Convolution of Life Series
Date: March 4th - April 12, 2013
Venue: 1F, Taishin Tower (No. 118, Sec. 4, Ren-ai Rd., Taipei. Taiwan)
Yuma Taru, an Atayal from the Maipuwan tribe, learned the beautiful weaving culture from her grandmother and grandaunt. She decided to document and organize the aboriginal weaving culture through modern design concepts and techniques. She then founded the Melihang Workshop with an aspiration to rediscover past weaving techniques and render the aesthetics of Atayal weaving craftsmanship. The Atayal believe that a person’s life is a weaving work of God. Atayal women always make a circle out of their weaving. “The Convolution of Life” features interlinked circles to symbolize the meeting and parting between people. The void in every circle suggests the concept of openness, embracing anyone who happens to come its way. This kind of open and positive perspective toward life can also be found in aboriginal rituals where people hold hands and dance in a circle, leaving an open spot for the next person to join in.
“The Convolution of Life” instills the power of lines and metaphorical shape into the conventional life value. The implications of the work signify the convergence of different life paths. It hopes to create a welcoming ambience of reunion, enabling everyone to find their sun and moon from the work.
About Yuma Taru
Yuma Taru was born to a father from Hunan, China and a mother of the Atayal origin. The artist who was educated in the Han cultural system used to hold public positions and teach in a junior high school. While working at the Weaving Museum of the Taichung County Cultural Center, she came across Atayal weaving through exhibitions and events, which encouraged her to reconnect her ties to her maternal Atayal culture. For the first decade of her return to the tribe, she was shocked to find that the aboriginal had been researched, recorded and written in an indifferent approach. Therefore she aspired to engage in field research with a goal to restore the original classifications of Atayal weaving, bringing back the nearly disappearing dyeing techniques and memories. She then devoted her second decade to establishing the workshop and nurturing talent. As for her future plans, in addition to art creation, she also hopes to start the first Atayal weaving school in Taiwan.
