On Jan. 22, the Ministry of Culture announced the list of recipients of the 2019 Cross-Industry Applications of Technology and Performing Arts (表演藝術結合科技跨界創作) grants ― the Hope of Vision Association (社團法人臺灣視覺希望協會), Anarchy Dance Theatre (安娜琪舞蹈劇場), Dance Forum Taipei (舞蹈空間舞蹈團), Cheng's Interactive Design Studio (城氏互動設計工作室), Baroque Robotics Studio (巴洛克機器工作室), Digital Art Foundation (財團法人數位藝術基金會), and Huang Yi Studio (黃翊工作室). A total of seven groups will receive a total of NT$12 million in grants.
The intersection of technology and art is gaining increasing attention internationally, and to help support this field and relevant groups in Taiwan, the Ministry of Culture has long provided support through Cross-Industry Applications of Technology and Performing Arts grants. Since the launch of the program in 2010, the support provided has led not only to a rich variety of performing arts presentations, but also to a number of major international awards and invitations to perform at events such as the Ars Electronica Festival in Austria, Denmark's Click Festival, and Semaine des cultures étrangères à Paris. The results of such art-technology cross-overs have also proven to be invaluable sources of creativity for the film and television industry.
The 29 applications for 2019 covered a diverse array of projects, and in making their decisions, the judging panel took into account the experimental, forward-looking nature of the projects with a particular focus on their incorporation of technology and the strength of the ties of that incorporation with the artistic elements of the work. Including the seven chosen this year, the Ministry has supported some 77 projects with grants since the program's 2010 inception, providing backing totaling NT$129.27 million.