From gesture to immersion: transforming Taiwanese pòo-tē-hì into a VR creation

As part of the "Transforming/Translating Taiwan" lecture series organized by Inalco's Chair of Taiwanese Studies, this meeting proposes to explore the ways in which the Taiwanese experience can be transformed, translated and reconfigured through contemporary artistic creation. The cycle interrogates Taiwan not only as an object of representation, but as a space for the production of narratives, forms and knowledge, capable of dialoguing with international audiences and renewing frameworks of thought on history, memory and identity.

On this occasion, we welcome Axel Clévenot, French director associated with the production company AnimaViva, specialized in documentaries for museums and, more recently, in the creation of immersive experiences. His work, which has won several international awards, lies at the crossroads of historical, scientific and artistic film, with a particular focus on innovative narrative and visual devices.

The project presented takes Taiwan as its starting point: a puppet master falls asleep and dreams. In this dream, the puppets awaken and take the audience on a quest through time, to the heart of Taipei's Dadaocheng district. The story plunges into Taiwan's contemporary history through major characters and events, decisive in the emergence and affirmation of the Taiwanese identity. Visual writing, inspired by the logic of dreams, becomes a poetic and critical filter for questioning the processes of identity construction, between memory, fiction and history.

Developed following a residency in Taiwan, the project led to a co-production with Taiwanese company Select Entertainment. In 2024, it received support from the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture (T-Content Plan) as well as the CNC (pre-production aid), enabling the completion of a prototype shot at the IP Lab in October 2024.

This meeting will focus on several key issues:
How to translate a national history and cultural heritage into an immersive language?
What does a culture gain - and what does it lose - when it moves from traditional gesture to virtual experience?
How can immersive creation renew the way we access history, memory and contemporary identities?

ORGANIZATION

Chanyueh LIU

CONTACT

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