National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts-Weiwuying — Attraction in Kaohsiung

We visited having come from Taichung and seeing their performing arts centre. I have to say that, despite it's massive footprint, this doesn't feel like a welcoming space at all. We spent ages looking for the box office only to see exits from the auditoria everywhere. It's like it's saying 'come to the show, by all means, but get out ASAP!' There's plenty of space between the exits for al fresco performances, but it's dark and unwelcoming unless lit up (we visited in January - it may be cooling in the summer). When we did find the box office we realised that the spaces between the hall, apart from one or two exhibits about the architecture, really doesn't encourage people to linger. Indeed when we attended the performance in the concert hall we had no access to that space at all! This is all in sharp contrast to the arts centre in Taichung. It's got shops; restaurants; curvaceous spaces and staircases to admire and linger in; and even a beautiful roof garden! It's shape on the outside is soft and inviting, unlike this one - it's massive and sharp lined in most places but impossible to define at all since it's so sprawling and non descript at ground level. I wonder if it's what the people of Kaohsiung...

共生 The Symbiosis 創作設計/台灣阿美族 The Amis, Taiwan/陳勇昌Kaling Diway/ 作品企劃/林育世/ 音源採集、剪輯/明立國/ 燈光音場設計/穩立國際整合有限公司 南島之眼 Ｍata of Austronesia 南島之眼 Ｍata of Austronesia 創作設計/台灣魯凱族 The Rukai, Taiwan/ 安聖惠（峨冷．魯魯安）Eleng Luluan/ 燈光設計：葉宗哲工作室 南島的風很香 Fragrant Wind from Austronesia 南島的風很香 Fragrant Wind from Austronesia 創作設計/台灣排灣族The Paiwan, Taiwan/伊誕．巴瓦瓦隆Etan Pavavalung 燈光設計：葉宗哲工作室 祈禱小米豐收歌 Pasibutbut 祈禱小米豐收歌 Pasibutbut 創作設計/台灣布農族 Bunun, Taiwan/李文廣(海舒兒)/Hai-Shu-Er/ 作品企劃/林育世/音源採集、剪輯/明立國/展台設計/嘛咤工作室/燈光設計/穩立國際整合有限公司 族光再現 Reemergence of the Tribal Light 族光再現 Reemergence of the Tribal Light 創作設計/台灣卑南族 The Puyuma, Taiwan/米類．瑪法琉 Milay Mavaliw/ 燈光設計/葉宗哲工作室 女人的田 The Field of Women 女人的田 The Field of Women 創作設計/台灣卡那卡那富族The Cau Kanakanavu, Taiwan/誽鄔．昂艿．卡阿妃雅誽sua..nganai maku,’.ia,Nau.Angai.Kaaviana/ 燈光音場設計/穩立國際整合有限公司/製作協力/原感物件創意文化有限公司/錄音、後製/玩美點子影視廣告製作 山豬溫泉 Hot Spring for the Boars 山豬溫泉 Hot Spring for the Boars 創作設計/台灣排灣族The Paiwan, Taiwan/巴豪嵐．吉嵐 Chi Lan Pahao Lan 燈光設計：穩立國際整合有限公司 浮光獵影 Chasing Light and Shadow 浮光獵影 Chasing Light and Shadow 創作設計/台灣阿美族 The Amis, Taiwan/魯碧．司瓦那Ruby Swana 停駐的地方 Kahaceraan 停駐的地方 Kahaceraan 創作設計/台灣阿美族 The Amis, Taiwan/達鳳．旮赫地Tafong Ka'ti 弧零：月食 Arc Zero: Eclipse 弧零：月食 Arc Zero: Eclipse 創作設計/澳洲/James Tapscott 湖映森光 Fantasy Lake 湖映森光 Fantasy Lake 創作設計/臺灣/車克謙/光創演繹 植光・花 Lighting Flowers 植光・花 Lighting Flowers 創作設計/臺灣/蔡宜婷/沃手工作 奇蘑．幻境 Weird mushroom．Fantasy zone 奇蘑．幻境 Weird mushroom．Fantasy zone 創作設計/台灣/莎米亞東/東騰凌躍 生命線 Flow of Life 生命線 Flow of Life 創作設計/蔡昕默x浩汎 高壓電 High Voltage 高壓電 High Voltage 創作團隊：謝佑承 X 王中原 專案經理：謝澤旻 金屬結構工程：德佳營造 燈光技術及顧問：丞豐光電科技 映象寫真館 Kaohsiung Imagery 映象寫真館 Kaohsiung Imagery 許英光 異站 Stop 異站 Stop 廖音喬/接上他的腿有限公司 源 宇宙 Orbital 源 宇宙 Orbital 蔡珮玲 乘風光 Come and see 乘風光 Come and see 柯青每 飄飄藍 Floating Blue 飄飄藍 Floating Blue 台灣/林建榮 FUTURE VISION LAB @ 2022台灣燈會 FUTURE VISION LAB @ 2022台灣燈會 C-LAB科技媒體實驗平台策畫 脈動 Pulse 脈動 Pulse 台灣/長友大輔與詹明旎(日本籍新住民，米索空間設計有限公司MisoSoupDesign) 共生花 Symbiosis Garden 共生花 Symbiosis Garden 台灣/葉海地Heidi Yip(加拿大籍新住民) 光之舞 Dance of Light 光之舞 Dance of Light 創作者/黃心健 技術團隊/樂飛特 X 黑川互動媒體藝術 空氣人 Aerial Being 空氣人 Aerial Being 創作設計/日本/鈴木康広/嘉登會展統籌 序曲－引路使者 Leading Birds 序曲－引路使者 Leading Birds 創作設計/臺灣/盂施甫/嘉登會展統籌 源 Provenance 源 Provenance 創作設計/臺灣/禹禹藝術工作室/嘉登會展統籌 蒲公英 Naked- Dandelion 蒲公英 Naked- Dandelion 創作設計/日本/Naked Inc./嘉登會展統籌 我那天打翻了一杯珍奶 Bubble Tea Wonderland 我那天打翻了一杯珍奶 Bubble Tea Wonderland 創作設計/臺灣/集刻互動媒體、Studio Uno/嘉登會展統籌 摩登時代 Modern Era 摩登時代 Modern Era 創作設計/臺灣/郭佩奇/嘉登會展統籌 花御洗 Naked- Tsukubai 花御洗 Naked- Tsukubai 創作設計/臺灣/日本/松村亮太郎、Naked Inc./嘉登會展統籌 活潑的光 Vivid Light 活潑的光 Vivid Light 創作設計/臺灣/光癮嗜豔/嘉登會展統籌 萬花筒裡的悄悄話 Kaleidoscope Whispering 萬花筒裡的悄悄話 Kaleidoscope Whispering 創作設計/臺灣/奧圖碼 x 光癮嗜艷/嘉登會展統籌 仿生機械：沉睡森林 Bionic Machinery: Sleeping in Forest 仿生機械：沉睡森林 Bionic Machinery: Sleeping in Forest 創作設計/花開自然-黃淑娥 菊花夜行軍 100米花廊光譜 The Night March of the Chrysanthemums 菊花夜行軍 100米花廊光譜 The Night March of the Chrysanthemums 創作設計/花開自然-黃淑娥 逐光山雲間-豌豆燈海迷宮 Chasing Light in Pea Maze 逐光山雲間-豌豆燈海迷宮 Chasing Light in Pea Maze 創作者/田芛設計 熱氣球 Hot air balloon 熱氣球 Hot air balloon 創作設計/臺灣/飛能科技有限公司 作品統籌/嘉登會展 彩虹屋 Rainbow Cabins 彩虹屋 Rainbow...

A much needed place in Taiwan. I love the building but only wish the performance can be a bit more diverse. And for day time, they are actually very little programs which is a bit unfortunate giving that this large space that does not serve as performance center rather a park. People come here to walk around, take pictures.

Text description provided by the architects. Designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo, the extraordinary architecture of Weiwuying is inspired by the sinuous canopy created by clusters of banyan trees commonly found in the region. The single sweeping building covers a surface area of 35 acres (141,000 sqm) and is set in the spectacular 116-acre (470,000 sqm) subtropical park in the heart of Kaohsiung, making it the world’s largest performing arts centre under one roof as well as Taiwan’s most significant cultural investment in a generation. It incorporates five state of the art performance spaces: a 2,236-seat Opera House, a 1,981-seat Concert Hall, a 1,210-seat Playhouse, a 434-seat Recital Hall and an Outdoor Theater linking the building...