Swinging memories of life in the heart of the lake — ripples of art spread through the alleys of the Land Art Festival

▲ The artwork “Water Circles” at the Taoyuan Land Art Festival aims to revive the memories of ponds and irrigation channels once held by Xinyi residents. (Photo / Courtesy ofthe “Love in Xinyi” fan page)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Once, strolling through the countryside of Xinyi, known as the “Rice Capital” of the water town, residents lived by the water, surrounded by farmland and irrigation ponds that sustained their livelihoods. Everything in Xinyi seemed closely tied to the irrigation channels and ponds, even the air one breathed carried a faint hint of salinity. However, this scene has gradually faded with the march of urbanization. The once murmuring streams have been paved over with asphalt, causing the people of Xinyi to grow further and further away from the irrigation channels and ponds.

To revive the memories of life on this land once held by Xinyi residents, artist Pan Yu-you, through his unique creative vision, has let the fading scenery of the ponds trickle onto the alleyways of the Taoyuan Land Art Festival, creating ripples of “memory.” The artwork titled “Water Circles” is Pan’s interpretation—based on local observations and documentation—of the life characteristics of Xinyi residents and Hakka culture, translated into imagery and integrated into concentric circles representing a hidden world of water-colored ponds.

% The artist uses art to engage with the environment, expanding his flat creations through environmental observation into various public spaces. In addition to conceiving “Water Circles,” his participation in the Land Art Festival also includes “Water Alley Mirror Quest,” which uses convex mirrors and painted art. If “Water Circles” is about reviving the memory of irrigation channels and ponds in the minds of Xinyi residents, then “Water Alley Mirror Quest” is a surreal world where reality and illusion intertwine.The mirror is supposed to truthfully reflect the world it captures. Through street development stories and street observations, Pan Yu-you led local children to paint their imaginative visions of Xinyi on roadside reflective mirrors and the walls of houses along the way. As you walk into this secret “path” of murals, take a moment to appreciate it slowly.)

Pan Yu-you excels at using art to dialogue with the environment, expanding his two-dimensional creations through environmental observation into various public spaces. His participation in the Land Art Festival includes not only the conception of “Water Circles” but also “Water Alley Mirror Quest,” which combines convex mirrors with painted art. If “Water Circles” aims to revive the memory of the irrigation channels and ponds once seen by Xinyi residents, then “Water Alley Mirror Quest” is a fantastical world where the real and the imagined intertwine.

Mirrors are meant to truthfully reflect what they capture. Through street development stories and street observations, Pan Yu-you guided local children to paint their imaginative visions of Xinyi on roadside reflective mirrors and the walls of houses along the way. When you walk into this colorful secret “path,” take a moment to stop and savor it.