By / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Editorial Team
When many people hear "Hsinchu," they often think of its identity as a high-tech city. This year's Lunar New Year event, "Celebrate Hsinchu 2019" with the theme of "Exploration," has set up a space-themed sci-fi art light festival along the moat and Dongmen Roundabout. Tech-interactive art installations have landed starting January 25.
A pink pig holding a telescope and looking into the distance, symbolizing the city’s happy future, has become the latest Instagram-worthy spot in Hsinchu City. (Photo / Hsinchu City Government, the same below)
The light festival features large-scale outdoor sci-fi works that blend technology and light art. The 8-meter-tall main installation, the "Space Pig," has quietly lit up at Dongmen City, transforming the moat area into a romantic space corridor.
The 8-meter-tall main installation, the "Space Pig," has quietly lit up.
Among them, "Gaia" is especially eye-catching. Created by British artist Luke Jerram in collaboration with ESA, it features an authorized image of Earth’s surface printed onto a large sphere. This giant Earth hangs above Happiness Square, and when illuminated at night, it resembles the view astronauts had of Earth from the moon 50 years ago.
"Gaia" is a giant illuminated Earth globe hanging above Happiness Square, giving the impression of viewing Earth from outer space.
Two interactive art pieces also stand out at the festival. "Optical Beast #12 River" is a 100-meter-long installation along the river that transmits messages through sound and object interaction via light signals. "Time is a Long River" hangs a rainbow-colored light band over the moat, with tubes changing color to simulate aurora flows. Visitors can also interact with the piece using QR codes on their phones.
The moat area has been transformed into an interactive space corridor.
Other fun art installations include the "Moon Baby" — a bulb figure in a spacesuit placed in a park corner; the three-dimensional art piece "Exploration Memorial," styled like a spaceship in bright yellow, blue, and white tones that visitors can enter and interact with; and the "Lunar Space Program – Space Capsule," which emits beams of light into the sky at night. This piece is made by an artist using second-hand appliances and everyday items to construct a space-themed installation, bridging art with the unknowns of daily life and the cosmos.
A space installation crafted from everyday items emits beams of light into the sky at night.
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