THIS IS NOT YET AN EMBASSY
Stefan Kaegi (Berlin | Eison)
Schedule
Taiwan is part of the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ upon which gigantic tectonic plates meet, and severe earthquakes regularly ensue. Political independence finds itself in an equally fragile state. It, too, is under threat of being ground apart by power blocs and tremors.
Director Stefan Kaegi, along with Taiwanese artists, conducted research during a seven-week residency at the Taipei National Theatre, querying political, science, and industry protagonists. The results will flow into a stage play which he currently rehearses with a digital activist, a diplomat, and the heiress of a Taiwan bubble tea empire. The piece will premiere at Haus der Berliner Festspiele at the beginning of 2024.
At SPIELART, Stefan Kaegi is going to show pictures from his artistic residency in Taipei and will talk about Rimini Protokoll’s upcoming Taiwanese project with curator Betty Yi-Chun and about geopolitics with Chiayo Kuo, founder of the Digital Diplomacy Association Taipei.
Biography
Stefan Kaegi develops documentary theatre plays, audio dramas and urban space stagings in various constellations, oftentimes breaking down economic interdependence into a human component. He works under the Rimini Protokoll label with Helgard Haug and Daniel Wetzel, with which he received the 2011 Silver Lion for Theatre at the Venice Biennale.
Dramaturge and translator Betty Yi-Chun Chen worked intensively with the Taipei Arts Festival from 2012 until 2022. As a freelance dramaturge, she collaborated with artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Germany. A constant emphasis within her work is placed on the friction between individual and collective narratives. She also assists German journalists with their coverage on protest movements in Taiwan.
Chiayou Kuo, Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association founder, does not work in embassies but rather develops a proprietary guerrilla strategy to put Taiwan on the global map. She does not portray it as country in need of assistance but rather as one offering help, such as in the provision of medicinal supplies to Vietnam or by aiding with social media campaigns organising football World Cups for Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.
Info
Following the lecture, the artist Manbo Key will offer a guided tour of his installation FATHER'S VIDEOTAPES in Studio 1 of the Muffatwerk at around 16:30.
Production & Realization
Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation. | Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
