NAKAMOTO Hirofumi

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NAKAMOTO Hirofumi

Participating Project	Exchange Residency Program (Japanese Creators sent abroad)
Activity Based	Japan
City / Place stayed	Taipei / Treasure Hill Artist Village
Period	2023.10 - 2023.12

Purpose of the residency

The film collects visual records by visiting places with a cultural background in Taipei and actively participating in land-based events. The production process focuses on the people who live there and their relationship with the local community. The video documentation will not only be a portrait of contemporary Taipei, but will also draw on the history of personal films made with film cameras and small video cameras. The history of personal cinema in Taiwan will be studied and applied to the production of the film. Through researching Taiwanese folklore, I will develop a land-based way of thinking.

Plan during the residency

• Visit Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (New Taipei Citiy)
• Visit Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation (Hualien City)
  
• Research and climb Mt.Taimu 
• Research and Snorkeling in Riuqiu
• Meetings with curators and artists

Activities during the residency

During my residency, I conducted research on the following topics.
-Taiwanese folktales
-Ecology of flora and fauna in Taiwan
-Thesis on Giant African snails
-History of water supply in Taiwan
-History of White Terror
-History of indigenous peoples in Taiwan
-History of the Japanese colonial period
-Art festivals in Taiwan
-Video art in Taiwan
-Contemporary art in Taiwan.

In addition to the research, the following scenes were filmed for my production.
- Interview with Lee Jian-Cheng, a chef residing at Treasure Hill, who taught me how to cook snail dishes.
- “A-WOS Farm,” a snail farm in Taitung, which I visited for the snail cuisine interview.
- On and under the sea at Green Island, Taitung
- On the island and underwater at Xiao Liuqiu (Lambay Island), Kaohsiung
- Dolphin boat ride in Hualien - Climbing Mt.Yangming in Taipei

Outcome of the residency

During my residency in Taipei, I created a video work connecting my own childhood memories in Myanmar and the history of snails in Taiwan through snails living in Treasure Hill Artist Village, as well as a map with the holes that snails ate and made. At the opening party of the exhibition, I served the audience snail dishes that I learned from Lee Jian-Cheng, a chef residing at Treasure Hill.
Through my residency in Taiwan and research for my work, I was able to rediscover my roots in Okinawa and develop ideas for future works - Taiwan and Okinawa were both called Ryukyu. My great-grandfather used to travel by boat from Okinawa to Indonesia and then to Philippines as a migrant worker. I came to create a film that crosses the islands of the Pacific Rim, connecting my great-grandfather's journey with the trajectory of snails, tilapias, apple snails, and other exotic species whose distribution has been expanded by human.
Through my residency in Taiwan, I was able to learn about the Austronesian language families and the cultural sphere of the Pacific Rim at some of "Indigenous Culture Resorts" in Taiwan, and also to get to know contemporary artists of native Taiwanese origins. In addition, I was able to learn about the connection between Taiwan and Okinawa based on my interviews in Keelung and the various information I learned there.

Creator Information