Taoyuan Land Art Festival: Yellow Duck Visits Xinyi

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, reported and compiled by Chen Guanxin

 

The “Taoyuan Land Art Festival,” scheduled from October 26 to November 10, will unfold across five major themed zones in Xinyi Township: Houhu Pond, Xinyi Pond, Guoling No. 58 Pond, the Water Lane in Xinyi Old Street, and the Fanjiang Ancestral House. Among the internationally notable art installations invited to the event are not only Yayoi Kusama’s “Dot Art” from Japan and Choi Jeong Hwa’s “Lotus” from South Korea, but also the recently sensational Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s “Yellow Duck,” which will be displayed at Houhu Pond.

During the 16-day event, the program includes an international art installation exhibition, artist-in-residence collaborative creations, creative cultural activities, and local specialty cultural and creative markets. Among the featured artworks, the much-anticipated Yellow Duck will be exhibited at Houhu Pond. As the second-largest pond in Taoyuan County, Houhu Pond is adjacent to farmland landscapes, exuding a natural and rustic charm. In the fields, there is also the “Straw Weaving Living Circle,” a large-scale straw art installation co-created by contemporary artist Kang Yazhu, lotus garden straw craft artist Wang Yuxiang, and community teachers and students.

 

Yayoi Kusama’s “Dot Art” will be displayed at Xinyi Pond, which is close to the core area of the Xinyi neighborhood. Nearby water lanes guide visitors into the streets of Xinyi, allowing them to explore local culture along the alleys. Meanwhile, Choi Jeong Hwa’s “Lotus” series will be showcased at Guoling No. 58 Pond. The “Lotus” works have been invited to major international art exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale and are highly renowned. Given their resonance with Taoyuan County’s agricultural characteristics, they are placed near Freeway No. 66 at Guoling No. 58 Pond, serving as the entrance imagery of the land art festival.

In the artist-in-residence collaborative creation segment, five domestic artists have been stationed in Xinyi since August, interacting with local residents and co-creating works that reflect the features of farmland irrigation channels and straw weaving crafts. These pieces will become a common sight throughout the event grounds. For example, in the Xinyi Old Street Water Lane area, visitors walking along the irrigation channel beside the pond will encounter “Life Green Sculpture: Furniture Planting,” created by artist Zhou Lingzhi with the help of residents using discarded furniture. Additionally, illustrator Pan Yujiao plans to enrich the Water Lane space with her lively and vibrant project “Water Circles? Water Lane Mirror Hunt Plan,” where colorful drawings will become the most distinctive feature of the lane. Professor Chen Liyu from Chung Yuan Christian University presents “When Xinyi Meets the Pond,” a participatory artwork reflecting local people’s views on “Xinyi” and “ponds,” documenting through images the changes and hopes that participants envision for the Taoyuan landscape. Meanwhile, the Fanjiang Ancestral House area, the birthplace of Xinyi’s history, boasts rich cultural and historical character. In a touching corner of this old community, Professor Chu Ruiji and students from Ming Chuan University’s Department of Architecture blend creativity into architecture, brightening up the old spaces with their “New Xinyi ‘Home’ Project.”

 

Creative cultural and artistic activities are planned in the Yellow Duck-themed area at Houhu Pond. Combined with the annual Square Arts Festival, the program invites well-known domestic and international art troupes to perform various genres including dance, music, and drama, while also incorporating themes such as nature, ecology, environment, and land. The local specialty cultural and creative market will be set up in the Yellow Duck-themed area at Houhu Pond, near the urban district of Xinyi Pond, and beside Guoling No. 58 Pond, focusing on promoting Taoyuan County’s agricultural specialties and cultural creative industries, while also offering food stalls for public service.

 

 

●  Further Reading:

Yellow Duck Taiwan Tour Schedule: Arrives in Keelung on December 21

http://goo.gl/VdMKJ4