When Memories Meet

The festival “When Memories Meet”, developed by Spielmotor München e.V., presents the culturally diverse perspectives of wartime memories. The historical lines of conflict during the Cold War will be re-examined based on the concrete examples of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. To this end, the project taps the investigative work of the historian Masuda Hajimu who shed light on the lines of conflict between the Eastern and Western powers, as well as those within the Korean and Vietnamese societies. Masuda addresses the specific constellations which culminated in the outbreak of the Korean War, about which far less is known than the Vietnam War even though over 20 European countries were involved. The perspectives and memories of the Asian protagonists have received far less attention both in academia and in pop culture than that of the American and French participants.

The project aims to critically examine the West’s tendency to classify the Vietnamese as either enemies or allies of the United States, and instead allow the Vietnamese to express themselves. Moreover, it poses the more general question of why conflicts in various parts of the world are remembered so differently. What kind of cultures of remembrance exist elsewhere, and what unknown connections can we find beyond the usual lines of discourse by taking a decidedly artistic approach? The participating artists and curators wish to closely examine the complexity and emotionality of memory in performances, installations, research and film projects, and a reading. The multifaceted programme will be accompanied by online discussion formats where participants can share their thoughts on marginalised perspectives in historiography.

Co-curators of the artistic programme and discussion series: Betty Yi-Chun Chen, Trà Bich Nguyen
Participating artists: Mark Teh/Five Arts Centre, Michikazu Matsune, Sankar Venkateswaran, The Party Theater Group, Polymer DMT, Vee Leong and others

Festival focus: Munich: 20 Oct. – 4 Nov. 2023, discussion series: online, Taipei, Ho-Chi-Minh-City: 26 Aug. – 7 Oct. 2023