Virtual reality works from Taiwan have been recognized and celebrated at international film festivals in recent years. To encourage more cross-border projects, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) works with PHI Centre, a renowned digital art center in Canada, to present the “Taiwan Spotlight” section in its Chaos & Memories Exhibition (March 22 – June 11). Four Taiwanese titles (All That Remains, The Man Who Couldn’t Leave, Red Tail, and MISSING PICTURES Episode 2: Tsai Ming-Liang) are included. During the exhibition, “Taiwan at the Forefront of Digital Art” forum was held on June 6th with directors. Over 4500 tickets have been sold so far. Industry experts and art enthusiasts also attended the forum. It indicates that T-content (Taiwanese content) is widely acceptable in North America.

Taiwan Spotlight VR    Exhibition at PHI Centre
Credit: PHI Centre / Photo by: Vivien Gaumand
 

“Tawan had combined culture and technology to deliver great results at international events,” said TAICCA Chairperson Homme Tsai. “TAICCA enables international co-productions, explores market preferences, and expands overseas sales channels. These efforts bring incredible Taiwanese works to the world, and build a robust ecosystem.”

To engage with viewers and practitioners in Canada, directors Craig Quintero, Singing Chen, and Kuan-Yuan Lai, as well as editor Ping-Ying Yen attended the forum in person, while director Fish Wang joined the conversation online. Multiple Canadian institutions and agencies also sent their representatives, such as SODEC (Société de développement des entreprises culturelles) from Quebec, digital art and electronic music festival MUTEK, and National Film Board of Canada. The event was moderated by PHI Centre Head of New Media Partnerships and Public Relations Myriam Achard. She hoped it would mark a starting point for collaborations and discussions between Taiwan and Canada for industrial opportunities.

Chaos & Memories Exhibition－Taiwan Spotlight Section (From Left to Right: Director Craig Quintero, Director Kuan-Yuan Lai, Editor Ping-Ying Yen, Director Singing Chen, TAICCA Project Manager Min-Wei Kuo, Chiaolin Hsieh, PHI Centre Founder Phoebe Greenberg, PHI CentreHead of New Media Partnerships and Public Relations Myriam Achard）
Credit: PHI Centre / Photo by: Vivien Gaumand
 

At the conversation, four directors spoke about ideas and processes in their creative journeys. ”It was exciting to present The Man Who Couldn’t Leave in Canada“, said director Singing Chen. ”Seeing viewers here were also moved by victims’ stories under White Terror means a lot to me. It was also an honor to work with professional teams at PHI Centre“. Editor Ping-Ying Yen was amazed by sophisticated efforts at PHI Centre to design the venue, instruct VR experiences, and compile backend data for analytics. Director Quintero was glad to participate in this exhibition. He believed it was a great opportunity to inform viewers in North America about new VR works from Taiwan, and update them about new artistic landscapes in Taiwan. ”I was happy to attend the conversation in person“, said director Lai, ”to talk about personal creative journey and international co-production experiences“. He also hoped to see more work between Taiwan and North America. Director Fish Wang was honored to show his works to viewers worldwide in this exhibition. Even though he could only attend the conversation remotely, he still reviewed his creative experiences, and learned a lot from fellow directors at the panel.

TAICCA also invited professionals to a reception after the forum. It was an opportunity to extend connections and learn about industry overviews in Taiwan with the hope to open more doors to opportunities, trigger innovations at the intersection between culture and technology, and distribute content further in more markets.

Taiwan at the Forefront of Digital Art Forum
Credit: PHI Centre / Photo by: Vivien Gaumand