[Art & Culture on Thursdays]"X-site Landscape Installation Project" at Taipei Fine Arts Museum Explores Urban Public Space with Innovative Techniques

By MOOK Scenic Spots Travel Life Network Editorial Team

 

In 2014, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum opened the plaza space in front of the museum and launched the inaugural "X-site Project." The project name combines the mathematical symbol "X" with the English word "site"—the former implying the unknown, and the latter literally meaning a base or venue. The name also plays on the pronunciation of "excite," symbolizing that this project would transform the museum’s plaza into an exciting and uplifting space. The project solicited external design proposals, which were then selected by a jury. The winning team for the first edition was the "C.J.S Architecture-Art Studio," formed by architect Chen Xuan-Cheng, artist Ren Da-Xian, and architect Su Fu-Yuan. Their work, "Edge Landscape," triumphed as a public space for rest and participation in various activities, creating an intersection between architectural design and contemporary art.

The "X-site Project" open site includes two levels above the first flight of stairs along Zhongshan North Road, the main plaza in front of the museum, and the area to the right of the main entrance leading toward the parking lot. It forms an irregularly shaped block that extends from the museum’s Zhongshan North Road plaza to the rear spaces. In addition to the architectural installation "Edge Landscape," nine shortlisted works were exhibited in Exhibition Room D of the museum’s basement under the title "2014 X-site Project Shortlist Exhibition: 9 Imaginations of Liberating Space," exploring Taiwanese and contemporary architectural research trends from various perspectives.

 

"Edge Landscape" constructs a sensory and tactile space through three major assembled elements: a locally inspired bamboo grid scaffold, a surrounding walkway, and a metal linear handrail—forming an overall structure that evokes the grand atmosphere of a scaffold city.

 

Taipei Fine Arts Museum Director Huang Hai-Ming stated that "Edge Landscape" explores the concept of "marginality" through an architectural installation. As a three-month temporary structure, it contrasts with the museum’s over thirty years of history and its significant role in the development of art museums in Taiwan, highlighting its own marginal nature. Additionally, the museum’s location on the edge of Taipei City, with its unique and independent geographical setting, reflects the characteristics of "Edge Landscape." Both the architecture and its artistic symbolism express rich contemporary art meanings.

 

This year’s debut "X-site Project" responds to the urban museum concept proposed by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, aiming to connect art with society in more diverse ways. During the exhibition period of "X-site Landscape Installation Project: Edge Landscape," a series of activities and talks were held weekly in the central plaza of "Edge Landscape," featuring performance artists, indie bands, contemporary dance troupes, and theater groups. These cross-disciplinary performances addressed the themes of "Edge Landscape," allowing the museum to offer not only static exhibitions but also dynamic, cross-genre events. These initiatives were combined with the existing "Explore the Friday Art Museum" program (free admission all day Fridays), "Learning Day" on Saturdays (free admission for students), and extended opening hours until 20:30, encouraging people across Taiwan to engage with and appreciate the emotional impact of art.

 

In their artist statement, the creative team of C.J.S Architecture-Art Studio (Chen Xuan-Cheng + Ren Da-Xian + Su Fu-Yuan) outlined the three types of "marginality" they considered: spatial marginality, marginality of the art field, and marginality of bodily sensation. "Spatial Marginality": the spatial edge created by the museum’s entrance plaza in relation to the main building, urban roads, and environment, in terms of architectural form and scale. "Marginality of the Art Field": reflecting on how the entrance plaza, compared to the formal exhibition spaces inside the museum, holds a peripheral position as a site where art occurs. "Marginality of Bodily Sensation": considering that the route to the museum—passing through high elevated highways and the expansive natural landscapes of the nearby Taipei Expo Park—provides complex bodily experiences. The entrance plaza, as an intermediary space that mediates its surroundings, may present a lack of bodily reference if visitors cannot find corresponding spatial coordinates within its large-scale expanse, thus reflecting a sense of marginality in bodily perception.

 

The main structural elements consist of two parts: the primary bamboo scaffold structure, which used over 2,000 bamboos, including more than 250 nine-meter-long Moso bamboo poles as the main columns. Obtaining nine-meter bamboo is difficult, as such poles are typically used for oyster farming. Over the three-month exhibition, these bamboo scaffolds undergo an ecological transformation as they lose moisture, shifting from green to yellow—a dialogue with time and the surrounding landscape. The second element is the red linear handrail that runs throughout the entire structure. Its diagonal extension and varying heights, along with its galvanized steel pipe and powder-coated material, contrast with the vertical-horizontal framework and organic life of the bamboo structure. Industrial versus natural, presence versus absence of life, the constant bright red of the powder-coated handrail versus the yellowing bamboo—all inherently opposing characteristics coexist symbiotically within one architectural whole.

 

The "X-site Project" transforms and even liberates the roles of architects, artists, and curators through architectural art that extends into public space. It further explores various aspects of urban planning and daily life, using mobile and temporary installations to observe the role of "temporary interventions" in urban development. At the same time, it echoes global concerns about sustainability and environmentalism, promoting low-carbon, reduced-material, and recyclable construction concepts. With innovative techniques, it investigates urban public space and proposes fitting observations and public participation mechanisms for both the Yuanshan cultural heritage area around the museum and the urban museum cluster environment.

 

"X-site Landscape Installation Project: Edge Landscape"

Program X-site : Landscape of the Boundary

Duration: April 12 – June 29, 2014

Venue: Outdoor Plaza, Taipei Fine Arts Museum

 

"2014 X-site Project Shortlist Exhibition: 9 Imaginations of Liberating Space"

Finalists for Program X-site 2014: Nine Ways to Imagine the Space

Duration: April 12 – May 18, 2014

Venue: Exhibition Room D, Basement Level, Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30–17:30; extended to 20:30 on Saturdays

 

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