Art Center Pier 2
The Art Center Pier 2 (Chinese 駁 二 藝術 特區Bó èr yìshù tèqū ) is located at the port of Kaohsiung City ( Yancheng District ) in Taiwan . The former port area is now a regular venue for exhibitions, concerts and other cultural activities.
History and Development
The arts center is located right at Pier number 2 of Kaohsiung Harbor, which is where it gets its name from. The pier, which was completed on June 12, 1973, was surrounded by storage sheds and workshops belonging to the port, the oldest of which were from the time of the Japanese rule over Taiwan . When the economic importance of the pier dwindled and the sheds were gradually abandoned, the site fell into disrepair and was no longer given any special attention.
That changed when the city of Kaohsiung used the site on October 10, 2000 to host a national holiday fireworks display. The event attracted public attention and prompted citizens interested in art to found the Society for Art Pier 2 in 2001 with the aim of redeveloping the site and transforming it into a center for cultural events.
The conception and construction of the center was carried out by the Society for Art Pier 2 in cooperation with Shu-Te University . During this phase, many artists and cultural planners took part in the construction work, during which the former storage sheds were converted into exhibition rooms and stages.
On March 24, 2002 the first premises were opened. Since 2006, the center has been administered by Kaohsiung City. In 2010, Sony Computer Entertainment opened a development center for computer games and software in the “Lager 9” building. A development center for the American company Rhythm & Hues is currently being set up in "Lager 7" . In the meantime, restaurants have also settled on the site of Pier 2.
Events
The Art Center Pier 2 regularly hosts cultural exhibitions, events and concerts. The center hosts Taiwan's Youth Innovative Design Festival and Kaohsiung Design Festival annually . Other larger events in the past included the exhibition The Delight of Chinese Characters (2011) and the Taiwan Design EXPO 2012. In addition, the Taiwanese concert agency The Music Wall regularly organizes concerts with mostly modern music groups in a roofless former storage shed that can accommodate 900 people. In March 2013 the Megaport Music Festival will take place on the site .
The Art Center Pier 2 is connected to the Kaohsiung subway through Yanchengpu Station .
Web links
Coordinates: 22 ° 37 ′ 11 ″ N , 120 ° 16 ′ 54 ″ E