Sun, May 30, 2010 page2

• Artists compete for right to perform in Taipei City

  STREET Forty percent of participants at the biannual evaluations receive permits for life, allowing them to perform at more than 100 venues across the metropolis

  • By Mo Yan-chih / Staff Reporter
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  Cramped under a tent yesterday morning at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, seven members of Alma Itana, a band formed by foreign students at National Central University, attracted attention from passersby with their modern flamenco music.

  With members from Spain, Poland, El Salvador and Guatemala, the band was competing with 317 teams of artists and performers to acquire a street artist permit in one of the city government’s two annual evaluations of street performers yesterday.

  “We want to share our love for music. Taipei is the best place for street performance, with a lot of sidewalks and parks and people here also enjoy music on the street,” said the band’s guitarist, Jack Giletycz, a graduate from Poland.

  

  An artist paints a floral pattern on a woman at a street art exhibition and performance event at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall yesterday. The event was organized by Taipei City’s Department of Culture.

  PHOTO: CNA

  Giletycz said the city had a friendly and mature ­environment for street artists, adding that this contrasted with Taoyuan, where the students go to school.

  If they obtain a permit, the band would commute to Taipei to perform, he said.

  Also showcasing their talent were four young violinists — the youngest applicants at the event.

  

  Alma Itana, a band formed by foreign students at National Central University, play ­modern flamenco music at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall yesterday in a street artist permit test held by the Taipei City Government.

  PHOTO: MO YAN-CHIH, TAIPEI TIMES

  Team member Lin Yu-hsian (林育嫻), who is still a high school student, said her violin teacher encouraged them to apply for the permit, saying it would be a great opportunity to hone their skills on the streets of Taipei.

  “We want to make classical music more accessible to the general public and we will play something people are more familiar with,” she said.

  The event attracted artists showcasing a wide variety of talent — street dance, singing and calligraphy — turning the location into a large street carnival.

  Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs introduced the Taipei City Street Artists Performance Permit in 2005 to encourage street art.

  About 40 percent of the artists or performance groups who have so far applied for a permit have passed.

  The permit system was inspired by the cities of Cambridge, San Francisco and Tokyo, where governments have set up special ­districts for street artists.

  The Taipei City Government followed suit, allowing street artists to perform in more than 100 public spaces across the city, including MRT stations and Ximending.

  Once it is issued, the permit is valid in perpetuity.

  The city government has plans to open up more public spaces, including parks, plazas and sidewalks, for street performances.
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