Mission & Mandate 2024 writing CCA
Chimerik 似不像 initially emerged as an interdisciplinary collective idea in 2009, co-founded by Sammy Chien & Shang-Han Chien in Vancouver, BC. In 2011, Chimerik 似不像 was incorporated in Taiwan as a company until 2014 where the company transitioned to non-profit arts collective. Since then, Chimerik 似不像 has been functioning as arts collective with the primary base in Vancouver, BC, secondary base in Taipei, Taiwan with frequent international collaboration bases such as Berlin, Germany.
Our mission is to create, engage and inspire works, platforms and activities that fosters interdisciplinary, intercultural and transnational collaborations through new media, digital technology, performance and multifaceted forms of art. We seek to empower underrepresented voices and intersectional identities to conjure, to resist, to queer and to rise above the status quo. With a focus on sourcing the creative energy from the state of gratitude, love and joy, we believe that each individual can expand our potential as a collective to have an energetic ripple effect to the sociopolitical, artistic and spiritual impact to humanity at large. Although we are one small part of the bigger picture, we are all interconnected invisibly across dimensions. Innovation and creativity is our job to expand, connect, inspire, grow and holistically move our culture and thinking forward.
Chimerik has created live visuals/video design for wide ranges of musicians such as famous Taiwanese pop star Faith Yang 楊乃文, Jam Hsiao 蕭敬騰 & indie band Sunset Rollercoaster, hip hop artist Dwagie大支, Electronic music DJ such as Erol Alkan & Débruit, Hip Hop artists such as Shing02 & Substantial, heavy metal bands such as Aztland Underground. They’ve worked with BC based musicians such as Tarun Nayar, Ruby Singh, Kimmortal, PIQSIQ, Peregrine Falls, Lief Hall, Hard Rubber Orchestra and Orchid Ensemble. In Dance/Theatre, they’ve worked with The Arts Club, Gateway Theatre, Aeriosa, Fakeknot, Wen Wei Dance, MACHiNENOiSY, Karen Jamieson Dance, Dancers of Damelahamid & Raven Spirit Dance. Chimerik has been nominated 3 Jessie Richardson Theatre Award and won 2 Outstanding Productions awards and 1 Outstanding Innovative & Immersive Storytelling award in the theatre productions that they’re involved as New Media/Projection Design Team (productions: Camera Obscura, The Great Leap & Inheritance). Chimerik has 2 official acknowledgements from the Richmond-Stevenston, BC MLA John Yap on the outstanding support of creative video projection for the Vancouver Spring Show 2017 & 2018 in contributing to artistic originality, excellence and multiculturalism, especially serving for the local Chinese-speaking community. Recently, Chimerik has partnered with the frank theatre company to adapt a large scale community driven theatre project (Diaspora) dedicated to queer, diaspora and racialized intersectional identity into a higher calibre professional online-virtual production (Be-Longing), with viewers from over 13 countries. Also significantly supported organizations such as VanVogueJam and Festival of Recorded Movement to adapt their live event to online virtual event with dramatically successful outcomes.
Chimerik has embarked more regular training opportunities since 2017, providing internship and mentorship opportunities for BIPOC, queer, female-identified, emerging artists or students. As of 2021, Chimerik has provided 16 internship and one-one-one mentorship positions. More than half of interns and mentees either strive in their artistic career or that they continue to be contracted by Chimerik for more arts related work thereafter. The Artistic Director, Sammy Chien, has given more than 50 workshops, panels, guest lecture in B.C. ranging from new media workshop to DTES communities, high school students to postgraduate & graduate students, as well as Equity, Diversity & Inclusion panels/talks for theatre organization such as The Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA), Associate Designers of Canada (ADC) and music organizations such as Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO).
Sammy has mentored and guest lectured at Simon Fraser University, Bachelor of Performing Arts program at Capilano University & Douglas College and at University of Southern California (USC)’s New Media and Dance class and National Theatre School's BC NTS DramaFest.