Taipei exhibition raises environmental awareness

2015/09/23

An outdoor installation art exhibition enhancing public awareness of aquatic environmental protection and the importance of balancing the needs of development and Mother Nature is taking place in Taipei City.

Staged at Guandu Nature Park and nearby Shezidao’s Daotou Park, the 15-week event features seven pieces created by seven artists from home and abroad during 18-day residencies at the two facilities.

The talents are Kang Ya-chu and Lee Kuei-chih of Taiwan, Elaine Clocherty from Australia, Fiona Paterson of France, Shilpa Joglekar from India, Giacomo Zaganelli of Italy and Kathy Bruce from the U.S.

Lin Chung-chieh, commissioner of Taipei City Government’s Department of Economic Development, said Sept. 20 on opening day that the event themed A Tribute to Tides signifies artists’ concerns for ecological systems of the oceans, rivers and wetlands.

“They used natural materials to create large-scale works blending in with the landscape,” Lin said, adding that the artworks are generating real interest among the public.

DED statistics reveal that more than 12,000 showgoers visited the event on opening day, a record since its establishment in 2006.

While all of the installations are praiseworthy, Lee’s “Tide Whisper” is one of the more eye-catching. Fashioned from branches, natural paint and recycled chopsticks, it depicts a city with thick mangrove-lined river banks.

“Kandelia obovata usually grows in estuaries and supports great diversity,” Lee said. “The plant serves as the foundation of ecological life and plays a pivotal role in soil and water conservation.”

Equally impressive is Joglekar’s “Tide Curtain,” which uses unbleached cotton fabric with wave-formed tops and river-shaped bottoms to symbolize the river meeting the sea. Stones tied with ropes from bamboo-hanged curtain represent raindrops falling from the sky.

Chen Shih-hung, chief executive officer of the parks, said the piece brings together all the natural elements and sends a strong message that dumping toxic waste like chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides contaminates rivers. “This practice also causes massive loss of marine life after the river flows to the ocean.”

Guandu Nature and Shezidao’s Daotou Parks are located at the junction of Tamsui and Keelung Rivers. The former was listed as one of the Taipei’s nature reserves by the local government in 1996.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=236925&ctNode=2194&mp=9)