The Powerful Taiwan Pump
With background heroes from 18 different cities and townships in Chiayi county rising and shining for work every day, the industries of the whole island of Taiwan are able to function accordingly.
The exhibit welcomes its audience with a big traditional theatrical stage at the entrance. The more splendid the stage is, the harder work there is for its preparation. And Chiayi county is like the usually unseen crew members in theaters. They work hard and diligently with strong spirits, pushing all the limits to carry out every perfect performance. After passing through the stage and entering the supposedly “backstage area”, 18 screens come into sight, representing the 18 cities and townships of Chiayi county, displaying their own stories, and indicating the unsung heroes of Chiayi county can finally be seen and celebrated. The design for the screens and formation was inspired by the famous cultural festival for Yuci-Yegong Temple in Lucao township, where hundreds of colorful and distinct stages lined up at a side of the road, performing and celebrating the birth of Yuci-Yegong. Borrowing from the festival’s local culture and feelings, the exhibit not only introduces the vibrant and collective energy of 18 different stages upstaging one another like the festival, but also showcases the ceremonial side of Chiayi county, about the simple and grateful attitude toward nature, gods, and beliefs.
The main stage in the exhibit overlooks the 18 Chiayi representatives before it, seeing their individual uniquenesses and the combination of workers from all walks of life. It also provides the audience a broader viewpoint of the 18 screens, and a chance of seeing how the craftsmen do their work on stage.
In order to better explain the craftsmen’s spirit of Chiayi county, the concept of “the Heavens are in motion ceaselessly; the enlightened exert themselves constantly” from I Ching was introduced to wrap up the entire exhibit. In the interactive area with pinball machines, the design of the light bars was based on the “Hexagram Qian” that represents that meaning. On every pinball machine, popular hashtags of each township collected from social media will be shown on it, summing up with fun and depth. From natural resources under the Tropic of Cancer to professions of all walks of life, keeping a craftsman’s attitude toward works and the spirit of solidness, all the qualities above unify into a force of waking the beating heart of Taiwan. And that is Chiayi county, the powerful pump of Taiwan.
Our Theatre is the first performing arts group for contemporary theatre to be officially established in the greater Chiayi area. It intentionally distances itself from the metropolitan areas and chooses Chiayi as its base. The troupe focuses on folk culture and common people and is devoted to developing productions from a southern point of view and experimenting with a new generation of Taiwanese-language works. It strives to set a new direction for the development of art and culture in Chiayi. At the same time, it is constantly aware of the question of how theatre should connect with people and society.
II Design has been established since 2015 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Today, we could be found in both Tainan and Taipei. II Design was devoted to the innovations of design methods and experiment with material. We prefer to create a better space with unexpected sparks for both of the designer and the client, rather than just provide a room to fulfill the requirement. II Design refuses to stay still. We believe all the wonderful ideas come from ruminating over the life and space.
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