Railway art event gets underway in Taipei

2014-11-06

A railway-themed art program kicked off Nov. 4 in Taipei City as part of local government-organized celebrations of the metropolis’s 130th anniversary.

“Trains played a key role in the development of Taipei as they transported vital goods and industrial materials,” said Liu Wei-gong, commissioner of Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs. “We would be remiss in marking the city’s anniversary without commemorating this piece of history.”

The event involves three installation art projects at six historic sites such as Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Taipei Railway Workshop, both former railway stations. They were created by artists Jen Ta-hsien, Wooyo Co. Ltd. and Xu Song-xin, respectively.

The installation by Wooyo Co. Ltd., which features at all six sites, comprises stop signs and mini stations made from Lego. It also includes QR Codes at the stations for visitors to access more information about the storied pasts of the stations.

Equally impressive are Xu’s pieces at Taipei Railway Workshop spotlighting maintenance personnel employed by Taiwan Railway Administration. In addition to work scenes, the project’s 15 installations show some of the leisure activities enjoyed by staff after they finished for the day.

Running until Dec. 26, the program includes a picture book by London-based Taiwan artist Page Tsou, a theme song by indie band Punkhoo and two lecture sessions on the city’s railway history.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=223703&CtNode=413)