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The culture beyond borders

Made in Asia Toulouse, a 5th Edition turned to Taiwan From January 25 to February 10

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Created in 2008, by Didier Kimmoun, worn by the association Tchin-tchine, the festival Made in Asia attempts to present Asian cultures in France. This year proposes to highlight Taiwan contemporary creation through its most talented artists, Hsu Yen Ling and Wang XinXin. This Edition will host dance performances, contemporary theatre and puppets shows, concerts, exhibitions and movie screenings!

The origin of the project, a passion for Asia Today

 

The founder of the festival has spent part of his childhood in China: his father was teacher in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. He has always been attracted to Asian cultures. After several trips to China, he realized early that Asian people know Western cultures better than westerners, Asian cultures. ‘There is a gap between the knowledge in West Asia and Europe. This gap is greater in the cultural field: in Asia, Western culture is part of school curricula, which is not the case in France.’ This observation led him to develop the project of a festival dedicated to Asia. ‘I did not want an exotic festival for hippies from the Yunnan. I wanted people discover Asian contemporary cultural life‘.

 

Make better understand the reality of contemporary Asia, its developments, its contradictions, and build bridges between East and West.

In 2000, he met the Tchin-Tchine association which organized cultural events to promote Asia. ‘I proposed to develop an annual cultural week around China and open it to other countries such as Viet Nam and Korea. I wanted to propose different kinds of shows, including contemporary living arts, so bad known here. I had to convince the French programmers who were afraid of the reaction of the audience and had difficulty to conceive the existence of a contemporary creation in Asia ‘. Indeed, at this time, only Korea was known for its contemporary dance performances. ‘It took time to find financial partners; I had to convince the city hall and government. I finally had a grant of the city hall’. To complete the budget, he asked private companies offering them such projects as the installation of sculptures in a Hyundai shop, in Labège, with a Korean Sculptor-exhibition from January 25 to February 18, opening on 31 January. ‘Yoon-Hee uses steel, aluminum, bronze, copper, brass, nickel, lead, titanium, zirconium…’ precise Didier.

 

Wang XinXin, With the courtesy of WANG XIN XIN ENSEMBLE

 

A festival turned to sharing and artistic exchange

Didier Kimmoun refuses to present only a ‘one shot’ and develops artistic residencies and exchanges between Asian and French artists, in order to create bridges. That is why this year he welcomed the wonderful Wang XinXin, specialist in Nanguan, for a residence in collaboration with a baroque orchestra. He also invites throughout the year artists residencies like in last November with a Japanese experimentation. Oriza Hirata presented ‘Sayonara’ played by Geminoid F. The country for next festival will be Japan – a necessity related to what happened in Fukushima – and Singapore. For 2014/2015, there will be contemporary Chinese Opera. This year, the guest is Taiwan. Why Taiwan? Because ‘this year is the centennial of the Republic of China and the Taiwanese artists, guardians of hungry Western ways of life and ancient Chinese culture, are very good at crossing East and West, tradition and modernity ‘, he says.

 

The Birth, with the courtesy of the East and the West

 

Theatre, music, dance 

The french audience will be able to admire the extraordinary performance of Hsu Yen Ling, one of the best Taiwanese actress, in ‘Remix – Hsu Yen-Ling x Sylvia Plath, the Monodrama of HSU Yen – Ling’, written by CHOU Man-Nung and staged by BABOO. Produced by the Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group, it will be presented on January 25 and 26, at théâtre Garonne. Another great performance will follow, dedicated to young audience: ‘the Birth’*, produced by the East and the West and the Flying group, presented on February 4, in Mediatheque José Cabanis. This show mixes puppetry, shadow theatre and theatre: first part of a trilogy, he takes the children and their parents in the dream of a little girl who, still in the womb of his mother, discovers to the world. This dreamy and poetic trip is interpreted by the talented Chou Jung Shih, accompanied in live by Wang Yu Jun, a gifted young musician. Beside, the festival welcomes Shang Chi Sun, a young choreographer and talented dancer with ‘Traverse’ on January 27 in Espace Bonnefoy, and the fabulous Wen Chi Su with ‘ Loop me’, a multimedia dance performance signed by Yilab. The Ten Drums Art Percussion Group, from the South of Taiwan, based in Tainan, composed of 10 amazing percussionists, will perform ‘the charm of Taiwan’, a tribute to spiritual Taiwan traditions, on February 3 at the salle Nougaro, one of the event of this festival. The XinXin Nanguan Ensemble, led by the majestic Wang XinXin, will present ‘ the Passions’, a musical dialogue between Nanguan, a Chinese traditional instrument, and Baroque music, in collaboration with Passions Orchestra – Orchestra Baroque of Montauban, under the direction of Jean-Marc Andrieu. This concert where Chinese and Baroque music are revisited will allow the audience to discover all the vocal and instrumental virtuosity of Jiang Nan and Wang XinXin on February 8 at the Capitol Theatre.

Remix, with the courtesy of Shakespeare’s Wild Sister Group

Focus on REMIX: Hsu Yen-Ling + Sylvia Plath, A red-hot mono-drama

Remix, Hsu Yen Ling’s mono-drama, is inspired by fever 103, a poem written by Sylvia Plath and deals with the last moments of Sylvia Plath’s life. This last was an American poetess haunted by the idea of death, who killed herself, despaired by love, when she was 30. Hsu Yen ling, fascinating and disturbing, plays magnificently and brilliantly Plath’s character: she becomes completely this hurt woman, wild animal tortured by abused love and sickness. She’s belching, yelling, sighing, murmuring with fervor, violence, and despair the poetess’ words, rewritten by Chou Man-Nung – young Taiwanese author. This poetical rewriting shows the extent of the talent of the young actress, here, in one of her best performances. Baboo’s art direction is very rhythmic and spread intelligently and soberly the poetic whisper of this tortured writing. It swings between foolish and indolent scenes, showing the ambiguous relationships between Plath and her father, Plath and her husband, both beloved and hated men of her life. The spectator becomes the witness of the actress’ inner truth revelation: Ms. Hsu defends body and soul this American author unknown in France. Ms Plath used to live into her husband’ shade, a famous poet, and suffered from the cruelty of a patriarchal society.  We warmly recommend it to the audience.

Young Taiwanese creation in the fields of cinema and fine arts

 

Many exhibitions complete the program: elaborated in collaboration with the Cultural Centre of Taiwan in Paris, under the advice of its Director, Mr. Chen, specialist in Fine Arts, former Professor and artist himself, the audience is invited in various places in Toulouse to have a look at contemporary Taiwanese art. This is the opportunity to meet Yong – Ning TZENG, using ballpoint pen with two exhibitions from 25 January to 11 February, in Espace Bonnefoy – opening January 27 – and from 31 January to 5 February, at Place Commune, opening on February 2. Gallery Lemniscate will host from 26 January to 26 February – opening January 26- MIA LIU WEN HSUAN with its paper sculptures. Char Wei Tsai, for its part, will explore the process of transformation. Chi-Tsung Wu who experimented with simple processes the manufacture of images in reference to traditional painting work will be in residency from January 15 to 1er February and will present his work from 2 to 25 February in Maison Salvan in Labège – opening February 2 at 19: 00. Young Video maker Cheng Ta Yu interested in the human body will be from the 2 to February 25 in Pavillon Blanc- Colomiers – opening February 2 at 7 pm. This palette of artists unveils the creative diversity of the Taiwanese artists in resonance with current issues.

 

The surprise of the Chief: Mister Candle

 

In the heart of the Asian village, one could try martial arts, kitchen workshops, and Asian food and attend the parade of the New Year with the dance of the dragon, accompanied by drums and a release of lanterns on 28 and 29 January. This will be the opportunity to see a young Taiwanese artist, the enigmatic Mister Candle, Huang Ming-Cheng, in residence in the village. Mister Candle is the last discovery Didier Kimmoun made during his recent trip to Taiwan. This young Acrobat has a delirious project and will work with circus artists of Toulouse and Barcelona. His artistic project is to take a photo of him in the position of the candle in various places of the island, in a market or on a moped, bringing a particular look at the fragility of the world he looks backwards and wants to make a 15th years world tour. A gallery of his suspended photos will be shown during the festival. Didier Kimmoun is interested in his artistic posture, his authentic approach in acquaintance with his very lifestyle. Enjoy it!

 

Diane VANDERMOLINA

 

*More on the Birth, follow the link: http://www.erenlai.com

 

More detail on http://www.festivalmadeinasia.com/

Rmt News Int • 15 janvier 2012


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