Remembrance: Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Festival Visual Design Exhibition

In 2009, Chen Ming-Chang, a music composer based in Beitou, founded the Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Association. It brings together members who have a passion for the yueqin (moon lute) and are dedicated to promoting it. By playing this national instrument of Taiwan, the yueqin remains alive and can be passed down to the next generation. The Yueqin Folk Song Association is committed to teaching and promoting the yueqin in daily activities. Every September, they host the grand “Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Festival” in Beitou, inviting enthusiasts from all over to participate. The festival introduces the beauty of the yueqin through various exciting ways, such as appreciation, performance, and listening. It has become a popular cultural feast in the local community of Beitou.

Hong-Gah Museum has been deeply rooted in Beitou for twenty years and has established a network of mutual support with local arts and cultural organizations. With great admiration for the dedication of the Association in promoting the yueqin, the museum has previously participated in the Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Festival with group performances and extended the exhibition space of the museum to showcase painted yueqin and related artworks by various artists over the years. It is a stable and mutually supportive partnership. On the other hand, visual designer HO Chia-Hsing, who has been associated with the Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Festival for over a decade, began collaborating with the association even before the festival was launched, starting with the “Hing-Tshun Folk Music pilgrims.”

The “Remembrance – Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Festival Visual Design Exhibition” aims to retrospect the designs of previous Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Festivals from the perspective of the designer. Inspired by the musician Chen Ming- Chang, the designer began to explore temples, seeking colors and lines found in folk culture as a source of inspiration. With the changing environment, HO Chia-Hsing’s personal design direction continued to evolve and expand. In recent years, he puts a greater emphasis on using typography to discover the line logic that belongs to Taiwan. Through the exhibition, visitors can witness the lifelong commitment of the Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Festival and designer HO Chia-Hsing, as well as their attempts and transformations along the way. It showcases their unwavering belief in the continuous preservation and the development of Taiwan’s local culture.