Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Long long time ago, the stars flickered and shined. Tonight, as the light reaches our ears, the darkland once burdened with sweat will regain its glory.

19:00-20:00, 23:00-24:00, 3rd of October, 2020
03:00-04:00, 4th of October, 2020
west plaza, Citylink, Nankang Railway Station

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is a new work that Prototype Paradise tailor-made for 2020 Nuit Blanche Taipei. The point of departure is to bring in the voices of people who live in Nankang but probably won’t attend this big event, Nuit Blanche. Nankang is one of the 12 districts of Taipei City. It used to be famous for its coal mine and all kinds of factories which nestled there, from big heavy industry factories to small home-style manufacturing factories. Therefore, in the past, the nickname of Nankang was Black Town (or Darkland.) 

The creative process of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star starts with this “Black Town” history; we interviewed about 40 people about their memory and experiences living or working in the “Black Town”, and the challenges they’re faced with or will be faced with, and the expectation they have towards the future. From more than 100 hours of interviews, 9 themes gradually emerged. Related content is highlighted and presented as 60 sound clips scattered in 9 groups. The 9 themes are “ecology vs. economics”, “industrial pollution”, “community power”, “invisible needs”, “make a living”, “industrial paradigm restructuring”, “memory of the times”, “homes and challenges”, and “imagine the future”. Besides, there is also a behind-the-scene chapter, “the artist is present,” that reveals the relation between us and our interviewees.