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13th Anniversary of Red Room
13th Anniversary of Red Room
Emergence, by definition, is the process of coming into existence or the process of becoming visible after being concealed. In one way or another, we all have stories of emergence, stories of the days we dared, the days we shifted shapes and entered a new stage. Red Room is a community that encourages and embraces emergence. The non-profit platform has developed numerous events that cultivate a culture of learning to listen to each other, what is around us, and ourselves. Whether it is spoken word, music, visual arts, theatre, or family-friendly activities, Red Room enables its participants to emerge, to explore their passion with other artists and creatives. And it has now been so for thirteen years!
To celebrate its anniversary, Red Room hosted a special Stage Time and Wine night on the theme of emergence. Redroomers were encouraged to share their journey and the role Red Room has played in their life. ST&W takes place every third Saturday of each month at the Red Room Rendezvous. It is an opportunity for all kinds of performers to share their art during an open mic session. And let me tell you, this anniversary ST&W was a great success! As the new intern at Red Room, I had been waiting for this 3rd Saturday of November impatiently. What was the core event of Red Room going to look like? Would it be as multi-generational, cross-cultural and community-fostering as I hoped for?
On D-day, at barely 7 pm, the Red Room Rendezvous was already swarming with people running up and down the stairs, moving furniture around, greeting one another, embracing long-known faces, or shaking hands on a first encounter. Sixty people, two floors, a wonderful synergy. The magic happened on the first floor, under deemed lights, where the stage met with the feet of the audience. It jumped from heart to heart, trickled down the stairs, and spread to the ground floor and the terrasse, till all attendees pulsated on one same tempo. The venue was packed. We all shared a warm Dal and as we carefully stepped around one another, we tried not to spill the lentils on the oriental carpet. That, in itself, was already a performance; the members of the audience, aware of each other’s presence, organised themselves and made room for all souls. Meanwhile, Marley, Tina’s dog, ran from a spectator’s vegan hamburger to the feet of the performers and was greeted with pats on the back. This sixteen years old Dachshund had attended more ST&Ws than most people present that night!
That is the thing with Red Room, anyone is welcome, and anyone can get involved. As the artist and Redroomer Tim Nathan Joel puts it:
“ Home, home is a place that has to be believed before it can be found – in a sense, that is the Red Room as well.”
Red Room is a space created and re-created by its participants. It is to celebrate what the Redroomers have built over the past thirteen years that Red Room has organised this anniversary ST&W. The platform has come a long way since the co-founders, Ayesha Mehta and Ping Chu envisioned the community over a cup of tea in Taitung. At their first ST&W at Aveda’s Learning Kitchen, they were flabbergasted to see no less than a hundred people attend. Each attendee brought wine or a vegetable to add to the stone soup.
Have you ever heard of stone soup? It comes from a European folk story in which a hungry stranger convinces the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone can enjoy. The stranger, missing ingredients, first put stones in the boiling water of his pot. The inhabitants of the town, curious about what would happen, pitched in – a cabbage here, a carrot there. This epitomises Red Room’s message and purpose. It started from nothing, from stones, and with the help of its members, it evolved to become what it is today, a shared soup, infused with the spices of all. A soup created because it was first believed in.
Over the last thirteen years, the organisation has developed from its core platform – Stage Time & Wine – to launch various projects. Red Room Radio Redux saw the light in 2012, as a group of Red Roomers tried to revive radio theatre. A year later, Red Room partnered with Taipei city Playgroup to host Stage Time and Juice, an event that welcomes children to express themselves on an open mic stage. Red Room quickly outgrew its home at the Aveda Learning kitchen and moved to a new venue at the old Taiwan Air Force base (TAF) in 2015. There, they launched Visual Dialogues, art exhibitions that brought together two artists of different backgrounds and cultures every month.
But in the light of Covid and with the end of its lease at the Air Force, Red Room has faced difficult times. Resourceful, its members have decided to open a restaurant – the Red Room Rendezvous – where Red Room still hosts its events. During the lockdown, gatherings would take place online, and now, slowly but surely, activities are starting to flow again. Since 2020, the organisation helps with TAIPEI SHORTS – a yearly festival that presents original short plays written and performed by expats and Taiwanese. Red Room developed Trash to Treasure workshops where participants up-cycle what is about to be thrown away. This year, the platform also partnered with the Museum of World Religions to co-produce International Women’s day. They hosted and promoted discussions about the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women in Taiwan. And the two non-profits will partner again to organise International Women’s day 2023! This year, Red Room also partnered with Women’s Nest, an NGO for indigenous women from the Bunan, Kanakanavu, and Sara Peoples in Kaohsiung. The participants from Taipei had the opportunity to see the mountain environment and get to know the NGO. With projects like this, and many more, Red Room proves to be versatile, it always finds a way because before being a physical space, it is a community.
It is this community feeling I experienced during the anniversary ST&W. Marley, the host, the manager, the first-timers, the old faces, the organising crew, and the Redroomers all pulsated to the rhythm of the bells wrapped around Tracy’s ankle as Rajat sang with all his soul “Bonde Maya Lagaise” by Shah Abdul Karim, a song from present day Bangladesh. The fingers of Manav ran on his handpan with inspiration. Singers found the confidence to sing their original songs for the first time. Witty poets spoke of wampees from Hong Kong, of Papayas to be bought, of rain, of love, of their love of rain. Jvana, the colourful host, sang the Lava song and many sang along. Later, two dancers asked for absolute darkness except for phone lights. On Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy, their bodies intertwined and their shadows reverberated on all walls.
Each performer shared with the audience a piece of themselves and their vulnerability was welcomed with open arms, tender smiles, and rolls of applause. We listened with our eyes, tasted with our ears, and touched with our hearts. The show may have lasted from 7.30 to 10.30 but it sure felt like 20 minutes. How time flies when we actively listen!
As the co-founder Ayesha Metha puts it:
“Listening is muscular. Listening is the rolling of joints, the smoke of breath through a body, singing out a mouth. Listening is the bearing of blood, and the seeing of feeling. Listening is the same as touch. It can make love, be live, centre and land a soul. Listening is transport, reminds you space and time are malleable, multi dimensional, formless, dancing.”
Each Red Room event is unique and transcending, but they all have this one thing in common; people come ready to listen and create together.
I cannot wait to go to the next Stage Time and Wine on the 3rd Saturday of this month and I hope to meet you there!
Manelle Liagre
Intern at Red Room
October-November 2022
Published in the Centered on Taipei magazine. Pages 8-10.
Kickstart Your Eco Life In Taiwan – Filmmakers
To celebrate Earth Day, Red Room hosted a gathering at the Red Room Rendezvous on April 24th. Filmmakers Tim Gorski, Lin You-xue, Nick Vaky and Francesca Chang presented their films and projects while answering questions and discussing ideas from the audience.
Do you love elephants? Who doesn’t! Animal-rights activist Tim Gorski presented an adventure-filled and emotionally-touching behind-the-scenes of his project “Bonding With Giants”. He and four Chinese students embarked on a journey to Kenya to come face-to-face with majestic elephants and the people that protect them. He and his team infiltrated the violent and dangerous world of poaching to spread the awareness of the horrific impact the ivory trade was having on elephants. It was heart-wrenching to see the team challenged with having to capture intense and shocking moments where elephants were brutally murdered. “Behind-the-scenes” captures the deeply emotional and vulnerable moments the cast experienced, connecting the audience with the endangered elephants. Gorski also presented his project on captive elephants in Thailand, which brought the audience to tears. I imagined my classmates watching this film, and gasping at treatment of these intelligent, emotional and sensitive animals. Gorski’s films reach young people on a deep and emotional level, causing them to contemplate their actions, whether it’s riding elephants or eating meat, or motivating them to take actions to eliminate the ivory trade and circus industries.
Have you ever been astounded by the number of discarded cigarette buds on the ground? Nick Vacky, a writer, director, and editor was, and decided to do something about it. He made an engaging film capturing the ways these cigarette buds live with us. He traveled to many different countries, documenting the unpleasant and everlasting buds he encountered almost everywhere he went; no matter if it was the ocean-facing cliffs, famous tourist destinations or secluded alleyways in Europe… The film stimulated debate and discussion of biodegrable cigarette buds, and the cigarette industry generally, and its harmful impact on health and the environment. Another reason to refrain from taking up smoking!
Do you know how hard it is to get a beach photo, without rubbish? Lin You-xue’s film, “Landscape of Rubbish”, tells the story of how trash would always appear in his scenic photos even though he tried his best to avoid them. Lin began as a photographer with the desire of capturing the beauty of Taiwan’s coasts. But eventually, he realized that trash was an unavoidable reality and started to incorporate it into his art, to show the impact our trash was having on the coastal environment. “Landscape of Rubbish” also features Liina Klauss, a German artist who reimagines beautiful artworks from beach rubbish. You-xue’s film takes the audience through a journey of appreciation for the objects we would consider “disgusting” or “gross” and allows us to find a new appreciation for them. Watching this film through a teenager’s lens, I immediately thought of Instagram. The bright colors, eye-catching and mesmerizing arrangement of the trash are all the perfect ingredients for an “aesthetic instagram” recipe: teens showing the world they are conscious of littering or climate change while still making their feed picture-perfect and “aesthetic”. This could trend!
Do you wonder what happens to discarded food waste? Francesca Chang, a retired lawyer, introduced an alternative way of decomposing organic waste like leftover food. She presented a detailed article and vlog-style video of an ecological farm in Chiayi that raises black soldier flies on organic waste. She brought us a close look at the hydroponics and aquaponics, while telling the story of how a Taiwanese farmer discovered the fly. The audience was intrigued by this local story, and we discussed composting and potential invasiveness of this fly species. When I attended a Taiwanese high school, lunch leftovers were dumped into a bucket. We all presumed “it’s for the pigs”. But Chang’s presentation provided a more complex story: even though diverting food waste to pig feed may seem efficient, it can also harm the pigs. The soldier fly seems like a good alternative, and I was glad to see Chang spreading awareness.
I hope to see more young people at the next Earth Day Event at the Red Room. I come from a generation of social media addicts, where “performative activism” too often substitutes for the real thing. Too many aspiring influencers post something related to climate change or animal conservation because it looks pretty or demonstrates how much they “care: It is good to see films and debates with the directors that offer a real impact, and incentivize young people to find genuine ways to create a better planet and society.
Kate Osman
Formosa Tales 寶島話匣子 at the Cloud Forest
Formosa Tales 寶島話匣子 at the Cloud Forest
Yes. It was as dreamy as it sounds.
It was cloudy, it was verdant, there were many women (and men!), and artists, amazing food, environmentally-conscious people & practices, and some snazzy latin music.
Let it be known that Red Room knows how to put on a fantastic cultural event.
Nestled in the hills under Yangmingshan, the Cloud Forest Collective has set up a shared art space/gallery next to their pottery studio. It’s a beautiful location, far away from the smelly scooters and honking Hondas.
It’s a space to find peace among artsy individuals and mindful friends. And perhaps make a bowl or two, if it suits you.
The event that took place on March 7th was the opening exhibition of Women Beyond Borders (WBB) Taiwan Chapter, titled Formosa Tales 寶島話匣子. Red Room collaborated with WBB to feature the personal stories of women from a variety of cultural backgrounds, though the physical medium of a box.
WBB is a non-profit, cross-cultural exhibition of women connecting women from all walks of life within and beyond their communities across the globe via a small, wooden box. Women from internationally known artists to women with no prior artistic experience, everywhere from Argentina to Zambia, have transformed these wooden boxes into a repository that contains a story from the artist.
Lorraine Serena is the brains behind WBB, holding the belief that,
“In light of the world situation, we move forward with even greater conviction that women’s voices and visions are a healing force in the world. The arts are a universal and essential language allowing us to look beyond ourselves in order to create a new model of relatedness.”
The women who participated could really do whatever they liked with the box…
… Changing its shape, orientation, color, or texture just to start. What emerged from the boxes were incredible stories of growth, change, heartbreak, tragedy, evolution, power, and more. It was amazing to see how the boundaries of a box could be pushed and stretched.
This is La Benida Hui’s box, broken into balance pieces to create “Her Story, Her Life and Her Lesson”
La Benida Hui
As with all the Red Room events, I have some sense of “coming home”. Growing up in a hippie household in Vancouver primed me for the things that maybe some others would find surprising about this community in Taiwan.
The sharing circles, jam sessions, and long hugs are indicative of the open-heartedness that is fostered between each person. It’s welcoming to people of any shape, size, color, identity, or other definer us humans can come up with. It’s a community that has grown around the arts.
When I walked into the courtyard entryway of Cloud Forest my ears were greeted by the hand pan and laughter echoing through the open gallery space. I was immediately in love with the set up.
The gallery is set in an old heritage building with a bright, open layout with boxes dotting all the surfaces.
A low-lying stone building to the right was where we found the live music, by the band Ambiente Latino, and an AMAZING spread of vegetarian food, drinks, and dessert. I’ve never been so impressed by the catering at a free event. The food was served on Rose’s plant-based plates and bowls (check out her brand Conscious Good Eats on Facebook).
At the beginning there was a brief talk about the project and some reflections on the planning and execution of such an event. It ain’t easy to pull off this level of awesome.
The women behind the project were Christine Wu, Rose Huang, La Benida Hui, and Roma Mehta, who spent months planning the opening and collecting art projects, setting up and organizing every last detail. And it doesn’t end there.
Formosa Tales 寶島話匣子 is a traveling exhibition that will be moving around the island and showcasing the boxes and stories. Taipei was the first stop on its tour. If you’re interested, keep an eye on Red Room’s page to find out when/where the next exhibition will pop up.
People milled about chatting, laughing and enjoying the space. It was a chill and easy-going atmosphere, which is standard for a Red Room event. My friend Christiaan and I were admiring all the interesting people that passed through, with their feathers and frills and colorful braids.
One thing I love about trying new things is discovering all the different kinds of people that exist outside of your bubble.
Often it feels as though we live inside an echo chamber – hanging out with people who dress like us, think similar things, and hold relatively similar opinions. It’s rare that we go outside and talk to someone who is completely different from ourselves.
I want to make this point because it comes up around the topic of gender and other sensitivities, like race, class, sexual orientation, and so on.
Around the time of women’s day, I attended a few other events and the discussion around gender seemed very “othering”. And by that I mean men were often alienated from the conversation or alternative ideas were shut down.
I think there’s a lack of skill in our society when it comes to having conversations with people you disagree with. It’s incredibly difficult not to get emotions tangled into the narrative, which usually ends up with someone feeling hurt or maybe even an argument.
WBB at Cloud Forest was by far the most relaxing women’s day event I attended this year.
… And maybe we can chalk it up to the lack of a contentious topic being debated. Or maybe there wasn’t any trigger for it.
Or maybe it’s something else. The medium of art and self expression didn’t overtly start pointing any fingers at anyone about this topic. Rather it was an opportunity for everyone to read and understand some personal struggles or stories.
The boxes didn’t confront anyone with statistics or blame or “call for reform now”. They just sat there wide open for anyone to take a look and take in what they said.
It was an invitation to empathize and relate.
Maybe an invitation is what is needed to initiate change. An invitation to listen. To comfort. To stand in someone else’s shoes for a moment.
There are many people out here pushing the borders towards uncharted territory, and they’re doing it without creating more hurt, harm, or suffering in the world. We sure as heck don’t need any more of that.
It’s always a good time to take a moment to pause, reflect, and share with others. See how you can support the peaceful revolution here.
Kaya Lemaire
Copywriter
www.kayathewriter.com
