Leading figures in the cultural and creative industries from home and abroad are meeting at a two-day forum in Taipei City to share strategies on how to inject innovative ideas and practices into the sector.
 
The Ministry of Culture-organized event, called Culture x Tech Next, kicked off Oct. 25 and includes discussions on areas spanning augmented and virtual reality technologies, audiovisual media, digital art, music festivals and online streaming.
 
Those attending include Liu Szu-ming, vice president of New Taipei City-based HTC Corp’s virtual reality content center; Peter Lewis, global head of sales and exhibitions at the U.S. conference and festival organizer South by Southwest; as well as Francois Klein, CEO of Digital Rise Studio, a French video production company.
 
MOC Deputy Minister Ting Hsiao-ching said Taiwan has vibrant cultural and creative industries and has excelled in the animation, comics and gaming sectors. The ministry is committed to helping local businesses adapt to fast-changing technological trends, she added.
  
The conference, which is run by state-backed Institute for Information Industry, is part of the ministry’s efforts to support the development of more creative digital productions under its Flagship Program for the Application of Cultural Content in Technology and Innovation. Launched in 2017, the initiative is a four-year, NT$4.18 billion (US$134.9 million) endeavor aimed at supporting original works and interdisciplinary projects.
 
A public exhibition showcasing VR technology is being staged on the sidelines of the seminar. Visitors can don headsets that transport them to a pop concert or into a Qing dynasty era (1644-1911) painting. (CPY-E)