Urban creativity: Taipei’s public art

Soaring skyscrapers, modern department stores and crowded streets make up Taipei, the city that is the commercial and business core of Taiwan. But the international metropolis that has been called ‘Taipei Manhattan’ has always had an artistic streak, and with the growing presence of public art this is hard to miss.

Twist your way through the busy streets of Taipei and amidst the bustling, peak-hour traffic and pedestrians marching to work lies a variety of public installations. A good place to start is Civic Boulevard, the important East-West express highway that is considered the main artery of the city, passing through six districts.

The Xinyin District holds a range of public art, with over 18 works that can be accessed on a walking tour of the city. Works range from on-site performances to installations by both domestic and international artists, reflecting the diversity and modernity of this fascinating city.

The most famous public artwork would have to be US artist Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture, originally designed as a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in 1964. This large, 3D sculpture consists of the letters LO above the letters VE and stands in front of Taipei 101, the world’s tallest skyscraper until the completion of the Burj in Dubai in 2004.

Continue through the district and you will reach the National Taiwan Science Education Centre between Jihe and Chengde Roads. A fusion of science and modern art, the Centre aims to raise public interest in the arts and in science education by taking science out of the lab and into the public streets and every day life. Installations relate to scientific theories such as gravity, kinetics, power and sound with rolling balls of ‘Ball Machines’ the sound reflex technology in ‘Stonehenge and wind and gravity exploration in windmill.

Head down Nangang road in the ‘Black County’ Nankang District, and you will undoubtedly notice the old-time feel with traditional industry and factories. Amongst this industrial landscape, the Nankang software Park has blossomed with an international vision to integrate art, humanity and the hi-tech environment that surrounds it. This public art project is a collaboration of works by nine renowned artists from diverse backgrounds who have created site-specific artworks that blend with the software park’s structural environment and atmosphere.

Perhaps the most interesting public art space in Taipei is located amongst the Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant. Turning the traditional image of a sewage plant as an environmental hazard on its head, this plant reflects the modern thinking of Taiwan’s best designers with unique architecture that keeps the sewage treatment facilities underground. Offering a healthy lifestyle haven to the public, including a sports field and indoor swimming pool amidst public art installations, there is an undeniable yearning for nature and water.

A walking tour of Taipei’s public art can be easily done at any time of the year, but to truly experience the magic aesthetics the city has to offer, plan your visit around one of the city’s art festivals.

In mid February, the city hosts the Taipei Lantern Festival and Public Art of Taipei. Held annually since 2008, the event organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs consists of displays of giant themed lanterns and projection performances around the city to reflect and encouraging the aesthetic lifestyle of Taipei citizens. This year’s Festival was held under the theme of ‘Light up the city’ and was planned for two major sections in southern and northern Taipei, covering 9 zones.

2011 was the first time that public art spaces were introduced into the festival, under the hopes that the festival would fuse lifestyle aesthetics with local culture, connecting people, spaces and traditions through a variety of installations and activities. The event was curated by the Treasure Hill Artist Village and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

This year also saw the unveiling of the first annual Art Revolution Taipei (ART) Festival, which saw over 26,000 visitors come to Taipei to view featured leading and emerging galleries and artists from around the globe. Hundreds of international and local charity organisations were involved with all proceeds donated to charity organisations. Dubbed the ‘Art Fair Experts’ after the success of this year’s event which ‘inspired artists in Taiwan and rocked the other Asian art fairs’, 2012’s ART Festival is sure to be a major event.