A talk on “Living with Folklore” took place via video teleconference on November 10, bringing together hundreds of foreign and domestic delegates, including many cultural experts.
Poster of talk on “Living with Folklore
Co-held by the Vietnam National University (VNU) Hanoi’s Vietnam-Japan University and the Vietnam Cultural Initiatives, the event aimed to gather information and help enhance the audience’s understanding of different aspects and evolution of folklore in the contemporary era through two key approaches: folklore in the cultural industries and on digital platforms.
The first session on “Folklore in the Cultural Industries” was intended to bring a diverse perspective on folklore in the cultural industries, from Vietnam’s point of view as well as in comparison to the region and the world.
It saw the delegates exploring the connection between folklore and the cultural industries, the role and values of folklore in people’s life and livelihoods, the possibilities and challenges in developing modern day products and services based on folklore materials, and the ability to promote folklore through the products and services of the cultural industries.
A presentation by a Korean delegate shared the Republic of Korea’s experience in promoting folklore culture in people’s life and exporting cultural goods.
In Vietnam, folklore can be found in almost every aspect of the cultural industries, from cinema, fine arts, photography, to architecture, publishing, fashion, literature, music and even video games, said Dr. Tran Thanh Viet from the VNU Hanoi’s University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Folklore is an abundant source of material for cultural makers to show their creativity and bring it closer to the modern life, he said.
The second session on “Digital Folklore” explored the expression, preservation and promotion of folk cultural values on digital platforms. Speakers presented projects on folklore on digital platforms in Vietnam and in the world, in which experts and communities work with digital multimedia materials on various subjects such as traditional performing arts, craft villages, handicraft, objects associated with traditional customs, architectural heritage, visual arts, etc.
It expected to share good practices, open up new collaborations and initiatives to promote the preservation and digitisation of folk culture, and enhance people’s experience of folklore on digital platforms.
The event is part of Vietnam Festival of Creativity & Design 2021 organised by RMIT University Vietnam in collaboration with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS), COLAB Vietnam and other partners.
