How to achieve  “ Sharing Good ” among groups?

Economy is the driving force for urban development, and art and culture are the foundation for shaping the soul of a city. A great city relies on economic prosperity and development, but also requires profound cultural heritage and rich artistic expression. In 2024, the association invited four Asian Art Festival curators to conduct an in-depth discussion on the communication patterns between different groups. From art activities in the streets to large-scale cultural cooperation, how these groups can make the city more prosperous through mutual exchanges and collaborations. Sounds and colors are more vivid.

Thailand Delegate – กฤษณ์ สงวนปิยะพันธ์ Louis

Producer of Bangkok Street Performer Festival

Advisor at Thailand’s House of Mask & Mime Studio, primarily responsible for curation, marketing, and management.Specialized in mime performance and conducts performance training courses. Currently collaborating with the Bangkok city government to promote street art.

House of Mask & Mime – Clown & Mime Studio

Located in Bangkok, Thailand, House of Mask & Mime is formed by experienced Thai and Japanese clown and mime artists.

The studio emphasizes critical thinking and experimentation, focusing on non-verbal performance arts such as clowning, mime, and object theater. It has created numerous original works and, starting in 2024, will organize the ticketed Silent Theatre Festival.

(House of Mask & Mime：https://circusdlab.com/)

(Silent Theatre Festival：https://www.facebook.com/silentfestth)

Current State of Bangkok’s Street Art Scene

1. Public Budget and Platforms

In 2024, the Thai government allocated a cultural budget of 70 million THB (approximately 66.42 million TWD), which accounts for 0.2% of the total budget. However, street performers have access to only one funding program, with a total grant of just 4 million THB.

Fortunately, in recent years, Bangkok’s public sector has allocated funds to establish Bangkok Street Performer, a dedicated platform co-founded with Louis. This platform allows artists to legally perform in public spaces through an official application process. There are no restrictions on nationality or residency—both Thai and non-Thai residents can apply.

( Platform link：https://www.zipeventapp.com/e/BMA-Music-Application )  

Louis stated that the challenges facing Thailand’s street art scene go beyond limited funding. There is also a shortage of performance venues and a relatively small number of artists, with a lack of diversity in performance types.

As of the end of 2024, the Bangkok Street Performer platform has 767 registered artists, 90% of whom are musicians. According to Louis, the artists shown in the photo below roughly represent the total number of non-music performers in the scene.

2. A Collective Well-being Model Integrated into Urban Life

In 2024, Louis, in collaboration with the Bangkok city government, launched the Happy Garden Project, aiming to encourage families to visit parks and engage with the arts.

This initiative brings street performers to parks on weekends, featuring mime, clowning, juggling, and magic performances. Louis believes that beyond providing exposure and income for artists, the project helps families reshape their weekend routines and cultivate a culture of appreciating art up close.

Feedback from event surveys indicates that the project successfully attracted people who had never visited parks before, and participating families expressed a strong desire for regular weekly performances.

In short, the Happy Garden Project has established a win-win model for multiple stakeholders:

• Artists – A stable performance stage with a consistent audience.
• Families – A new weekend activity and an introduction to the arts.
• Venues – Increased awareness of public spaces and their functions.
• Government – Policies that are visible and meaningful to citizens.

Studio Operations

Louis shared insights on how a team can generate income by balancing the dual roles of curator and artist. The red section on the left of the diagram below represents the two revenue streams for a curator-led team:

1. Public Sector Funding

• Analyze policies (Policy) and identify existing dissatisfaction or challenges (Pain Points).
• Develop feasible solutions (Solution) and assess their effectiveness and impact (Impact).
• Create actionable plans to secure government funding and support.

2. Team Revenue Generation

• Establish a clear vision (Vision) and define goals (Target).
• Consider the surrounding environment and current conditions (Context).
• Implement strategic marketing and promotion (Marketing).
• Leverage teamwork to maximize financial gains.

Q&A

1. Local art festivals must rely on the consensus of four groups: artists, venues/business districts, residents, and the public sector. As a curator, how do you balance interests and communicate? Who do you communicate with the most?

Louis:

• If you are organizing a short-term festival, the main stakeholder to engage with is the government.
• If you aim for a long-term festival, then residents become the key audience to build relationships with.

For detailed strategies, refer to the following presentation materials.

2. Change Often Comes at a Cost—How do you persuade and communicate to reach a compromise?

Louis:

Change inevitably benefits some while disadvantaging others.

Most producers and artists prefer to host outdoor art festivals in bustling areas. For example, in fall 2024, we organized an event in a vibrant street location, which resulted in great success and stunning visuals. However, due to road closures, the area experienced severe traffic congestion.

Finding a balance requires acknowledging these trade-offs and addressing concerns through open communication with affected stakeholders.

The question is, do we really want change?

In order to want change, many factors need to be considered. The previously mentioned street closure art festival received feedback from citizens about traffic congestion, which was a result of insufficient communication.

Artists may get what they want from the festival, but citizens might complain about the inconvenience to their daily lives. For this reason, we should aim for a win-win situation, where everyone benefits. However, in reality, such an outcome is unlikely; only “specific groups at specific times will benefit.”

Therefore, we must make sure to inform everyone: who will benefit and when. This is the key point to communicate with all groups whenever organizing an event.

2024 Asia Street Forum – The Sound and Colors of the City

Organizers｜Taiwan Street Arts and Culture Development Association

Co-organizers｜Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, Huashan 1914 Creative Park

Host｜Moyo Lin 林興昱

Panelists｜Japan – Masaaki Koga 甲賀雅章 / Korea – Lee Jun-Sang 이준상 / Thailand – กฤษณ์ สงวนปิยะพันธ์ Louis

Chief Planner｜Hsu Kai-Hsuan 徐開炫

Visual Design｜Moyo Lin 林興昱

Photographers｜Chang Chen-Lin, Koukos Yang

Interpreters｜Japanese – Sasa / Korean – Saleisha / Thai – Ting Lu

Transcription｜Hsu Kai-Hsuan 徐開炫

Writer｜Hsu Kai-Hsuan 徐開炫