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No Matter How Advanced Are the Times, How Cutting-Edge Is the Technology, an Artwork Must Resonate.
Photo：CHOU Shu-yi, shooting for Weiwuying ONE Minute VR Stage on the undulant roof of Weiwuying, liberates his dance from the limits of space（©HUANG Po-yu）
Written by Weiwuying Residency Artist CHOU Shu-yi
Editor: What is your take on the integration between performing arts and technology?
CHOU: The integration between performing arts and technology is a new art form ushered in by the times. With the development of human knowledge and technology, the cybernetic age and interactive programs change the way we feel and think. From the artist's perspective, technology has opened up infinite possibilities and influenced how we appreciate performances. Ultimately, humans are the constant source of changes upon themselves. Taiwan's Ministry of Culture began to offer subsidies to creative collaborations between performing arts and technology ten years ago. I began to create cross-disciplinary work with LuxuryLogico. After that, I worked with other artists such as CHOU Tung-Yen and WANG Chung-Kun to create various technology-infused artwork. In 2006, the Taipei City Government held the first Taipei Digital Arts Festival organized by ET@T, a private organization. I was fortunate to be invited to create a performance integrated with interactive programming, which broadened my artistic horizon and given me considerable experience working with technology. Over the past decade, my creative partners and relative organizations have matured to the point where we can seamlessly combine logical technology with ever-changing performing arts.
Editor: This year, you created an App for the first time called "Weiwuying ONE Minute VR Stage" . What is the inspiration behind it?
CHOU: I hope to introduce the performing arts to a broader audience. Even though Weiwuying prides itself on being the people's art center, modern dance and contemporary art still need time to develop an audience. I hope that an App designed to create dance films will encourage people to record their dances and experience the creative process. Weiwuying also used its unique spatial design, and invited WANG Yu-Jun as music supervisor to work with musicians LIU Hsin-Hung and LIN Chien-Chi and director Maurice LAI and created demo dance film. Through collaboration with the Taiwan Digital Art Center, we hope to bring people closer to modern dance and invite video art enthusiasts to experience the body's creativity. More importantly, as the world is still affected by the pandemic, technology allows the public to virtually return to the theater, express through dance, and welcome art into their lives.
Editor: What's the most fascinating place you have ever danced at?
CHOU: There are so many of them! I once brought dancers to dance at train stations, which kicked off the four-year-long “Dance Travel Project.” Curious spectators gathered in wonder to get a glimpse of modern dance. Every time that happened, the distance between art and life was shortened, and questions answered. For me, dance can happen anywhere. I created “Weiwuying VR Stage” so that people can record their dance anywhere!
Learn more：
Weiwuying ONE Minute VR Stage - Film Your Own Dance
