Kaohsiung Travel News

2013 Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival

Kaohsiung Traveling Online — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:14:20 GMT

23 February 2013 - 30 June 2013 Every day
Venue: Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government (高雄市政府文化局)

Everyone in Kaohsiung has heard of and taken part in the Spring Arts Festival, right?

In its 4th year, the Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival (KSAF) remains a strong presence in the minds of aficionados of culture. Embracing confidence in and passion for purity in the performing arts, we support outstanding, diverse, “self-produced” shows , deepening our planning ability through “self-organization” and tracing a course on the international artistic map, while simultaneously “self-creating” a unique Taiwanese artistic brand known as the Open Air Grassland Concert. KSAF utilizes all accessible avenues to “self-sell” every ticket, offering discounts such as the “Mom and Dad Ticket”. This promotes artistic consumption and artistic education among the next generation, further spurring “media convergence”, and encouraging local artistic groups in different areas to cooperate and display large-scale creations. This will stimulate singing and dance performances in Kaohsiung to blossom, helping to create a pluralistic, confident and beautiful scene.

2013 KSAF (Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival), which runs Feb.-June, lets international brings together masterpieces and great artists in the harbor city and allows the moving feeling of spring to burst out!

More info: http://www.ksaf.com.tw

Source and photo courtesy of Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government (高雄市政府文化局)

Reproduced：Taiwan Culture Portal - 2013 Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival)
http://www.culture.tw/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=1484&Itemid=176

KAOHSIUNG ART GO GO - 2O13 April

Kaohsiung Traveling Online — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:14:38 GMT

Capture the Moment – The Pulitzer Prize Photographs

Since photographic technology was born in the early 19th Century, photography has become today an art form with unique charm. In addition, photography has played an important role in both recording ordinary life and witnessing major events. This year, from April 24 until July 7, the museum presents another photography exhibition, Capture the Moment—The Pulitzer Prize Photographs, showcasing the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs from 1942 to 2012. This exhibition was first held in New York in 2000 and went on a tour around the world. The photographic works on display in the exhibition are records of many historical moments, each of which is overwhelmingly powerful with its documentary image.

The Pulitzer Prize for distinguished newspaper photography was first awarded in 1942 in order to highlight the importance of photojournalism and news photographers. Apart from bringing honor to the prizewinners, this prize also often transforms past news incidents into today's witnesses to history. The Newseum, which is located in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., has collected the Pulitzer Prize-winning works throughout the 70 years since the prize's establishment, making these transient images become permanent heritage. Organized by the Newseum and the exhibition curator, Cyma Rubin, the exhibition consists of more than 150 images from the Newseum's collection. These photographs on view eloquently tell stories of their times, and present a series of memorable historical scenes.

The exhibition uses a chronological approach to display the prize-winning works of different years. The exhibition as a whole is like a historical photo album, and brings past events to life before viewers' eyes as they gaze upon historical fragments of the past 70 years. Each of the photographs or sequences/albums of photographs on display is paired with its explanatory background story, including relevant words from the photographers. These individuals describe how the photograph was taken, their responses at the time, how they felt when they won the prize, and how the story later developed. The exhibition not only lets viewers sense the visual feelings prevailing at the scenes of many major events, but also encourages viewers to understand the context in which these events occurred, and appreciate the photographers' mental processes.

Seeing the Pulitzer Prize-winning works from over the years at this exhibition, viewers cannot help but feel that they are seeing a series of unbearable tragedies: natural disasters, wars, slaughter, conflict, poverty, sickness, and death... Nevertheless, if we look carefully, we can still see glimpses of humanity: courage, determination, persistence, charity, concern, sincerity, and love... We believe that this exhibition can give us strength, and enable us to use history as a mirror, cherish the moment, care for each other, and love our planet.

Reproduced： Bureau of Cultural Affairs Kaohsiung City Governme
http://www.kcg.gov.tw/EN/NewsArt_Detail.aspx?n=D025BFDE98126962&ss=DD27B38E55919850&parent=DD2A3343D78E64EB

2013 Taiwan Lantern Festival

Kaohsiung Traveling Online — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:14:55 GMT

The 2013 Taiwan Lantern Festival will take place in the area next to Hsinchu High Speed Rail Station February 24 to March 10 under a main-theme lantern sponsored by Chunghwa Telecom. The 2013 Lantern Festival celebrations will mark the onset of the Year of the Snake, and promising blessings and good fortune for the people of Taiwan.

The Tourism Bureau has held the Taiwan Lantern Festival each year for 24 years, acting in coordination with local resources to attract visitors and raise the international profile of cultural attractions in Taiwan. In the past the festival has been celebrated only with hand lanterns, and smaller displays, and now the Taiwan Lantern Festival adds a high-tech touch to this traditional custom, bringing in displays of folk arts and performances on the international stage in order to enhance tourism development.

Discovery Channel has listed the Taiwan Lantern Festival as one of the outstanding festivals of the world, attracting more foreign visitors to Taiwan and bringing substantial numbers of tourists.

The main-theme lantern display this year will present snakes roaring up to the sky from water and surrounded by clouds. The lantern is made up of more than 200,000 LED lights and 2,000 light control loops designed to meet the trend toward reducing carbon emissions. The main-theme lantern is designed to serve as a huge sculpture in the daytime and a dazzling lantern at night.

The Tourism Bureau has also invited Huang Hsin-tsai, a professor at the National Taiwan University of Art, to compose incidental music for the lantern festival. Huang's work integrates traditional Chinese music, orchestral music, Taiwanese songs and local Nanguan to present a joyful and auspicious atmosphere.

The featured hand lanterns this year are called "whirlwind naughty snakes", in reference to the Winds of September and the technology industry in Hsinchu. Propellers have been added to the hand lanterns to make them more interesting and fun for children.

The 2013 Taiwan Lantern Festival will provide shuttle bus service for visitors between Hsinchu High Speed Rail Station and the site of the lantern festival. There will also be seven car parks offering 20,000 parking spaces near the location, and visitors can take a shuttle bus from the parking areas. The Tourism Bureau encourages visitors to take public transportation instead of driving to minimize the number of cars and avoid traffic jams.

Written by Gobby Wang / culture.tw

Reproduced：Taiwan Culture Portal - 2013 Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival
http://www.culture.tw/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2314&Itemid=235

The Delights of Chinese Characters Festival 2013

Kaohsiung Traveling Online — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:15:08 GMT

18 January 2013 - 17 March 2013
10:00 - 18:00
Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,Saturday
Venue: Kaohsiung Pier 2 Art District (高雄市駁二藝術特區)

Good characters move: combining modern art and technological interaction, and displaying the deep meaning and future image of Chinese characters.

Good characters are: searching for the many good characters hidden in life, as if moving from the imagination of Chinese characters to reality.

Good characters depict: changing characters to images, extending and displaying the creator's limitless imagination.

Good characters wander: playing with their meaning and form, the creator considers the evolution of characters from the perspective of "old wine in a new bottle".

Good characters entwine: allow them to come from the exhibition to life, use them to visit, and find fun in life.

*Closed February 9

Place: C5,B9,B10 Warehouse, The Pier-2 Art Center

Source and photo courtesy of Kaohsiung Pier 2 Art District (高雄市駁二藝術特區)

Reproduced：Taiwan Culture Portal - 2013 Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival
http://www.culture.tw/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=1499&Itemid=176&catids=37