Life

Art project to transform Taipei cityscape

A colorful patch outside a designer shop in eastern Taipei is part of a global art initiative to repair decaying buildings. (Courtesy of Yun San Corp.)

• Publication Date：06/28/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today

The Taipei edition of a global public art movement will soon see the city’s deteriorating walls, curbs, staircases and other structures fixed and beautified with plastic toy construction bricks, according to the Fubon Art Foundation June 28.

Inspired by “Dispatchwork,” a public art project initiated by German artist Jan Vormann, the foundation has mobilized local retailers and student groups to participate in an effort to spread the fun.

“With an unconventional eye and a creative mind, everybody can take part in turning the city into a museum without walls,” foundation CEO Maggie Tsai said at a news conference.

Vormann, a Berlin-based sculptor, started patching up decaying building corners in the Italian town of Bocchignano in 2007, as part of the group art project “20 Eventi.”

Using plastic building blocks as a patching device, he has since expanded his concept across more than 20 cities worldwide and inspired followers in over 60 cities, ranging from Budapest, Cape Town and Kuala Lumpur to Marrakech and Mexico City, to upload photos of their works onto his project website.

In Taiwan, a dozen followers have created colorful patchworks in Hsinchu, Kaohsiung, Taipei and Tainan cities.

Currently in Taipei on a one-week trip, Vormann will host a workshop June 30, leading 40 locals on a journey through the winding alleys of eastern Taipei to turn city corners into a canvas for creation.

The foundation was one of the winners of last year’s Taipei Culture Award, along with architecture scholar Lee Chien-lang and Peking opera actor Tang Wen-hua, according to the Taipei City Government. (THN)