Highlight
Kingdom of Kham (康巴王國) is an exhibition of Chinese paintings and digital works by Benoit Vermander and photographs by freelance photographer Liang Zhun (梁准) will be held beginning tomorrow at BNP Paribus Bank to raise money to benefit projects supported by the Ricci Institute. Titled Kingdoms of Kham, the works on display were inspired by the geography and people who live in Kham, or Eastern Tibet. Both Vermander and Zhun spent a considerable amount of time in the region and their combined exhibit captures the dreams, myths and suffering of the Tibetan highlands.
- BNP Paribas Bank (法國巴黎銀行), 2F, 52, Minsheng E Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市105民生東路四段52號2樓)
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
- Tomorrow from 2pm to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 7pm. The exhibit will be on display during normal working hours until Oct. 31
Eslite's (誠品) flagship store on Xinyi Road is hosting Rooftop Live a series of rooftop concerts this weekend. This evening's lineup features Brit-pop band 1976, which is about to release a new EP, indie-rock group Bear Babes (熊寶貝) and indie-electronica band Orange Doll (橘娃娃). Performing tomorrow are popular indie-pop bands Wonfu (旺福) and Tizzy Bac, along with Cosmic Man (宇宙人). And on Sunday there's Soler, a Hong Kong-based band formed by twin brothers Julio and Dino Acconci, who blend rock, soul and folk, and sing in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, indie-rock band Freckle (雀斑), Chet Lam (林一峰) and Sandee Chan (陳珊妮).
- Advance tickets are NT$650 for each day and can be purchased through www.artsticket.com.tw. Tickets bought at the door are NT$850
PHOTO: COURTESY OF BENOIT VERMANDER
- Doors open at 5:30pm and bands take the stage at 7pm this evening and tomorrow. On Sunday doors open at 4pm and the music starts at 5:30pm
- The seventh floor outdoor terrace at Eslite's Xinyi branch (誠品信義店7樓空中花園), at 11 Songgao Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei (台北市信義區松高路11號)
- For more information, call Eslite's Xinyi branch at (02) 8789-3388 or visit www.rooftoplive.com.tw
Theater
The Passage (祕徑) by Sun Son Theater (身聲演繹劇場) is a unique theater performance that combines percussion with dance at the spiritually uplifting Bamboo Curtain Studio in Danshui.
Bamboo Studio Theater (竹圍工作室), 39, Ln 3, Zhongcheng E Rd Sec 2, Danshui, Taipei County (台北縣淡水鎮中正東路二段88巷39號)
- Today, tomorrow and Sunday at 7:30pm
- Tickets are NT$300 and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
My Masturbation Diaries (我的手槍日記) by Drama Club Theater (劇樂部劇團) tells the story of two close friends who share every life experience until one day they fall in love with the same woman and the ensuing complications of the affairs alters their relationship.
- Guling Street Theater (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei (北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
- Today, tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
- Tickets are NT$400 and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Italian Puppet Show: Sandrone (桑得羅尼) by Taiyuan Puppet Theater (台原偶戲團). The performance follows the humorous buffoonery and exploits of the tall and wickedly intelligent Fagiolino and his short, daft friend Sandrone, the Laurel and Hardy of the puppet world.
- Nadou Theater (納豆劇場), 79 Xining N Rd, Taipei (台北市西寧北路79號)
- Tomorrow at 3pm
- Tickets are NT$200 and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Communicating Doors (開錯門中門) is performed by Godot Theater (果陀劇場) and is based on the play by Alan Ayckbourn. The screwball comedy takes place in a five-star hotel where an elderly man is about to fess up to complicity in the murders of his two former wives. But when his business partner catches wind of the plan, he attempts to foil the confession.
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館), 2F, 505, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市仁愛路四段505號2樓)
- Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
- Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,000 and are available through ERA ticketing
The 9th Taipei Arts Festival 2007 features two free performances this weekend in the plaza at Zhongshan Hall. Those interested in the traditional Chinese musical styles of nanguan (南管) and beiguan (北管) should not miss out on these performances by two of Taiwan's pre-eminent groups. Tomorrow night, the Han Tang Yuefu Ensemble (漢唐樂府南管古典樂舞團) performs Autumn Night Songs (秋夜聽歌), a selection of nanguan music to celebrate the coming of fall. The musicians will be dressed in ornate traditional costumes while playing five string woodwind instruments. Sunday night's performance takes the music further north with Pak Kuan Encounter's (北管驚奇) version of beiguan music, which has followed a unique evolution in Taiwan. Both performances begin at 7:30pm.
- Zhongshan Hall Plaza at Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei (台北市延平南路98號)
- For a complete list of events visit www.tpeart.org.tw
Classical
Chamber Music in the Classical Period (古典時期經典室內樂), a lecture concert host by Liu Chu-wei (劉岠渭) and featuring the National Symphony Orchestra, will present pieces of chamber music by Mozart, Beethoven and Hayden. This is the first of three seminars on the classical period, with subsequent seminars on Nov. 17 and Dec. 22.
- Tomorrow, 2:30pm
- National Recital Hall, Taipei
- Tickets are NT$350 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Memorial Concert for Hsu Yuan-tung (許遠東總裁暨夫人紀念音樂會 - 蔣茉莉、黃義方二重奏音樂會), will feature Huang Yi-fang (謝宜芳) on piano and violin.
- Thursday at 7:30pm
- At the Hsinchu Municipal Auditorium (新竹市立演藝廳), 17, Tungta Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號)
- Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,200, available through ERA ticketing
Sweet Follia - Matthias Maute Recoder Recital (木笛彩?師 - 馬西亞斯.茂特木笛獨奏會), will feature the recorder virtuoso playing a program ranging from J.S. Bach to Piazzolla, and will include a number of his own compositions.
- Today, 7:30pm; Sunday at 2:30pm
- Today at the Recital Hall of the Kaohsiung City Concert Hall (高雄市音樂館演奏廳), at 99 Hehsi Rd, Kaohsiung (高雄市河西路99號) and Sunday at Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中中山堂), at 98 Hsuehshi Rd, Taichung (台中市學士路98號)
2007 NTSO International Music Festival Series I - Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (2007 NTSO 國際音樂節系列1馬來西亞愛樂管絃樂團), with the orchestra under Matthias Bamert and Alain Lefevre on piano the schedule includes Berlioz's overture Roman Carnaval, Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1 in E-Minor, Bizet's suite from Carmen and Ravel's suite from Daphnis et Chloe.
- Tomorrow at 7:30pm
- Chunghsing Concert Hall, Taichung (台中中興堂) at 291-3 Chingwu Rd, Taichung (台中市精武路291之3號)
- Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200 and are available through NTCH ticketing
2007 Taiwan International Choral Ensemble Competition (第七屆台灣國際重唱大賽) runs from today through Oct. 13 with choral groups from all over the world performing. A full list of concerts and venues around the island is available at www.tcmc.org.tw/home/200707b.phtml
Contemporary
Migration Music Festival 2007, Taiwan's most diverse world music, folk and roots festival continues with three days of outdoor concerts in Taipei's Da-an Forest Park (大安森林公園). Performing at 7:30pm tonight are South Africa's Khoi Khollektif, followed by Aboriginal musicians represented by the Wild Fire (野火樂集) record label at 8:30pm. Tomorrow's performers are Finland's Wimme Sarri, at 7:30pm, New Zealand's Wai, at 8pm, and Taiwan's AM Until Sunrise (AM到天亮), with Samingad (曉君), Hao-en (昊恩) and Jia-jia (家家), at 9pm. Sunday's lineup includes Taiwan's Inka Mbing and Ensemble (雲力思與樂團), at 8pm, and Norway's Adjagas, at 9pm.
- The music starts at 7:30pm each night
- Admission is free
- For a comprehensive schedule of this and related events in English and Chinese, visit www.treesmusic.com/festival/2007mmf. Portions of the Migration Music Festival head to Tainan and Chiayi later this week for Migration Plus. On Tuesday in Tainan, the Khoi Khollektif performs at 7:30pm at Cheng Kung Hall, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan (成功大學成杏廳). On Wednesday in Chiayi, there will be a screening of the film Riddu Riddu, Festival Summer and a concert with Adjagas starting at 2pm at the Experimental Theater of the Chiayi Performance Arts Center (嘉義縣表演藝術中心實驗劇場)
Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) presents Delta on the Main Street jazz combo, playing Latin, fusion and funk tonight. Pop singer Shino Lin (林曉培) will perform an extended set tomorrow. Brit-pop band The Tube and new band Paragliding (滑翔翼) play Sunday. Monday is open-jam night. On Tuesday the venue is closed to the public. Alt-rock band Mango (芒果) makes its Riverside debut Wednesday, followed by funk/nu-metal band Coach (教練). Pop-rock four-piece Relax One (輕鬆玩) play an extended set Thursday.
- Shows start at 9:30pm
- Entrance tonight, Sunday and Thursday is NT$350. Tomorrow is NT$400. On Monday there is a one-drink minimum. Wednesday is NT$350. Cover includes one drink
- B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1). Call (02) 2368-7310, or visit www.riverside.com.tw
Tonight at Underworld (地下社會), it's this year's Ho-Hai-Yan battle of the bands winners, Children Sucker (表兒), with alt-rock band Monkey Pilot (猴子飛行員). Tomorrow features indie-rock band Freckle (雀斑) with new band Ding Ding and Xi Xi (丁丁與西西). Also tomorrow, after the two bands, there will be a free party with Japanese musicians Arashi no-Kemono, DJ Onn@man, DJ TAI=chan, DJ Yoruno, DJ Kinakomochi Ice, Bubble-B, and members of Taiwanese rap group Kou Chou Ching (拷秋勤). Touming Magazine (透明雜誌) and Japanese band Killfujin play Wednesday.
- Bands start playing around 9pm. Tomorrow's free party runs from midnight to 4am. Underworld is open from 8pm to 4am on weekdays and 5am on weekends. It's closed on Mondays
- Entrance for the shows is NT$300 and includes one drink
- B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.upsaid.com/underworld for more information
Rock Oriental Express (搖滾東方) plays tonight at The Wall (這牆). Emo band The Hindsight (光景消逝) takes the stage tomorrow. Hsiao Ying (小應) from the Clippers (夾子), indie-rock group Lucky Pie and metal core/emo band 831 (八三夭) play Sunday. The Cranes, Mosquilephant (蚊子大象) and The Newsongshead perform on Wednesday.
- Entrance at the door is NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, and NT$300 Sunday and Wednesday. Admission includes one drink
- The music starts at 7pm tonight and 8pm all other nights
- B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or visit www.the-wall.com.tw
The Living Room (小客廳) hosts Cary Lazy and Bloom tonight. Thrash-metal band Retributive Justice, formed in 2005 by former members of Formaldehyde, takes the stage tomorrow.
- The music starts at 9pm tonight and tomorrow
- There is a NT$300 minimum charge
- 3F, 8, Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市南京東路5段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.livingroomtaipei.com
At Grooveyard in Taichung, Friday night is Salsa Night, when professional instructors teach salsa and merengue to the tune of Cuban music. Afterwards, it's country-rock band Dirty Skies. Moshang celebrates the release of his second album tomorrow with fellow ambient electronica act Viba. Guitarist Russel Rogers plays blues, jazz, Middle Eastern- and African-influenced music on Wednesday, which is ladies night with drink specials for women. Thursday is Taiwan Exposed open-mic night.
- Salsa night runs from 8pm to 10pm. Dirty Skies takes the stage at 10pm. Tomorrow's live music starts at 9:30pm. Wednesday's music starts at 10pm. Open-mic night starts at 9pm
- Grooveyard cover for the bands is NT$200 tonight and tomorrow. There's no cover Wednesday and Thursday
- Grooveyard is located at 2F, 105 Huamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號二樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com or call 0939-574-737 for more information
Exhibition
All the Watercolors of Life: Commemorating the Centennial of Lee Tze-fan's Birth (風城風采:李澤藩百歲紀念畫展). With a career in painting spanning more than six decades, Lee (1907 to 1989) was a pioneering figure among the first generation of Western-style painters in Taiwan. His works represent the spectrum of art trends that swept the country throughout much of the 20th century, ranging from social realism in the 1950s, abstract expressionism in the 1960s to nativism in the 1970s and a personal style that fused Chinese and Western techniques in the 1980s.
- National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院), 221, Zhishan Rd Sec 2, Taipei (台北市至善路二段221號). Open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 3pm. Call (02) 2881-2021
- Until Jan. 6, 2008
Familiar With the Unfamiliarity: Solo Exhibition by Cheng Hsiu-ju (熟悉看到的陌生感:鄭秀如個展). Taking familiar objects of everyday life as a starting point, artist Cheng examines living spaces and environments and reveals in her mixed media art pieces the relationship between life and consciousness.
- Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Call (02) 2595-7656
- Until Nov. 11
Erase - Lien Shih-yi Mixed Media Exhibition (Erase - 連時宜2007年個展). Since 2002, the Erase series has transformed from its early works of embroidered printed photos to embroidered abstract paintings. The embroidery covers the original images to create a pencil-sketch-like texture and leaves blank spaces for viewers to fill in with their own imaginations.
- Pethany Larsen Gallery (Pethany Larsen藝坊), 2F, 30, Ln 45, Liaoning St, Taipei (台北市遼寧街45巷30號2樓). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 8772-5005
- Until Oct. 28
Le Voyage Immobile - French Young Artist Charlie Devier Solo Exhibition (不移動的旅行:法國年輕藝術家-查理德維耶個展). To the artist, the various media he uses in creating art represent a the means with which he can explore the idea of traveling. Inspired by the concept of travel and movement developed by artists such as Jack Kerouac and Guy Debord, Devier employs a playful attitude toward "terminating exoticism," to illustrate a state of being and traveling in the imagined world.
- Islanders Studio (島民工作室), 95 Chaochou St, Taipei (台北市潮州街95號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 8pm. Call (02) 2396-9208
- Until Nov. 4
East and West (東轉西流 - 2007台東鐵道藝術村與台灣新藝交流展). The exchange exhibition by Taitung Railway Art Village (台東鐵道藝術村) and Taiwan New Arts Union (台灣新藝) in Tainan attempts to initiate a discussion on the different approaches towards arts nurtured by the cultural landscapes unique to eastern and western Taiwan. The seven featured artists address various issues, such as life, nature, the center and periphery.
- Warehouse 261, Taitung Railway Art Village (台東鐵道藝術村261倉庫), 371 Teihua Rd, Taitung City (台東市鐵花路371號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 6pm. Call (089) 334-999
- Until Oct. 28
Common sense is not that common: a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania concludes the concept is “somewhat illusory.” Researchers collected statements from various sources that had been described as “common sense” and put them to test subjects. The mixed bag of results suggested there was “little evidence that more than a small fraction of beliefs is common to more than a small fraction of people.” It’s no surprise that there are few universally shared notions of what stands to reason. People took a horse worming drug to cure COVID! They think low-traffic neighborhoods are a communist plot and call
Taiwan, once relegated to the backwaters of international news media and viewed as a subset topic of “greater China,” is now a hot topic. Words associated with Taiwan include “invasion,” “contingency” and, on the more cheerful side, “semiconductors” and “tourism.” It is worth noting that while Taiwanese companies play important roles in the semiconductor industry, there is no such thing as a “Taiwan semiconductor” or a “Taiwan chip.” If crucial suppliers are included, the supply chain is in the thousands and spans the globe. Both of the variants of the so-called “silicon shield” are pure fantasy. There are four primary drivers
The sprawling port city of Kaohsiung seldom wins plaudits for its beauty or architectural history. That said, like any other metropolis of its size, it does have a number of strange or striking buildings. This article describes a few such curiosities, all but one of which I stumbled across by accident. BOMBPROOF HANGARS Just north of Kaohsiung International Airport, hidden among houses and small apartment buildings that look as though they were built between 15 and 30 years ago, are two mysterious bunker-like structures that date from the airport’s establishment as a Japanese base during World War II. Each is just about
The female body is a horror movie waiting to happen. From puberty and the grisly onset of menstruation, in pictures such as Brian De Palma’s Carrie and John Fawcett’s Ginger Snaps, to pregnancy and childbirth — Rosemary’s Baby is the obvious example — women have provided a rich seam of inspiration for genre film-makers over the past half century. But look a little closer and two trends become apparent: the vast majority of female body-based horror deals with various aspects of the reproductive system, and it has largely been made by men (Titane and The First Omen, two recent examples