EXHIBITION DESIGN: ROAMING IN THE LAGOON – ISLAND – ARCHIPELAGO – PENINSULA

The concept of “Island” is adopted for the design of the exhibition space, presenting the tensions between “Belief” and “NON-Belief” through the relationship between “lagoon – island – archipelago – peninsula,” and reexamining the complex relationship between technology, environment, and social space. Island installation is at the center supported by metal stands adopted from the traditional banquet table as piles on the uneven sunken flooring. An island quietly stands, as if emerging from the dark sea.

Multiple orthographic sectional slices illustrate a compressed cross-section of Taiwan’s precarious geological conditions, with coastal conurbations nestled in the mountainous shadow of the west-tilting fault block. Taiwan lies along a north-south fault line between the Japanese and Philippine archipelagos. The high-speed rail (HSR) line, becomes an embodied sensorimotor extension, cutting through these strata as a spatial/ temporal measuring tool of island landscape.

Dim light filtering through the paper slowly flows over the terrain, which is encircled by the “TECH-island,” continuously flashing images of Taiwan’s landscapes on fragments of electronic paper collectively. The contrast between lightness and the heaviness of the ancient Venice Prison Palace underscores the impact of the semiconductor industry on Taiwan’s landscapes, shifting of urban heat island and environmental justice, water and energy distribution, and the tension between technology and ecology. Accompanied by 17 research projects, the installation aims to generate awareness and foster discourse on the architecture of the resilient and self-sustaining island.

The Taiwan Pavilion also showcases 12 research and operative models arranged in an encircling archipelago configuration around the rooms. The research reflects contemporary architectural challenges and ideas, inviting visitors to engage with Taiwan’s transformation in a precarious world.

Upon entering the exhibition space, an exterior-facing window frames a view of a Renaissance church across the Grand Canal, while positioned perpendicular to the interactive and traditional Taiwanese spiritual installation at the other end of the hall, a large installation composed of densely packed circuit boards replicates a common “Votive Lamp Wall” found in local Taiwanese temples, serving as a visual and spiritual spectacle that reflects Taiwan’s unique NONBelief intelligens.

ISLANDS INSTALLATIONS