Exhibition｜ Temperature Tasting: Formosa North Coast Arts Festival
Date｜10.01.2023-02.29.2024
The Exihibition Zone｜(Keelung) Lovers Lake Park, (Jinshan) General Building,Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, Juming Museum, Tiaoshi Viewing Platform, (Shimen) Baishia Bay, Baishia Bay, (New Taipei City) Treetop Walkway, Guanyinshan
Curators｜Wang, Hung-Chih, Luo, Jing-Zhong, Huang, Jung-Chih
Arists｜Chen, Han-Sheng, Liao, Lin-Li, Tadayuki Tahara, Feng, Cheng-Tsung, Chiu, Chen-hung, Yodogawa Technique, Chen, Yi-Hui
Formosa North Coast Arts Festival 2023 originated from the special natural and cultural landscape on the north coast of Taiwan. The theme of the exhibition "Temperature Tasting" discusses the perception and imagination for temperature of local humanities and natural environment. How does temperature become a cultural memory? How to form individual or collective body imprints through the temperature difference in each place? When creative practice is involved in the space outside a white cube, what are the personal creative elements of artists? How to establish a link relationship between the whole art festival from the selection of points to the connection of them in the activity planning? As we all know, art participation can improve the openness and mobility of public space, promote the interaction of community residents, revitalize the development of rural communities, and even achieve cross-cultural dialogue. We hope that this art festival can achieve these goals.
"Temperature Tasting"- The temperature taste of the mountain and sea environment on the north coast can be directly felt through our bodies.Temperature, besides being perceived in the environment, we also hope to expand its connotation in this art festival. If human touch is regarded as a representation of certain temperature, how would it be presented? Through the proprioception in body perception, we can perceive the special state brought by the unique receiving relationship of the body in this specific environment. The body can wander between time and space, like a traveler's experience. We also would like to discuss a calm attitude towards daily life in this exhibition: Local wisdom accumulated by local north coast residents in the face of environmental challenges. The connection between works of art and land life. The dribs and drabs of local memories left by travelers during their walking. The sense of temperature when the body is immersed in special hot spring water. The state of landform temperature condensed by natural environment. All these can be savored by us in Formosa North Coast Arts Festival.
Site specific art encourages us to have closer links with places. Fram Kitagawa, an internationally renowned curator, mentioned that site specific art can make the production process visible and encourage local residents to get involve. We invited 12 artists to participate in this art festival in different ways. (7 resident artists, 4 local artists and 1 music producer)
Artist Chen, Han-Sheng, “A View in Idle Time” take the scenery of Guanyin Mountain as the object of creation. Taking window lattice as the main structure, local products as its portrait. Windows, screens and nature look at each other, the work expounds yearning for ideals and self-contradictory psychology. Liao, Lin-Li, “Polymerization of Spacetime“ brings together wind, sea, sunshine, sand and tourists. Body of viewers can freely enter the work, shuttle through the ripples of light and shadow as well as sense the temperature surrounded by the sea. Yodogawa Technique, “Flying Fish in Taiwan" transforms collected wastes into sculptures with different colors and shapes. Objects that have lost their temperature once again show their vitality through the artist's nice touch.
Tadayuki Tahara, “Ambiguous Metaphysics", artist used daily temporary building materials to construct a space for wandering. Through the fence made of corrugated sheet, the inner and outer spaces are formed. Thinking and meditating in the fence, looking up in the gap between trees and listening to insects and birds, bring viewers a new awareness of the environment inside and outside. Chiu, Chen-hung, "Day Lighting" and "Embroidered Swallows" are microscopic narratives of environmental objects. The artist picked up small gravel in dharma drum mountain and magnified the shape of the debris by 3D printing technology. Using natural minerals, brass and other materials, several grindstone sculptures of different sizes were made. He then placed the sculpture in the space of dharma drum mountain patio in order to make a dialogue between the work, the field and the audience. Chen, Yi-Hui’s “Dimple” was inspired by smile. It not only symbolizes the smile of artistic creation on earth, but also represents the warm smile of travelers on the land of Taiwan. The shape of the whirlpool represents the connection and integration of two endpoints of nature and humanity. Feng, Cheng-Tsung, “Fish Trap House“: The ventifact with neat sections along the coastline of the north coast is one of many unique natural landscapes in Taiwan. Such special natural object is colocated with the sculpture of artist Ju Ming to form a new local “Fish Trap House”. Lim Giong, a well-known music producer, is invited to perform for the opening performance of Formosa North Coast Arts Festival. You are welcome to savor the warmth surrounded by mountains and seas on the north coast.
Formosa North Coast Arts Festival emphasizes the artistic practicality through on-site production, which integrates the humanistic scenery of mountains and seas into the main axis of the art festival. From Guanyin Mountain in Xinbei City, Baishawan of Shimen, Fugui Cape Park, Juming Art Museum in Jinshan, Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, Tiaoshi Observation Deck to Lovers Lake Park in Keelung. This journey allows people to taste the humanistic temperature of the settlement which contains historical poetic memories, as well as the natural scenery and life style given by geological changes. From the aboriginal culture, the Age of Discovery in the 17th century, to many subsequent historical periods, the settlement patterns on the north coast gradually changed for the purpose of international trade and strategic stationing, resulting in the cultural temperature of these places today. The rich resources of the Formosa North Coast Arts Festival come from the communication place between mountains and the sea.