Stories on Shezi Island
2022 | Narrative Map | We the Shezi Living Festival: lóo-la̍t
PROJECT BRIEF
“Stories on Shezi Island” is an art project developed across Hong Kong and Taipei in collaboration with UUendy Lau (HK), Tammy (TW) and Liu (TW). Tammy and Liu are two young local researchers in Taiwan who both have deep personal connections with Shezi Island. The cross-city project started earlier in May 2022 and has conducted various factory visits and interviews with some of the owners and workers from different local industries, ranging from farming and furniture manufacturing to recycling and photography. The stories and development process are visually-transformed into an illustration map and presented in the “We the Shezi Living Festival: lóo-la̍t” Exhibition.
Shezi Island, situated in Shilin, Taipei, is an interesting, hybrid place housing rich history of agricultural development alongside nurturing local industrial businesses that bridge across several generation in the past few decades. The collision between the past and modern development of Shezi Island has sparked many critical discussions and reflections that have collectively contributed to shaping a more sustainable community.
The stories collected in the project offer interesting insights into the territory and the people, and had inspired the creation of another artwork “Landscapes on Peng Chau Island” (which was made separately by UUendy Lau) as an artistic response to her research. The art series consists of nine hand-painted drawings which highlight the beautiful scenery of an island in Hong Kong where the artist lives.
THE ARTWORKS
“We the Shezi Living Festival: lóo-la̍t” Exhibition
Period: 2 Oct - 31 Dec 2022
Venue: Shezi Island, Taiwan
Curated & Supported by: Fu Chou Community Development Association
Festival Website: www.instagram.com/wetheshezi
Artwork 1)
“Stories on Shezi Island” Narrative Map by UUendy Lau
Onsite research by Tammy & Liu
Artwork 2)
“Landscapes on Peng Chau Island” Mini Installation by UUendy Lau
(Click here for more details)
“STORIES ON SHEZI ISLAND” NARRATIVE MAP
Every person living in the community plays a role in cultivating an area’s unique identity and personality. The project “Stories on Shezi Island” enquires into the culture and lifestyle of Shezi and thus encourages the public to learn more about some of the individuals who have been working hard all life as well as making continuous effort in keeping Shezi Island a warm and friendly place. It also hopes to remind us the possibilities and connections in the community across different aspects - traditions and inventions, locals and newcomers, similarities and differences, inspiring a trans-disciplinary and cultural dialogue in times of pandemic and uncertainties.
FEATURED STORY 09 (Extracted)
“When I was young, my father always gave me a note written in Japanese and a bundle of cash to fetch seeds for him.”
Ah-Lan Tse｜ Second Daughter of The Founder of a Local Seedling Company
In 1957, Ah-Lan’s father left his work in Taichung and came to Shezi Island to set up the Longquan Seedling Company, which sells seeds and seedlings imported from Japan to local farmers. “The imported seeds were packed in small aluminium cans, and these cans were sold at a very high price,” Ah-Lan recalls. Her mother and her brother were once invited to be the photo models for the packaging labels of the canned cabbage seeds.
FEATURED STORY 02 (Extracted)
“I chose to set up my factory on Shezi Island because I think it is the only remaining solitary land in Taipei.”
Dun-Hung Chan ｜ Owner of 56deco Furniture Select and Design Shop
Started with a small space less than 20m² in the beginning, Dun-Hung is now running a much bigger retail outlet of 660m² on Shezi Island for his selected furniture. Many ironworkers and carpenters on the island has come to 56deco for collaborations to develop and produce a wide range of custom-made products. Dun-Hung has been, in a way, assisting in the transformation of these traditional industries for meeting the needs of different customers. He says, “Creativity comes from everyday life, and we learn to develop our personal aesthetics from daily habits.”
CROSS-CITY RESEARCH & CREATION
“Stories on Shezi Island” is a cross-region artistic endeavour bridging the vibrant landscape of Hong Kong and Taipei in times of the Covid pandemic. In the beginning, we approached the project from Hong Kong with a pair of fresh and curious eyes that sought to guide a new trajectory of this cross-culture exploration. Partnered with Tammy (TW) and Liu (TW), two individuals deeply intertwined with the history and culture of Shezi Island, the collaborative journey unfolded between May and Oct 2022.
Imbued with a spirit of speculative inquiries, the project delved into diverse industries—from the traditional occupations like farming and furniture to the modern businesses such as photography—collecting personal narratives discovered through various site visits and engaging interviews. Below shows a glimpse of the design development that hopes to capture some of the work-in-progress on how the in-person encounters and research were transformed and visualised through short essays and illustrations that reflect the intriguing insights examined in the project and the living culture of Shezi Island.
“Stories on Shezi Island” Narrative Map by UUendy Lau
Onsite research by Tammy & Liu
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
“We the Shezi Living Festival: lóo-la̍t”
Invited Artists: Chang Po-Chien, UUendy Lau
Participating Artists: Chang Yen-Tzu, Chuan Teng-Shiang & Wu Pei-Shan
Co-Curators: Sandra Hsu, Yi-Fen Jan, Iris Hung & Hsieh Mei-hua
Event Poster: Designed by Boa @ studio_shizi
