Prepare yourself for “Traversing (In)Difference Inn”!

At the end of 2022, TheCube Project Space organized the first-ever Sonic Shaman: TheCube Forum Music Festival in Taiwan, a groundbreaking trans-disciplinary music festival conceptualized with curatorial thought and thematic focus. It quickly became a focal point in the cultural and artistic community. As a creative form of in-depth international artistic exchange in the post-pandemic world, “Sonic Shaman” broke through the conventional frameworks of music festivals, daringly blending independent bands, lectures, experimental sound, music, and visual art into an innovative trans-disciplinary event.

From November 23, 30, and December 1, 2024, TheCube Project Space will host the second edition of the Sonic Shaman. Returning on a larger scale with more experimentation and in-depth exploration, the event will feature more than 40 bands, artists, musicians, scholars, and literary figures from Taiwan and abroad. It will take place at two distinct and highly-contrast venues: Auspic Paper, an organic industrial-style space in the urban jungle of New Taipei City, and Jut RS289, a building designed by renowned Japanese architect Jun Aoki in Taipei’s Dazhi district.

In addition to continuing with the independent bands, experimental sound, electronic music, lecture performances, and visual art from the first edition, The 2024 Sonic Shaman will introduce richer and dynamic forms of performance. The curatorial theme for this edition is Traversing (In)Difference Inn. Divided into five chapters, it will integrate performance art, dance, short film screenings, installations, and more to push the boundaries of sound, performance, and art.

The curatorial theme is what distinguishes “Sonic Shaman” from other music festivals. This year’s theme, Traversing (In)Difference Inn reflects on the isolation, difference, and indifference driven by contemporary technology, and attempts to explore how music and performance rituals can create spaces for different groups to connect, communicate, and listen to one another. The theme is divided into five chapters: Mediated Life, Difference Inn, Islands of Listening, The Tapestry of Perception, and Ocean of Sound. These chapters will be reflected in the different venues, performance context, and sensual experiences of the festival.