit: Hsu Ping)

Extending from her prior projects, new-media artist and choreographer SU Wen-chi continues to explore the relationship between nature and human with her latest theatrical creation WAVE∞ and the exhibition Lighting in Process-WAVE∞ Lab, whilst SU Wei-chia returns to NTT with the exhibition FreeSteps AR Yours, inviting the audiences to see dance freely on their smart phones or tablet devices via augmented reality technology.

FreeSteps AR Yours (Photo Credit: Chien Ching Tzu and Chen Wei Sheng)

Acclaimed as ‘Lepage at his very best’ by The Guardian and has been touring in more than 45 cities around the world, The Far Side of the Moon, a touching work by Robert Lepage and Ex Machina that concentrates on the conflict between two brothers who are trying to come to grips with the death of their mother and tells the story of the Soviet-American space race. Rick Miller brings his mind-blowing solo performance BOOM that documents the music, politics, and culture that shaped the Baby Boom generation in a stunningly staged production that blends cutting-edge multimedia, and tour-de-force storytelling.

Visit the National Taichung Theater’s website for more information.