Between 2024 and 2025, I produced, directed, and wrote a documentary titled Silenced Sunrise: Taiwan’s Music vs. the China Factor, pre-bought by TaiwanPlus, Taiwan’s leading English-language broadcaster. The film also received impact funding from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Running 28 minutes, Silenced Sunrise draws on my ethnographic research and follows artists such as Fire EX., the Bluebird Troubadours, and other Taiwanese musicians as they navigate censorship, restrictions, and the often-invisible pressures that shape their creative paths. It tells the story of how one censored song altered careers and how Taiwan’s musicians continue to resist, adapt, and reclaim their voices in a global context of silencing.

This paper considers the documentary as a case study and examines the methodological parallels between ethnographic writing and ethnographic filmmaking. Just as ethnographic writing moves through stages of data collection, contextualisation, and textual production, documentary making involves footage collection, editing, and film construction—each phase raising challenges related to reflexivity, focus, and narrative coherence (Crawford and Turton, 1992). Drawing on Jean Rouch’s (2003) concept of shared anthropology, I explore how these stages of production can inform and enrich each other, particularly when working with multiple stakeholders and navigating cross-cultural settings. Ultimately, I argue that filmmaking can serve not only as a form of alternative output but also as a research method in its own right—one that expands the possibilities for studying popular music in Asia and addressing questions of transnationalism, geopolitics, and cultural representation.

This paper will explore the exhibition I curated, titled “Rocking Indonesia: The Cultural Legacy of The Rolling Stones in Bandung”, which was held at TheCube Space Taipei from August 30 to October 27 2024. The exhibition was inspired by my master’s research on how The Rolling Stones, the British rock band, have been localized in various forms in Bandung for over three decades, influencing not only musical aspects but also fashion, language, symbols, and visual imagery. In that exhibition, I transformed my field research data and archival explorations into various formats, including archives, memorabilia, two-dimensional visuals, audiovisual elements, sonic experiences, installations, and body movement. The initial idea was to present a “local Rolling Stones” experience to the audience, based on the findings I gathered during my research.

In my opinion, through diverse and experience-based presentations, even though it may not provide a complete understanding, this approach can bring my research subject—Indonesia’s rock music culture—closer to a foreign audience, especially in Taiwan. Given the different cultural references, knowledge, and backgrounds between Taiwan and Indonesia’s rock music scenes, this method serves as a bridge for deeper engagement. For example, in the sonic piece “Jagger Area”, created by Bandung-based sonic artist Rama Saputra, visitors can immerse themselves in the dense urban soundscape of Bandung, where The Rolling Stones’ music has taken root. It represents the lower-class communities living in urban kampungs. Through this approach and experience, I hope to foster a sense of mutual understanding and recognition of the diverse subcultural experiences that differ from one place to another.

Album reviews, live performance recaps, and artist interviews have never occupied a central position within the music industry. Yet, music writing remains a space where committed individuals continue to hone and sustain their craft. As the media landscape undergoes rapid transformation, the presence of music writers has notably diminished—marking a stark contrast with previous decades. In light of this shift, how has the evolution of media affected the role and relevance of music writing? What is the current condition of music journalism in Taiwan, and what does the terrain look like for those who continue to engage with and contribute to the field?