Gateway to Taiwan: Island Tales

Public Art Installation Project for Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

 

Gateway to Taiwan: Island Tales is a monumental artwork that encourages travellers to engage with Taiwan’s captivating culture, history, landscape and ecology, and the vibrant tapestry of its contemporary urban life and industry.

This immersive experience unfolds through seven thematic elements: Future, Technology, Diversity and Inclusion, Mountains, Spirituality, Land and Sea, and Home. The seven artworks respond to each other like interwoven chapters of a spatial story. Together, they capture Taiwan’s enduring spirit as a resilient modern nation deeply rooted in its layered histories and dynamic cultural identities.

Gateway to Taiwan: Island Tales was created by YEN TING CHO Studio in collaboration with a group of artists, curators, architects, performers and programmers. The team used proprietary software called mov.i.see to produce seven striking abstract artworks that encapsulate and distill a unique island story.

〈山樂天光〉以長幅視覺與燈光設計呼應登機動線

〈山樂天光〉流動的線條形塑如步行山林中仰望的視覺節奏

〈天際浮影〉以數位技法結合水墨視角，描繪飛行降落前俯瞰台灣的城市景象

〈山樂天光〉以數據圖像化技術描繪台灣山脈韻律

〈天際浮影〉以數位技法呈現夜間台灣城市景象

Dancing Circles

'Dancing Circles' explodes with vibrant colors and swirling concentric patterns. It reinterprets Taiwan’s circular motifs, from lanterns to tables, evocative of blooming flowers or dazzling fireworks, to capture the island’s exuberant spirit, creativity and vitality.

Tech Island

'Tech Island' celebrates the technology that drives Taiwan’s economy. It distils the essence of the form and sheen of a semiconductor wafer, weaving itself into the fabric of our everyday lives, to symbolize Taiwan’s relentless drive for innovation.

Soaring Flocks

'Soaring Flocks' uses the metaphor of flight to underscore the diverse ethnicities and immigrant histories that shape modern Taiwanese culture. The houndstooth pattern echoes the essence of the ‘thousand birds’, optimistically symbolizing liberation and freedom for all.

Mountain Melodies, Heavenly Light

'Mountain Melodies, Heavenly Light' honors Taiwan's unique mountains and lush forests, infused with the rhythm of indigenous cultures and music. It depicts the changing perspective along mountain paths, before entering into the bright skylight at the peak of the summit.

Golden Voyage

'Golden Voyage' expresses the spiritual desire for peace and harmony. Its warm colours and gentle patterns are symbolic of the mighty sky and shimmering stars, which forge a sense of eternal connection and carry our love, hopes and aspirations.

Shifting Shoreline

'Shifting Shoreline' contemplates the interplay between Taiwan’s oceans and heavy industries. It hints at the delicate equilibrium between the forces of nature and human endeavour, and symbolizes the island’s outward-looking spirit, combining strength with humility.

Cityscape

'Cityscape' anticipates the journey home, by viewing Taiwan from above. An intriguing digital landscape unfolds, blending traditional ink wash with pixelated imagery to reveal infinite layered possibilities between this optimistic, feisty island and the world beyond.

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