Taiwan’s cultural diversity is reflected in the works of local artists whose album packaging designs have earned Grammy nominations, the artists of the works said.
Lee Pei-tzu (李珮慈), the art director of experimental band iWhooiWhoo’s (一虎一虎) album Pregnancy, Breakdown, And Disease (病子病病病子), said that her work conveys a uniquely Taiwanese theme of “sickness” that is rarely seen in Western art.
The album’s music also showcases Taiwan’s diverse linguistic heritage — including Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), Hakka and various indigenous languages — the band’s singer, Lai Yu-chiao (賴予喬), said.
Photo: CNA
Lee’s design, resembling a gift box that unfolds layer by layer to symbolize a gradual journey toward healing, was nominated in the Best Recording Package category at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. If given the opportunity to take the stage and accept the award, Lee said she would express thanks for Taiwan’s diverse culture, which has “nurtured” her work.
Also nominated in the same category is Andrew Wong (黃家賢), who, along with Julie Yeh (葉昶利), designed the album packaging for Jug Band Millionaire by The Muddy Basin Ramblers.
Their design blends Taiwanese elements with the concept of Western sheet music.
The band’s members are British and American nationals living in Taipei, who Wong said represent Taiwan’s diverse community.
“They come from different countries, but have all chosen to live in Taiwan,” Wong said.
In the past few years, Taiwanese artists have been awarded in the Best Recording Package category at the Grammy Awards.
In 2022, Li Jheng-han (李政瀚) and Yu Wei (于薇) became the first Taiwanese to win the award for Pakelang (八歌浪), an album by The Chairman (董事長樂團) and the Second Generation Falangao Singing Group (第二代馬蘭吟唱隊).
In 2023, Taiwanese Xiao Qing-yang (蕭青陽) and Hsiao Chun-tien (蕭君恬) won the same award for the album Beginningless Beginning, produced by the Tamsui-Kavalan Chinese Orchestra (淡蘭古道國樂團) for the short film Tamsui-Kavalan Trails Trilogy (淡蘭古道三部曲).
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS