Talking Drums Radio

“A Hatched Dream: Insight Guides” is based on the preliminary research conducted for the 2023 exhibition A Hatched Dream. The exhibition, on view at Absolute Space for the Arts, featured Cambodia-based artists and artists who have experience in Eurasian travel. The artists and curators also visited routes or regions highlighted in global discourses in recent years due to geopolitics and authoritarianism. In addition to conducting field research, they also recorded sounds in the places they visited. Based on the topics and regions explored in this exhibition, this program series showcases researchers and sound artists in related fields, along with conversations and sound creations extended therefrom.

Stranger Next Door Lecture Series in the summer of 2024 starts from reflections on Grilling Borders. TheCube invites 3 groups of researchers, writers, and artists from Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan to deliver 3 lectures from the perspectives of literature, visuals, history, society, and politics. A multi-dimensional discussion on ethnic and national borders will take place at TheCube on 3 consecutive Saturday from 29th June. The word “Stranger” in the original Greek text refers to “the people outside the fence, that is, the alien people.” Stranger Next Door Lecture Series originated from some thoughts on Taiwan’s southward policy. The exchanges and transactions carried out under the policy are like the construction of relationships with strangers. Through the unconsciousness or subconsciousness hidden under the word “stranger (person)”, Stranger Next Door Lecture Series hopes to loosen the invisible borders or boundaries and develop an action to understand the gaps in each other’s historical, social, political, and cultural networks.

Officially launched in May 2024, Grilling Borders: 2024/2025 Art Actor-Network join hands with Southeast Asian regional cultural and art action organizations, the project invite artists, researchers, and curators from Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other places to embark on various explorations into invisible boundaries such as politics, skin color, identity, nature, and images. The book reading stems from the foundation of book selection from the Grilling Borders Book Exhibition. Through a form of telling stories from selected books or publications, the event hopes to trigger and reflect multifaceted thoughts and imagination, inviting audiences to take part in discussion after.

The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains: The Sounds and Images of Yang Kui is an exhibition that includes installations, lecture performances, videos, and documents. This exhibition explores the historical process of “media transformation” in the literary works of Taiwanese veteran writer Yang Kui into music, songs, and concerts.

Since the interaction between Taiwan and the Pacific region under the name of Austronesia began with the exchange between the Yami people of Orchid Island and the Bajau people of the Philippines in 1997, these successful exchanges have transcended national diplomatic restrictions and solidified the discourse that “Taiwan is the homeland of Austronesian-speaking peoples.” After 26 years of development and changes, can the newly formed Austronesian identity and the current “Out of Taiwan Theory” trend help us clarify the new Taiwanese self-identity direction, or will it further immerse us in a romanticized island identity?

A Room of Michelle Chen curatorial research exhibition was held from 6 October to 4 November 2023 at TheCube 7F. This exhibition focuses on Taiwanese women aged 60-70 today and how their unique characteristics have been shaped by the political and economic conditions in Taiwan during their upbringing. It explored the relationship between individuals and the community/society.

After their performance at the Sonic Shaman－TheCube Forum Music Festival at the end of 2022, Taiwan’s queer mermaid diva, Betty Apple, and the avant-garde electronic ensemble Social Dis Dance, are invited to perform at the Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain for the newly produced piece MIRAGE ECSTASY, kicking off the annual Luxembourg Art Week.

Before setting off for Luxembourg, Jeph and Amy of TheCube conducted an interview with the members of Social Dis Dance: Betty Apple, Victor and Hoser.

“Cross Dimension Broadcast” explores mysticism in the application of Taiwan contemporary art creation. In a pairing format, the programme on the one hand invites contemporary Taiwanese artists working on related themes, and corresponding mysticism practitioners or researchers on the other, to talk about the sensory and mystical techniques they apply in their creation and practices.

This episode features film and art critic Austin HSU – From the viewing experience of LIN Guan-ming’s solo exhibition ‘The Remnants’, HSU discussed with the artist the ways of viewing images and the various aspects of image creation. EP1 The

The current exhibition at TheCube 7F is called Communal Work – Collective Carving As Form. The title of the exhibition contains both ‘Communal’ and ‘Collective’, it is so important that it is mentioned twice. Why is it so important to the Print & Carve Dept. that the creative process brings together the views of many people? How is it possible to DIT (do it together) when there are so many people with different opinions working together and discussing social issues? Life, work, creation, and social engagement are difficult hurdles to overcome. In this interview, the Print & Carve Dept. shares their past experiences and give insights to their future plans.