Based on the idea of growing a locally-based unique and sustainable future on Taiwan's north coast, the opening ceremony of the “Formosa North Coast Art Festival 2024,” guided by the Tourism Administration, MOTC and hosted by the Northguan Scenic Area Headquarters, was held at the renowned Juming Art Museum on September 28th, inviting people to visit to the north coast and create together a richly artistic shoreline.
A more local, more international opening ceremony showcased Taiwan’s youthful vitality with independent bands performing
The “Qiulantun Concert” was the highlight of the 2024 Formosa North Coast Art Festival opening event. It started with the performance of the “Marine Waste Melodies” followed by the Paiwan indigenous group “MATZKA” from Taitung and the new generation band “Human Hart.” These created a warm atmosphere through their sincere and freeform desire to communicate with the world via music, which is a reflection of Taiwan's young generation.
Walking the Shoreline and Connecting Local Resources to Create a Charming Coast
The theme of the 2024 Formosa North Coast Art Festival is “Walking the Shoreline” which employs the unique perceptual experience of contemporary art to encourage the audience to re-portray the shoreline with its multiple bays and create a charming coast imbued with richness.
The word “shoreline” refers to the boundary between sea and land in front of the coastline and as the tides moves it creates an area full of possibilities. The art festival is conceived through coastal ecology, in other words the intertidal zone and the diverse art it produces create bays that brim with creativity.
For the event, the curators have planned a series of art projects that combine fieldwork, local participation, community design, art settlement connections and other art settlement connection etc. From May 2024, a series of warm-up projects were launched, with over 10 pilot activities held by cultural and historical workers and nature ecology teachers. More than 20 artists successively created works in Keelung, Wanli, Jinshan, Shimen, and Sanzhi, injecting art into those communities to deepen their connection to the art festival, marking the beginning of the festival.
September 28 to October 20, Create a Richly Artistic Shoreline
The art festival has main and auxiliary exhibition areas. Outdoor large-scale works in the main exhibition area such as Lee Cheng-liang’s “Climate Station,” Lu Mu-ren’s “Mountain and Sea Ensemble 25-121” and Lin Tzu-fen’s “Making Waves” are on display at Wanli Dapeng Foot Bath Park, Jinshan Juming Art Museum and Zhongjiaowan Visitor Center, respectively. In addition, the “The Gorgeous Transformation of 12 Bus Shelters” by Chien Chun-cheng, Luo Jing-zhong and Chen Chi-jen, with students from Fuxing High School and Jinshan High School includes works exhibited at bus shelters along Provincial Highway 2 which presents a surprise for anyone on a brief trip to the north coast.
