Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist

Boundaries have always been a major problem for contemporary art, and one of the most difficult to break through has been that of practical innovation. The experimental design of the Tree Valley Park installation was first and foremost a breakthrough in terms of Taiwan's model of creative production. It offered expression to the intentions of the tech industry and, in artistic and cultural planning, worked directly through manufacturing organizations. At the same time, it provided an extremely different kind of time frame for contemporary art, one that was different from the compromised time of the workshop – in other words, the performative process of creation – and one that used time to accumulate and tie into artists' existing channels for creation and exhibition. Also, the special time-based nature of the plan and concept gave those artists originally separated from contemporary art a brand new channel to access it. Without a doubt, the Tree Valley Park installation, through its model for the practice of art and cultural production, generated awareness of an extremely complex problem while also presenting a turning point in contemporary Taiwanese art. Committee member: Jian-Hong HUANG

Artwork Introduction

Art Installation in Tree Valley Park's Public Space

Taiwan Field Factory's Art Installation in Tree Valley Park's Public Space opened in Tree Valley Park, Sinshih Township, Tainan County in July, 2007. Tree Valley Park is the world's first industrial area established specifically for the production of LCD-TV. The corporation owner, the Chi Mei Group wanted to create an ecological landscaped park with public art.

TFF selected 22 various art works to help beautify the park and create a pleasant environment for the local community. In addition, they held workshops and seminars to build bridges between artists, employees and the local residents. Situated on an archeological site 4,800 years old, many of the chosen artworks reflect the area’s rich aboriginal history.

Organizers decided that Tree Valley Park should be developed as a cultural property and public space for the community, so instead of professional gardeners planting mature trees, local residents were enlisted to help plant saplings, thus making it a park for the people.

Recycling also played a part in the project. Chi Mei provided artists leftover glass materials used to produce panels. In Yen-Yi CHEN's work Flight CMA-747 Navigation, the glistening glass chips of sparkling colors alluded to a child's paper airplane. This work exemplified the philosophy of the Tree Valley Park in that an industrial park does not need to appear cold and lifeless, but that it can become vibrant, full of life and spark happy childhood memories.

About the Artist

Taiwan Field Factory (TFF) was established in October 2004. TFF provides local cultural workers a platform to get involved in their local cultural and ecological events, and hosts various training programs for young people who are interested and committed to participate in preservation works. By developing supportive networks, TFF's long term goal is to form a sustainable independent NGO interactive platform.

TFF executed the Kio-A-Thau Artist-in Residency Program, sponsored by the Kaohsiung City Culture Bureau and the Tainan Salt Pan Eco-Village. In 2008, TFF was the executive organizer of Germinate with Trees serial activities, sponsored by Lian Chi Development Corporation. TFF currently operates Kio-A-Thau as a gallery and public space.