Penghu International Bay Light Festival elevated its scale this year for the first time in history and earned successive international recognitions. Light installation art piece “Hidden Sea” received 2019 Brisbane Design Awards (Pop-Ups, Display, Exhibit & Set Design) – Gold. The overall Light Festival event planning was even acknowledged by 2019 Berlin Design Awards – Silver. Penghu International Bay Light Festival has successfully created international fame for the event as well as for Penghu!
 
The Brisbane Design Awards are comprised of Architecture, Advertising, Multimedia, Graphic Design, and Crossover Design categories. By successfully earning the recognition of an international gold award, pieces this year convey the beauty of Taiwan’s local music, express Taiwan’s emphasis on environmental issues and how diverse forms of art are integrated into the crowd to create an exhibition event. In addition, Taiwan’s designing capability is also displayed – the Festival’s first crossover integrated art showcases a grand masterpiece via a diverse art form, lending infinite possibilities for designing domains. From curating design to actual exhibition, this year’s Penghu International Bay Light Festival presented installations of art that all left visitors in awe. Penghu National Scenic Area Administration, Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications invited the designing and curating team of shadow artist Sammy Liu, who designed the main light installation at Taiwan Light Festival “Coral Heart”, to lead the Light Festival this year. The creation process was met with difficult obstacles having to overcome the high erosions of sea breeze and high content of salt. Nevertheless, the completed 15-meter-long main light installation “Whale Arch” and the installation “Guangyaoju Island” over the 200-meter-long Xiying Rainbow Bridge, both exclusively created for the Festival, eventually wowed the crowd.
 
Among the installations, lead dancer Billy Chang of Cirque du Soleil was invited to collaborate on the interpretation of the theme light installation “Hidden Sea”. Through integration of dancing and light and shadow art, a legendary theatrical piece was presented. Effects borrowing from performers’ body and voice and the lighting brought forth not only a show of lights and shadows; incorporating installation art and the ups and downs of the melody, performance of human body art showed boundless possibilities within the exhibition space. As this superior art work won the honor of 2019 Brisbane Design Awards (Pop-Ups, Display, Exhibit & Set Design) – Gold and the overall Festival curating earning the recognition of 2019 Berlin Design Awards – Silver, Penghu International Bay Light Festival was able to shine brightly on the international scene.
 
Director-General of Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications Chou Yung-hui stated, “In addition to its dedication in creating the theme light installation, 2019 Penghu International Bay Light Festival also implemented an immersive theatrical experience project that combined the various artistic elements of light and shadow technology, painting, dance, and music. At the same time, the Festival also tried to convey global ocean conservation topics through its exhibits, aiming for the spectators to better understand local legends and humanistic, cultural, and meteorological characteristics. The step-by-step guidance leading the audience into the depicted theatrical plot was enriched by the fascinating storyline, which has been widely acclaimed by the globally influential 2019 Brisbane Design Awards and 2019 Berlin Design Awards.”
 
For 2020 Penghu International Bay Light Festival, Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications has already designated the Festival as one of the most highlighted key projects in 2020 and is planning to hold the event from August 8th, 2020 through October 31st, 2020. Event advertising and promoting will also be initiated in advance. It is hoped that creative ideas and pieces of work with richer, more diverse, and more environmentally friendly content will be presented to all Penghu people and visitors. The Bureau is vowed to light up the tourism brand of “Penghu International Bay Light Festival” so it will once again and forever be shining on the international scene.