Author:
Weng, Li-Mei 翁立美

Graduated Academic Year:
2019

Advisor:
Chiou, Chang-Tay, Ju, Tzong-Ching  丘昌泰、朱宗慶

 

Abstract:

Should performing arts present the purest form of art as its mission? Or should the art be aimed at gaining recognition from the audience? Taiwan has gone from enforcing martial law to lifting martial law, art and culture went from “re-education” to “education,” and has now entered the current era of “life aesthetics.” Under the changing of tempo for life, how should art practitioners handle themselves? The implementors of cultural policies include government agencies, foundations, and various arm’s length organizations. The role of these “cultural mediators,” as explained by French scholar Pierre Bourdieu, aren’t just “institutions” as they include systems, education, lifestyle, and social “fields.” This study seeks to explore the spirit and form of cultural mediators, and their impact on performing arts practitioners.

After the end of World War II, the “Edinburgh Festival Fringe” founded in 1947 served as an iconic art festival in the global arts and culture world. It unexpectedly contributed to the formation of the “Avant-garde, non-mainstream, innovative, and niche” “Edinburgh Festival Fringe.” The even has been around for more than 70 years, and has become the largest single art festival in the world. Every August, performers, intermediaries, and consumers involved in the performing arts industry from all over the world gather here. Many countries such as Taiwan are exhibited at the “Edinburgh Festival Fringe Taiwan Season,” and the British government also uses its arm’s length organizations to promote artists here and help them enter the international market.

This study conducted participant observation and field research during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2019 to try and gain clarity regarding the aforementioned cultural intermediary platforms such as the government (Scottish Government, Edinburgh City Council), intermediary organizations (Edinburgh Festival Fringe Association, Creative Scotland, Scottish Expo Foundation), the various roles and functions of the private market (brokers, media, international brokers, and curators).

In addition, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, performing arts activities around the world was impeded and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was unprecedentedly suspended. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers used the Internet to interview the relief plans of relevant organizations of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The contents of the interviews from the previous year were cross-examined, which made the research results of this study extremely valuable.

　　表演藝術究竟應該以純藝術為使命？還是以觀眾的認同度為目的？台灣從戒嚴到解嚴、藝術文化從「教化」走向「教育」、邁入現今之「生活美學」時代，在社會時序變遷之下，藝術工作者又該如何自處？文化政策的執行者包括政府機構、基金會、以及各種的臂距組織，這ㄧ些「文化中介者」的角色，誠如法國學者布赫迪厄（Pierre Bourdieu）之闡明，不僅僅是「機構」，還包括制度、教育、生活品味、社會「場域」等等。本研究意欲探索文化中介者之精神和形式，及其對於表演藝術工作者之影響。

　　第二次世界大戰結束之後，於1947年創設的「愛丁堡藝術節」以藝術節慶引領全球藝文界，並意外促成「前衛、非主流、創新、小眾」的「愛丁堡藝穗節」之成形，此一藝穗節至今70餘年，已然成為全世界最大單一藝術節慶，每一年八月間，來自世界各地表演藝術產業的表演者、中介者、消費者聚集於此，許多國家如：台灣的「愛丁堡藝穗節台灣季」亦在此進行文化展示。英國政府更藉由其臂距組織，推動藝術家在此發聲並進入國際市場。

　　本研究於2019年8月愛丁堡藝穗節期間，進行實地參與觀察與田野調查，試圖釐清上述文化中介平台如：官方（蘇格蘭政府、愛丁堡市政府）、中介組織（愛丁堡藝穗節協會、創意蘇格蘭、蘇格蘭博覽基金會等等）、民間市場（經紀公司、媒體、國際經紀人與策展人等等）之各種角色與功能。

　　此外，由於 2020年COVID-19全球疫情爆發之後，全世界表演藝術活動受阻，愛丁堡藝穗節更史無前例停辦；研究者在疫情期間，利用網路訪談愛丁堡藝穗節相關組織之紓困計畫，並交叉檢視前一年訪談內容，使得本論文之研究成果彌足珍貴。