TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two major exhibitions at Taipei's newest and biggest live music venue, Taipei Music Center (TMC), recently opened in Nangang District.
Designed by the New York-based RUR Architecture DPC, the external look of TMC was inspired by the historic public space, Piazza Navona, in Rome.
The spaceship-like music center opened in 2020 and cost NT$6 billion (US$20 million). President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), and Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) all made an appearance at the opening ceremony last year.
Renowned singer and songwriter Kay Huang (黃韻玲) is chairwoman of the center and aims to promote the space as the nation's first and biggest venue for hosting music concerts and education programs. The nine-acre music center includes a Concert Hall, Cultural Cube, and Creative Hub.
To celebrate the center's first birthday, one permanent exhibition and a special exhibition opened in the Cultural Cube. The permanent exhibition, titled "Music, Island, Stories: Pop Music in Taiwan," was curated by rock stars. It offers a comprehensive look at Mandopop culture and the history of Taiwan's music industry. It is slated to run until 2026.
The expo is in 12 sections and over three floors, first looking at 1930s Taiwan when its first pop music was recorded. Through interactive installations, the expo displays 1,326 instruments and on-stage costumes that mark significant moments in the nation's pop music and movie industries.
Curated by internationally renowned Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and contemporary artist Shiro Takatani, the exhibition "Is Your Time" centers on a broken piano that survived after an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan's Tohoku region in 2011.
The exhibition has already been shown in Tokyo and Beijing. The artists converted seismic data from the earthquake into music, which provides visitors with an immersive experience created by 14 speakers and an impressive light array. It began Sept. 18 and will run for three months.
Sakamoto said he was stunned by the force of nature and how it could turn an instrument into just an object. The aim was to bring the dysfunctional piano to life with music, according to the website.
For more information or to book a visit online, visit the website.
"Music, Island, Stories: Pop Music in Taiwan."
"Music, Island, Stories: Pop Music in Taiwan."
"Is Your Time." (Taipei Music Center photos)
