Living Arts International Taiwan Office is playing an integral role in raising the country’s global cultural profile while fostering collaboration among related nonprofits from home and abroad.
Established by the Ministry of Culture and New York-based Living Arts International under a four-year agreement in 2018, LAITO is based at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab on the site of what was formerly the headquarters of the ROC (Taiwan) air force command in Daan District of Taipei City.
LAITO is considered a peerless platform for cultivating talent, expanding exchanges and opening new opportunities for cross-border cultural and creative sector tie-ups. Some of its highlight achievements include cooperating with Mekong Cultural Hub and the British Council in staging the second edition of the Society, Education, Environment and Arts program (SEA).
SEA’s brief includes setting up a network of administrators, artists, managers and policymakers seeking to link works with challenges connected to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, as well as building civil society through arts and culture.
Running from November to September 2020, SEA affords 10 participants from Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and U.K. the chance to take part in four gatherings centered on Southeast Asian sustainable cultural development.
The first, kicking off Nov. 21 in Cambodia, is a four-day workshop in which attendees will formulate a 12-month plan for promoting cultural experimentation undertakings in four different Asian cities. It is expected to highlight the role arts can play in strengthening societal connectivity and resilience.
The MOC-LAI partnership also includes supporting the successful participation of two under-25 Taiwan musicians in January’s Ethno Cambodia. The weeklong session saw the local talents share, learn and teach traditional music alongside peers from the Southeast Asian country and Mekong region.
According to the ministry, cooperation between the MOC and LAI is in line with efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s links with New Southbound Policy target countries.
A key plank in the government’s national development strategy, the NSP aims to deepen Taiwan’s ties across the board with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand. (RAY-E)
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