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This study discusses the imaginary and practice of Publicity in art festivals in urban space, based on the field works of “Street Fun, Fun Street – MOCA X Community Art Festival (SFFS)” and “Tua-Tiu-Tiann International Festival of Arts (TTTIFA)” in Taipei in 2016. Both held in outdoor space while communicating and interacting with local communities, the two festivals declare “to bring arts out of the exhibition barriers” and attempt to “decrease the distance between public and arts”. By examining the process of preparation and execution in the two art festivals, this study discusses the imaginaries of the organisers toward the local places; the relations between the organisers and the local places; the interventions and participations of art festivals; the demonstrations of publicity in art festivals. In this research, the notion of ‘publicity’ is not only asking how art festivals attempt to enhance public participation, but also to understand how art festivals can do to demolish the obstacles between contemporary arts and general public, in addition to how art festivals can do to accomplish multiple interactions and effective communications, furthermore to understand what role art festivals can play in the process of communication with local communities. Through observation in the two art festivals and interviews of the organisers, we can see some differences of their imaginary and practice of publicity. Although SFFS actively arranged workshops, lectures and tours with multiple topics and themes to provide in-depth art education events, their plan and design process many operate by the MOCA and lack the participation of local communities in decision-making or discussion. Therefore, it is difficult for SFFS to reduce the professional perspective in planning and execution. TTTIFA, on the other hand, would held a so-called ‘civic art consultation’ to inform and invite the local storeowners before the arrangement of the festival. Also, the organisers would be attending the meeting of other local community organisations. However, their effort in local connecting had yet to reach general residents and the neighbourhood representative. The civic participation, especially the engagement of the locals, is crucial in the conducting of art festivals. Art festivals would have to put their efforts in more long-term scale to preserve and understand the local communities and the place. It could be beneficial to the construction of their local identity. Additionally, the openness of art festivals is an opportunity for ‘art’ toward its publicization. Also, it would be favourable to the actual practice of democratic values
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