Digital technology is guiding people towards broader worldviews. Technological advancement at the same time gives artists a more diverse repertoire of art forms with which to work, so that knowledge and appreciation of art, life and society can be presented to the public in the most sophisticated fashion. Now in its sixth year, in addition to serving as a vital bridge between citizens and outstanding digital art works from home and abroad, the Digital Art Festival Taipei is also a stage of convergence across various fields. The featured components of this year’s festival are the International Digital Art Exhibition, Digital Art Awards, Artist Forum, Live Performances and Digital Art Platform. Activities featuring different aspects of digital art promise an eye-opening experience for visitors, sure to leave an unforgettable digital impression on citizens and help cultivate aesthetic appreciation and knowledge of digital art.
The theme of the 2011 Digital Art Festival Taipei – Cross, as the title implies, tells the story that collaborative art no longer takes place exclusively within the arts community; rather, creative processes rely on resources and techniques shared among and provided by different specialized fields. As a result, engineers and technicians become part of the art-making process, and new modes of creation take shape. Applied to digital art, cross refers to an active process of “mixing, changing, reorganization, and creation of new things.” Echoing this trend, the 2011 Digital Art Criticism Awards has selected Sound/Acoustics as its theme for soliciting works. What sets the Digital Art Festival Taipei apart in particular is that it actively seeks to solicit “event” projects – works that transcend the spatial boundaries of the exhibition venue, draw participation among visitors from all corners of society, and bring the public closer to the distinctive concepts conveyed through the micro events of the Digital Age.
The Digital Art Festival Taipei is a major annual art celebration in Taiwan. It is also an event of utmost excitement for the Department of Cultural Affairs in our ongoing promotion of arts and culture. Since the first Festival in 2006, visitors have been wowed by the unique content and creative dynamism of every edition, each one a reservoir of digital art energy from previous years that achieves new milestones in every moment, showing the public how digital technology and art shine on each other. This year’s Festival is kaleidoscopic and broad, packed with astonishment and spectacles. Come join us on a journey of transcendence through the digital world filled with new sensations and experiences.

Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government
100.10. 7