From ‘Steel Town’ to ‘Cultural Town’ -The cultural junction between old and new, with reference to ‘2012 Kaohsiung International Steel and Iron Sculpture Festival ’ This paper focuses on urban regeneration, harnessing the power of cultural tourism and art and culture in the re-branding of a traditional industrial town. Kaohsiung, in Taiwan has long been the country’s steel manufacturer, main port, and shipbuilding centre. Similarly, it’s people are seem nationally, as tough, working class, and unsophisticated. Now, however, as the city moves from industrial to post-industrial, it faces challenges familiar to many cities in the west. Can the city re-brand itself? Can it diversity? What is the potential for re-branding its image? Can cultural policies be used to turn around Kaohsiung’s identity into something new, something more positive? Using the 2012 Kaohsiung International Steel and Iron Sculpture Festival as a case study, this paper will consider the opportunities and challenges facing cultural festivals in Taiwan. We will discuss funding and how cultural re-branding on a city level relates to national cultural policy. Using original data produced from questionnaires, the paper will also consider the impacts on the audience of mainly local people, and the potential for changing perceptions of the city and local identity. The paper concludes by evaluating the societal impacts from three perspectives: policy at local and national government level, local audience reactions, and finally, the author’s personal evaluation. The researcher, I-Chi Ko, is a native of Kaohsiung, and assistant researcher at Pier-2 Art Centre, Bureau of Cultural Affairs Kaohsiung City Government, Taiwan, who has direct experienced of working on the 2012 Kaohsiung International Steel and Iron Sculpture Festival. He is currently a Master’s degree student, studying Arts Administration and Cultural Policy at Goldsmiths, University of London. NB. The Kaohsiung International Steel and Iron Sculpture Festival is a one month biennial event, founded in 2002, and attracting sixteen artists from four countries, and an audience of sixty thousand people at least. Keywords: Taiwan, Pier-2 Art Centre, Cultural Policy, Regeneration, Festival.

1. From ‘Steel Town’ to ‘Cultural Town’
The cultural junction between old and new,
with reference to ‘2012 Kaohsiung International
Steel and Iron Sculpture Festival ’
I-Chi KO
Goldsmiths, University of London
7th of July 2015

2. Event
Funding
Audience
Policy
Evaluation
Conclusion

3. Event

4. 2012 Kaohsiung International
Steel and Iron Sculpture Festival
- History
- Was established in 2002.
- Biannual-based.
- Overturn industrial image, and add new ideas.
- Approach
- Artists in residence (16 artists and 2 generations)
- Outdoor workshop
- Artists’ talks
- Public art
- Place – Century- old railway park
- Local history – export

6. Audience

7. - Location
- The Pier-2 Art Centre
- Trip-advisor
- Diverse Audience
- Student group
- Outdoor excursion
- Workshop
- Public
- Key information provided
- ‘Meet the Artists’ Forum
- Hourly guided tours
Outdoor space
Admission Free
Audience
Arts Engagement
local history,
event and artists

9. Funding

10. - Government
- Budget / Pass
- Not maintain the same amount of money
- Local business
- Tung Ho Steel
- Material offered
- Technical support
- Artists
- Strong network
Funding
G
LB
A

12. Policy

13. - Main policy
- The Law of the Development of Cultural and
Creative Industries ( 2010 )
- National level.
- A gap between 2008 and 2010
- Challenge 2008 Six-Year National Development
Plan
- 2010 The Law of the Development of Cultural and
Creative Industries
- Disorderly gap
- 16 fields / 30 articles
Policy

14. - Article 2
- In order to promote cultural and creative industries, the
Government should enhance the artistic creation and
cultural preservation, as well as value local characteristics.
- Article 11
- the Government should encourage cultural and creative
industries to have research cooperation and talent
development between industries, government and
academia.
Festival-related Article
Aim of Festival / Old is new
Strong network / Uni-tour

15. Evaluation

16. - Government
- Regular workload, but still new ideas added.
- From separate installation to collecting them all together
- Overturn the process of creation
- Choose first, experience, then create.
Evaluation

17. - Audience
- 4376 questionnaires in one month.
Evaluation
84%Enhance creativity
86%Different kinds of
audience.
Everyday material
Daily life
Location
Diverse activities

18. - Personal observation
- Sponsorship
- Overturn negative perception
- Its motivation / purchase / investment
- Artwork
- Does this city really need this?
- Alternative ways / school / function
- Volunteers
- Students / Unstable human resource
- Volunteer segmentation / Work duties.
Evaluation

19. Conclusion

20. Art / local history
Art / City
Art / Society
Art / Everyone

21. Q&AThank you for listening
I-Chi Ko
ichiko5134@gmail.com