Introduction to the Taipei Cinema Park:

Taipei Cinema Park is located at the intersection of Wuchang Street and Kangding Road, Taipei City, where Taiwan Gas Co., Ltd. (founded in 1934 during the Japanese colonial period) and later Taipei Gas Co., Ltd. used to be. After having been left unused for 34 years, the location has now become the largest park in Ximending, after the simple park greening engineering was completed in 2001. The objective of the cinema park was to create a large leisure space filled with art and culture that not only preserved the old factory building, chimney and coking furnace of the gas company, but also integrated multifaceted entertaining culture, such as movies, coffee places and youth recreation in the surrounding area.

In June 2009, The Red House, managed by Taipei Culture Foundation, took over Taipei Cinema Park. It held “Meeting Love in Ximending – Love, Culture and Art in Taipei” during the Taipei Film Festival, followed by “Street Voice,” “Outdoor Movie Theater,” and “Public Arts Exhibition.” The venue provides a creative, and performance stage for youth culture like graffiti art and original music.

Taipei Cinema Park has successfully combined cultural and art events with youth culture. Whether it is dancing or photo shooting, it has become a popular landmark for the general public and youth to conduct leisure activities. With the effort of Taipei Culture Foundation, it is hoped that the exuberant vitality of the commercial area in Ximending can extend to further enhance Taipei Cinema Park, creating a prosperous Ximending as a whole.

Introduction to the Art Plaza:

Covering a total area of over 1,980 square meters, the Art Plaza is the main part of the park. The plaza has a stage and an auditorium, providing a decent performance space for artists. Urban Show Case, which opened on January 30th, 2010, is also part of the plaza and provides a venue for multimedia presentations. The plaza, surrounded by lawn, trees and benches, is an oasis in downtown Taipei. You can often see countless citizens come here to relax, while young students practice dancing. Its graffiti and artistic atmosphere make it one of the most popular photo shooting spots in Taipei City. Suitable activities include: shooting commercials, outdoor performance and other outdoor activities.

Introduction to the Multifunctional Hall

Located at the main entrance of Taipei Cinema Park and next to the bustling movie street (Wuchang Street) in Ximending, the retro-styled red-bricked building combines classic and modern features, creating a glamorous yet simple architectural atmosphere. The interior, covering an area of 11.5 x 6.5 meters, offers a sheltered space both for dynamic activities and exhibitions. The Multifunctional Hall can sustain electrical power up to 1,500 watts and serves multiple purposes, such as: workshops, classes, lectures, exhibitions, indoor screening, theater rehearsals and a rest area for performers.

Introduction to the Graffiti Wall:

Lane 96 (nicknamed “American Street”) on Kunming Street, Ximending, is an area featuring trendy youth apparel and prevailing youth culture in Taipei City. You can find the walls, roller shutters and electric boxes here covered with original Taiwanese graffiti art. Taipei Cinema Park, a new landmark for art and cultural development of Taipei City, is located on “American Street.” The park has taken on the responsibility for combining art and cultural development with youth culture in the area. In order to provide a legal and safe platform for young graffiti artists and to beautify the commercial area of Ximending, the park has partnered with Taipei Association for Diverse Art and Youth Development to organize the graffiti works around “American Street” and integrate the film industry in the surrounding area. In June 2009, an area (a wall) was designated in the park for graffiti artists to create a “Modern Love Graffiti Wall,” which won a silver award for outstanding open public space at “The 2009 Taipei Urban Design Competition.” In the future, the Wall will continue to be open to the public, and artists will also be regularly invited to create theme-based graffiti.

Introduction to the Backstreet Plaza:

The youth street culture in Ximending has a long history. The vitality and characteristics of the sub-culture continues to stand out, forming a unique feature of Ximending in the urban spatial development of Taipei City.

At Taipei Cinema Park, an outdoor space adjacent to “American Street” and Mingtaizi Street is designated as the “Backstreet Plaza.” With the concept of a youth culture development center, the plaza management cooperates with Taipei Association for Diverse Art and Youth Development to provide graffiti, DJ music, skateboarding, and hip-hop dance workshops for the public and young students, and actively bring youth activities to Taipei Cinema Park.

Introduction to the Urban Show Case:

Urban Show Case was designed by award-winning architect and artist Chung-Yei Shen, who, based on the concept of “transformation,” attempted to integrate tradition with modernity and create a culture belonging to the new generation, by installing a “switch” in the once-prosperous Wanhua District, Taipei City. He even adopted the design of a transformer to infuse the then sluggish park with new energy, which extended to the whole area later. Like a colorful Rubik’s Cube, “city,” “movie,” and “art” create different looks after rotation and combination in different circumstances. The public art installation at Taipei Cinema Park presents stories told by citizens using art and culture. Because its look changes with circumstances, it is thus called the “Urban Show Case.”

The Urban Show Case is a large two-story multimedia public art installation, with an interior floor area of 33 square meters and 6 suspended metal displays that can be combined flexibly according to the exhibition or disassembled to increase the indoor space. Also, large multimedia players are installed on the exterior of the four walls to convey information outward through the screens. It is hoped that the new installation will provide a more diverse performance stage, inspiring local residents and professional artists alike to create art and culture. Suitable events: exhibition with multimedia, small exhibition, video or multimedia presentations.

Facility Rental:

Art Plaza:

• Covering a total area of over 1,980 square meters, the plaza is suitable for shooting commercials, outdoor performance and other activities open to the public.
• Basic facilities are provided: 20 wooden benches, 4 sets of outdoor umbrellas, tables and chairs, projection screen (536cm x 370cm), stage background board (510cm x 180cm), and stage (725cm x 370cm x 55cm).
• Rent is charged by session and paid in full (see the Facility Rental Charge Standard).
• All garbage must be removed from the site, or cleaning fees will be charged. An additional NT$3,000 will be charged for extra electricity (see the Facility Rental Charge Standard).
• Reservation for a tour from 10a.m. to 7p.m., Monday to Sunday, is welcome. Tours are not available during a booked session.

Multifunctional Hall:

• The indoor space covers an area of 78 square meters (12mx6.5m). Suitable events include: workshops, classes and lectures, exhibitions, indoor screenings, theater rehearsals and a rest area for performers.
• Accommodates an audience of 30-50 people. The desks and chairs can be detached and arranged according to the nature of the activity. Moveable background boards, lights and stereo systems can be set up by renters to enhance the effects.
• Rent is charged by session and paid in full (see the Facility Rental Charge Standard).
• All garbage must be removed from the site, or cleaning fees will be charged (see the Facility Rental Charge Standard).
• Reservation for a tour from 10a.m. to 7p.m., Monday to Sunday, is welcome. Tours are not available during a booked session.

Urban Show Case:

• The indoor space covers an area of about 33 square meters, with projectors on the four walls. Suitable for small exhibitions, playing videos or multimedia exhibitions.
• Basic equipment is provided: (1) 6 sets of removable displays (44cm×26cm, 84cm×40cm, and 104cm×40cm, 2 sets each); (2) 4 sets of rear projector and screens (16:9, 180 inches x 1 set; 4:3, 110 inches x 2 sets; 4:3, 100 inches x 1 set) and multimedia players (only supports avi, wmv and mpeg formats); (3) 1 LCD screen (42 inches).
• The indoor space can accommodate 10-20 people; the outdoor space (sheltered) can accommodate 100-200 people.
• Rent is charged by project. For more information, please call (02) 2312-3717.
• Reservation for a tour from 10a.m. to 7p.m., Monday to Sunday, is welcome. Tours are not available during a booked session.