Chiayi City is in the pink at Beisianhu Park during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
At the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, Chiayi City in southern Taiwan eschewed the traditional eating of mooncakes and pomelos for the innovative “Weaving With Light, Dancing With Shadow” art exhibition in Beisianhu Park.
Launched in 2020, the annual event is now the biggest outdoor light show in Taiwan. Designed to attract visitors to the city during the festival, its previous iterations have won international recognition including New York Design Awards and MUSE Design Awards.
Daniel Wong (黃偉豪), a Taiwan-based designer who has worked with international fashion brands such as Alexander McQueen and Versace as well as performers like Lady Gaga, created this year’s installations. Wanting to reawaken a sense of joy in people after years of the pandemic, Wong bathed the exhibits in various shades of pink using the color to symbolize romance, health and well-being.
Naturally, all eight installations embodied lunar imagery. “Moonlight Symphony,” a duet between a 5-meter-diameter pink moon placed on the lake and a 10-meter-tall spaceship on the shore, symbolized a spiritual trip to the moon. “Water Reflection of the Moon” was a fairy ring of giant candy-striped mushrooms, while other pieces played on the theme of light and shadow.
The event was held between the Mid-Autumn Festival, which fell on Sept. 29 this year, and the country’s National Day, Oct. 10. According to the city government, 820,000 people visited the show, many of whom wore pink and received special gifts as they became part of the art in the form of moving figures against the dark canvas of the park and the color palette of the light.
—by Jim Hwang
“Dance”
“Forever Love”
“Weaving”
“Light and Shadow”
“Moonlight Symphony”
“Water Reflection of the Moon”
“Starlit Letters”