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`Art is everywhere' at Pingtung festival

The southwestern coast will soon be dotted with the work of local artists as Pingtung County prepares to launch its seventh annual Pingtung Arts Festival next month.

"The festival is a symbol of Pingtung County's evolution throughout the years," Council of Cultural Affairs Chairwoman Weng Chin-chu (翁金珠) said yesterday at a press conference in Taipei.

Weng said traditionally, most people associate Pingtung with farmland and fishing villages. In the past, the area was plagued by organized crime, she said.

The festival is an example of how art can transform a place and its people, Weng said.

True to its theme -- "A 50km art journey" -- this year's festival will not focus on Kenting Beach as its main attraction, but rather spread out 27 pieces of art work along 50km of coastline, stretching from Fangliao Township (枋寮) down to the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島).

Instead of confining the artwork to one location, festival organizers said they wanted to break free of arts festival norms by "permeating the region with art."

Festival curator Lin Youn-lien (林右正) said that the common denominator tying the artwork together was the principle of nature conservation. All of the artists have used only natural materials from the local ecosystem.

Lin said the festival's concept was to promote exceptional art made from local materials such as wax apple tree branches and kukui nuts.

After the festival, the sculptures will be dismantled and all materials will be "returned to Mother Nature," he said.

"We want to let people know that art is everywhere. Even a simple tree branch that most people see as garbage can be magnificently beautiful," he said.

The festival will begin next Friday and will last through Nov. 11. All events are free.
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