Taipei to 'power up' Nangang with Nuit Blanche all-night arts festival

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) Taipei's annual all-night arts festival Nuit Blanche Taipei, to be held in October, plans to "power up" the city's Nangang District with a series of performances and installations that facilitate "creations in solidarity," according to the organizers.

At a press conference Friday, 2020 Nuit Blanche Taipei's Art Director Lin Kun-ying (林昆穎) said the event will take place from 6 p.m on Oct. 3 to 6 a.m Oct. 4. Its main objective is to gather everyone in the same place, allowing them to interact and create art.

"This year, Civic Boulevard will act as a large-scale arena to make new creations," he said.

Another important aspect is that this year the event aims to "power up" Nangang, in the same way energy can be used to power up a light bulb, Lin said.

There will be 21 art installations and 50 performance groups this year, Lin added.

One of the highlights at this year's event is the "Inside Out Project -- Nuit Blanche Taipei 2020," a photography installation, inspired by French street artist JR, of portraits of about 200 Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) servicemen powering up light bulbs, Lin said.

"They all had their portraits taken, smiling, wearing a hard hat and holding up a light bulb. It doesn't just represent what Taipower personnel do in their jobs, it also shows what we as people are doing every day."

There are also seven to eight immersive works that make the audience part of the performance through sound and interaction, Lin said.

Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) said it is meaningful that the event is being held in Nangang District this year as it is transitioning from an industry-oriented area into a high-tech and musical one.

"This is because the spirit of Nuit Blanche is city innovation, public space design, and the ability to showcase local characteristics and features and we can see all of this in Nangang," Tsai said.

The Bureau Francais de Taipei, has worked with Taipei City to organize the annual event since 2016, said David Kibler, head of the culture, education and science section at the French Office in Taipei.

Nuit Blanche began in France in the early 2000s, with the hope of bringing more art and performances into public spaces instead of just confining art to museums, Kibler told CNA through a translator.

Even though the idea of the night-time arts festival has since spread around the world, the Nuit Blanche Taipei is very special to his office, Kibler said.

"This is because the most beautiful Nuit Blanche event in Asia is in Taipei," Kibler said.

The 2019 Nuit Blanche Taipei, held in the city's Dazhi area and Neihu District, attracted about 400,000 participants, according to Tsai.