Photo: Lars Opstad / RikskonserteneThe main goal with NOTCH is to promote new ways of thinking, cooperation between creative musicians and artists in China and the Nordic countries. The main theme for this year’s festival was identity and the possibility to explore the individual’s different identities and their many micro-identities through for instance different kinds of digital equipment.
The festival is a local initiative and has the past few years received appraisal for its new ideas and quality, and has been important in promoting Norway in general.
This year’s design and architecture exhibition in Beijing is also part of 2009 World Design Congress and the first Beijing International Design Week which was supported by the Chinese Ministry of Culture.
The opening of the festival and exhibition was held Saturday 24th of October and was packed with Beijing’s culture elite. The festival received a lot of attention from local media with nearly hundred articles and news clips covering the event. The Norwegian Embassy and Norwegian Seafood export Council took the opportunity during the opening reception to promote Norway with brochures and Norwegian salmon.
The festival has in general received positive feedback from the public and there have been a lot of visitors both at the exhibitions and concerts. Supporters of the event from the Norwegian side are Norsk Form and Rikskonsertene in addition to the Embassy in Beijing and Consulate General in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Additional information about the Norwegian participants and events can be found at the festivals own homepage.