SEA FLAVOURED－Sway forward in Waves with Takao
 
The biannual Kaohsiung International Container Arts Festival since 2001 has stood for the city art celebration also highlighting cultural layers deep-rooted in this long historical port town.  By picturing “sea flavoured” of imagination, the 12^th Kaohsiung International Container Arts Festival 2023 refreshes connections for the dynamic images of the Great Port to “containers”,  “harbour”, “city” and “ocean” so to speak as a carnival of sea art.
 
Without doubt, Kaohsiung history relates to the ocean and harbour from where it started: Back in the 19th century when “Takao” built its first harbour, engine “Hamasen” made its way straight through, carrying stocks to the destination at the harbour.  Constructions of towns and cities followed the booming of the railway and harbour. Transporting boats and abundant town streets piled up the foundation of the land.  As time evolves, the small sandbank bay has grown into a large-scale trading harbour; consequently, the old storytelling “Takao” became the memory of the constantly innovative “Port City”. Despite the continually transitional port landscape, the city has an everlasting link with the ocean and harbour. This particular land being a synthesis of the port and the city earns its fame and name, the Great Port of Taiwan. To survive and live closely on the seaside, the oceanic characteristics of the city as a port is destined.  
 
Following this cultural and historical context, we expand imaginary output under the title “Sea Flavoured” for the current Arts Festival.  As a folk phrase commonly used, “Sea Flavoured” has various extensive meanings.  It interprets the fresh flavour of food, a certain tone of speaking and the seaside scenery or smell.  It can even refer to all daily impressions of local people and places on the island surrounded by the sea.  Based on sensational descriptions, it carries furthermore down-to-earth life experiences shared among ordinary people on the same land.  “Sea Flavoured” embodies a notion of identity, collective memories, and individual state of mind (or consciousness) that juxtaposes with each other.  The embodiment spreads into four subtopics of imaging harbours, each representing a unique port view: “Pilot into Harbour”, “Ode to Ocean”, “Safety Stop” an “Fresh Future”.
 
To carve on the body of culture with art thoughts and forms is not the sole objective of Kaohsiung International Container Arts Festival.  Like harbour to the sea, the Arts Festival also targets as a pier to the city where cultures converge. It serves a long-term key platform that motivates dreams for the future, practice of creativity and mass conversations in the means of continuously cycling and revolutionary energy activation. May the Port City keep it up with ceaseless waves of life.
 
 

 Curators 
Bo-Nian CHEN, Yu-Hua LAN

 Artists 
盧明德 Lu Ming-Te
hellobastworkshop
步里赫森 HOZEN Studio
林志峯建築師事務所 ML Architect Studio
草原市務所 U-Meadow & Partners Design Studio
黃沂雯 Yi-Wen HUANG
JUN ONG
許愷玲 Kai Ling HSU


Special Thanks│Jamie TU, Chen-Ning KAO
Supervisors│Ministry of Culture, Kaohsiung City Government
Organiser│Bureau of Cultural Affairs Kaohsiung City Government
Organiser│Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
Co-executives│Marine Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, Urban Art Studio
Sponsors│BAI GUO METAL ENGINEERING Co,. Ltd
Venue Supports│Taiwan International Ports Corporation, KAOHSIUNG MUSIC CENTER