Taiwan Today

Metro stations in Taipei and Kaohsiung are now playing another role in the lives of their respective cities through sophisticated art displays.

"Waiting for the train, I start to wonder if all the subway tracks in the world join together. Then where would I go? Anywhere I can imagine." This is a passage from the 2006 English edition of the picture book The Sound of Colors created by Jimmy Liao, one of Taiwan's best-selling authors. Liao is known for his colorful, cute illustrations and simple storylines about people coping in the modern urban world.

"Jimmy's drawing touches on the common feelings of being alienated, stressed out by work or fears about losing loved ones. He really reads the minds of urbanites," says Lee Jia-hui, a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) passenger and a fan of Liao's creative work. "The audience can sense the sadness and desolation behind his beautiful illustrations, but can also find relief and happiness through his world of fantasy." Lee now feels thrilled to have the chance to appreciate artwork by Liao on her daily commute on the MRT line running through the eastern edge of Taipei City.

Nangang Station, on the Nangang Eastern Extension Line that began service in December 2008, features six large wall murals of Liao's illustrations from The Sound of Colors, which was originally published in Mandarin in 2001. The murals, placed alongside the station's platforms, entrances, exits, staircases and passageways, are made of enameled panels set in the walls and thus are part of the station's permanent structure. It marks the first time that the Taipei City Government's Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) has collaborated with an artist beginning right from the design stage of a new station.

"We've long been seeking to install public art at MRT stations to provide passengers with a pleasant environment while also broadening the stations' role from that of a transportation facility to a venue for artistic and cultural affairs," says Yin Chien-ni, an engineer in DORTS' Civil Engineering and Architectural Design Division. "Hopefully, besides enjoying the comfort and convenience of the MRT system, members of the public can also get to appreciate art in their everyday lives."

Yin says Nangang Station is just the start of efforts by DORTS to make public art an integral part of MRT architecture, rather than simply reserving an empty space and adding in an artwork after a structure is finished. Accordingly, in the initial planning of the engineering work for new lines, Yin says the agency will take into account the color and type of building materials as well as lighting to coordinate them with the designated theme for public artworks. The ultimate goal, she says, is to build an MRT station into a work of art as a whole through the combination of architecture, landscaping and street furniture design, interior design and public art.

"Artistic creations are poised to become a significant part of all the new MRT station projects in Taipei that have already been planned or are under construction in that they'll be included in the design in a comprehensive way," Yin says. "Plus, we'd like to use them to express local history, culture and industry, thus promoting the conservation of those local features."

River in the Sky

For example, the newly constructed Neihu Line, scheduled to launch operation by the middle of this year, is created to resemble "a river in the sky," Yin explains, with 10 of its 12 stations being elevated structures. Stations on the line will feature the theme "The Story of Lake City"--an allusion to the name "Neihu," meaning "inner lake"--that is intended to illustrate the district's ecological, commercial, residential and high-tech developments. The 10 stations, she continues, each focus on one aspect of the theme and each has a different color scheme. Dahu Park Station, for one, is shaped like a sailboat and uses the color blue to highlight the recreational nature of its surroundings, Yin says, while Xihu Station uses yellow to characterize the neighborhood's ecology.

Yin says DORTS was the first organization in the domestic public works sector to promote public art by taking the initiative in 1990 to utilize artworks at MRT stations on the Danshui Line, which kicked off construction in 1988. Overall, however, Taiwan's public art did not see much development until 1992 when the Statute for Encouraging the Development of Culture and the Arts was enacted by the Council for Cultural Affairs, she says. One of the articles of the statute calls for the installation of artworks in public buildings and major public infrastructure projects.

In the initial MRT network, Yin explains, important stations were chosen for the display of public art such as interchange stations, those with heavy passenger traffic or those near hospitals, museums and schools. The acquisition of artworks included creations by students and artists, with the works chosen through invitation, competition or procurement. Around the same time, DORTS set up an evaluation committee comprised of some 10 scholars and experts from the fields of art, architecture and landscaping to help select art pieces for display.

Today, local and international artists are welcome to submit their work for consideration, Yin says, adding that the bidding documents prepared by DORTS are available in both Chinese and English. The aim is to discover creative work that can greatly enhance the spatial quality of MRT stations and provide an aesthetic experience for commuters. Several foreign artists have already seen their work selected for the Taipei system. Among them, Japanese artist Takeshi Tanabe's sculpture Heaven, Earth and Man is on display at Xindian Station on the Xindian Line, and sculpture pieces by New Zealand artist Steve Woodward entitled Growth are installed at Taipei City Hall Station on the Nangang Line.

Public Access

Yin says currently, about 40 works of art are showcased at Taipei's MRT stations. They feature a variety of styles including artistic, cultural, historical or high-tech elements and different media ranging from wood, bronze, ceramics, enamel and glass to granite, stainless steel, mosaic tiles and light-emitting diode (LED) lights.

For example, artists Ching Wan-ting and Yang Pi-fang's Dawning Sail, displayed at Shuanglian Station on the Danshui Line, is a mural that tells the story of the historical development of Shuanglian from a rural community in the 1860s, to a prosperous trading center in the 1880s, through to a modern metropolitan area following the launch of the MRT system in the mid-1990s.

The artwork Tree River, created by Tsai Shu-ying and showcased near the exit of Zhongxiao Dunhua Station on the Nangang Line, evokes the shapes of trees and a "river" through the use of stainless steel, granite, falling water and LED lights. The work expresses the feeling of modern urban life while at the same time recalling the former environment of the eastern Taipei district of Xinyi, which was rice paddies just decades ago.

In planning for artworks, DORTS emphasizes their visual appeal, significance, safety and non-interference with passenger circulation. At the same time, the agency has sought to increase the accessibility of public art so that passengers may touch, use or interact with it. A good example is the work The Suite of Hands by Lee Kuang-yu, four very large bronze sculptures installed at NTU Hospital Station on the Danshui Line. Lee's work depicts hands interlocking as in meditation or delicately holding a lotus flower. One of the pieces is intended to recall the feeling of walking in a park, with the hands placed together in a Buddhist gesture that also brings to mind the size and shape of a park bench on which waiting passengers can take a seat.

"Our ideal is to transform the space at MRT stations to create museums without walls where the public can have easy access to art," Yin says. "Plus, local schools can make visiting MRT stations an option for their field trips so that students can learn about transportation and art at the same time."

Currently, the Taipei MRT network covers eight lines, with a total length of 78.1 kilometers and 70 stations. The average number of passenger trips is about 1.23 million per day. The opening of the Neihu Line will add another 14.8 kilometers and 12 stations. "Artworks at MRT stations are displayed permanently and they are seen by tens of thousands of travelers every day," Yin says. "We especially hope to give young artists an opportunity to showcase their creations. We believe that selecting their work can also be a credit to them, helping facilitate their artistic careers."

Southern Glass

As well as the system in Taipei, the 42.7-kilometer-long MRT system in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, attaches much importance to public art. It does so by highlighting works that embody local culture in addition to its elaborately designed architecture. At present, the Kaohsiung system, which began service in 2008, operates 37 stations on its Red and Orange lines.

"Engineering infrastructure projects in Taiwan used to fall short on aesthetic grounds. We've tried to improve this situation by introducing artistic design into our overall concept of architecture, landscaping and space planning for our MRT stations," says Weng Yu-ling, an administrator in the Marketing and Property Development Department of Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC). "Every element of the environment can be a work of art. With this in mind, we also pay attention to ceilings, walls and floors, as well as the lights, images, signage and public furniture used to embellish the stations."

Weng continues that KRTC moved to incorporate public art with the construction of the MRT system from the initial formulation of the architectural layout of its stations. A public-art planner was commissioned to draft a master plan that included setting a theme, sites, types and the selection methods for artworks, as well as acting as a coordinator between artists and architects. Consequently, the main theme, "A Symphony of Light," was decided on and artists were asked to propose works that expressed this theme, while also presenting the city's history, culture and local character.

Several internationally renowned artists KRTC invited to contribute pieces chose glass as their primary medium of expression to convey the changes of light. Perhaps the most recognizable of these are the works at Formosa Boulevard Station, at the junction of the Red and Orange lines, and they also include thoughtful attention to details. Japanese architect Shin Takamatsu designed the glass superstructures at the station's four entrances to represent hands clasped together in prayer. The work is meant as a remembrance of the Kaohsiung Incident, a pro-democracy demonstration in Kaohsiung on December 10, 1979 that resulted in the arrest of prominent dissidents, but the structures also stand as a symbol of hope and peace.

Dome of Light

The station also hosts the largest one-piece stained glass creation in the world, Dome of Light, designed by Italian-American artist Narcissus Quagliata. The work, which is some 30 meters in diameter and covers an area of 660 square meters, was assembled using 4,500 glass panels to present four themes: water, earth, light and fire. It fans out to form the ceiling of the main lobby and its colors and imagery speak to the circle of life, as well as tell the story of Kaohsiung as an ocean city and the efforts of the Taiwanese people to pursue democracy. The overall message of the piece is one of rebirth and tolerance that its audience can, quite literally, look up to.

Another work in glass, Emerald Laminata, designed by German artist Lutz Haufschild and displayed at Kaohsiung International Airport Station, features two large walls, piled with 10,220 sheets of emerald-green glass. Lights are installed behind the glass, creating the effect of starlight reflected in water. The contrast of light and shadow along with the curved pieces of glass create a sense of water flowing, also bringing a sense of harmony with nature.

A third piece, Floating Forest at the World Games Station, designed by American artists Ron Wood and Christian Karl Janssen, employs digital images on glass panels across an oval-shaped glass roof at the station. The work evokes the natural landscape of southern Taiwan, aiming for a sense of tranquility by creating a subtropical "jungle" that can overcome the hubbub of the city.

Currently, the Kaohsiung MRT records an average of 120,000-140,000 passenger trips per day. The passenger volume, Weng admits, still has room for improvement, with the administrator saying local residents are not yet in the habit of using the public transport system. She says her department consistently tries to better its services and convenience such as adding a bus transit service for transporting commuters to and from the stations, as well as putting in a lot of effort to focus the spotlight on the area's MRT stations in hopes of attracting more visitors.

The Formosa Boulevard Station, for one, with its spacious concourse and magnificent display of glass art, is an ideal venue for holding events, Weng says. As well as holding entertainment programs such as concerts and shows by buskers, the KRTC recently organized a group wedding ceremony there. Holding activities, she adds, has helped boost the passenger volume by 50 percent on weekends.

"It's our hope that people not only take the MRT to commute to work or school during the week, but also to attend art and cultural activities on weekends, making the MRT a part of their daily lives," Weng says. In addition to offering guided tours to visitor groups, the KRTC has published a brochure detailing the artworks on display at its stations, including an itinerary for public art appreciation along the MRT routes.

Su Xiao-wen, a tourist from Hsinchu in northern Taiwan, says he was in Kaohsiung for a vacation and bought a one-day travel ticket to experience the city's new MRT system and moreover to take a look at the major artworks exhibited at some of the stations. "I choose Formosa Boulevard Station as the first stop on my metro journey as I've heard how terrific its public art is," he says. "When I entered the concourse, I was really amazed at what I saw. The glass panels with their colorful and lively images that cover the whole ceiling create a really nice ambiance. They're visually pleasing and inspiring." Su adds that the Kaohsiung MRT's public art has impressed him a lot and improved his impression of the southern city as a whole.

That is praise KRTC administrator Weng Yu-ling should be pleased to hear. "We'd never presume to say we are the perfect model of making art an integral part of public works, but we have helped to realize a number of unique creations that grace public spaces and hold public interest," she says. "Hopefully, the MRT can bring people not only the practical benefits of convenient transportation, but also touch their lives in other, subtle ways."

Write to Kelly Her at kelly@mail.gio.gov.tw