Li Yuqin Taiwan Environmental Information Association
Two typhoons hit southern Taiwan in 2016, causing Kaohsiung City Niaosong Wetland Park to fall down a large number of trees, and the trails around the lake were also seriously damaged. A year later, these wind-fallen trees have become this year's environmental art creations in Niaosong Wetland Park. On the 9th, at the opening event of the 2017 Niaosong Wetland Park Environmental Art Festival exhibition, six artists presented an exhibition using tree branches in the park with the public. Six large-scale art installations created from natural materials such as wood chips, vines, reeds, and grass stems. This year's Niaosong Wetland Environmental Art Festival started in May. Through a series of workshops, artists led the public to complete creations in Niaosong Wetland through woodworking, ceramics, plant dyeing, fiber, picture books, installation art and other forms.
Niaosongzeji No., artist Wang Bingwen used wind-downed trees in the wetland and led volunteers to complete the ecological boat. Photography: Li Yuqin.
Niaosong Wetland combines ecological conservation and friendly agricultural land promotion actions
Niaosong Wetland located next to Chengcheng Lake is small but has a high degree of biological diversity. With the support of the Kaohsiung City Tourism Bureau, the Kaohsiung City Wild Bird Society has long-term adoption It maintains and promotes environmental education and ecological guided activities in the park, attracting more than 10,000 school children every year to participate in environmental education activities.
This year, the Bird Club also cooperates with local small farmers to hold the Southern Green Market every Sunday in the square in front of the park, selling environment-friendly and local handmade agricultural products, and has begun to promote ecological conservation and friendly farmland. Director Chang Lin Shizhong said that the Niaosong Wetland Conservation Action Plan won the Important Wetland Excellence Award from the Ministry of Interior Construction Administration this year. Combined with the friendly small farmer market, the wetland park will become another ecological sightseeing and leisure hotspot in Kaohsiung City in the future.
Kaohsiung City Tourism Director Zeng Ziwen said in her opening speech at the exhibition, "Niaosong Wetland is Kaohsiung's treasure. Many ecological conservation enthusiasts and volunteers gather here to jointly maintain and operate it. Not only the bird ecology It is rich in resources and is also a favorite place for bird lovers in Kaohsiung to take photos of wild birds.” She emphasized that with the long-term cooperation between the Tourism Bureau and the Bird Club, the wetland has ecological conservation as its management goal and will be operated sustainably in the future to let more citizens know about it. This precious wetland is close to the city center.
Niaosong Wetland is located near the city center and is adopted and maintained by the Kaohsiung Bird Society. It has won the Special Excellence Award from the Construction Administration of the Ministry of the Interior for its ecological conservation and friendly farmland conservation action plans.
"Niaosong Wetland Environmental Art Festival" is an ecological ship made of wind-downed wood.
Ke Yanmei, the curator of this art festival and a ceramic artist, said that the Niaosong Wetland Environmental Art Festival has entered its third year. It was originally initiated by local artists and won many awards. With the support of the Kaohsiung Bird Club, the Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau and the Environmental Protection Bureau invested resources. This year, art and energy conservation on environmental issues were combined with workshops, calling on more people to participate in artistic creation.
Ke Yanmei explained that the art festival creations all emphasize the use of local natural materials to integrate art with the wetland environment. After observing the wetland environment, the artist developed unique works and worked with the public to create them.
Among the six works, "Niaosongze Di No." was completed by woodworking artist Wang Bingwen and volunteers in three days. Wang Bingwen said that Niaosong Wetland is ecologically complete and rich in plants. It not only has wetlands but also forests, but it is very close to the city, which fully shows that this is a place where people and the natural environment coexist.
Woodworking artist Wang Bingwen (second from right) thanks the wetland volunteers for participating in the creation of this ecological boat. Photography: Li Yuqin.
He observed that the wetland produced a large number of fallen trees due to last year's typhoon, so through his artistic creation, he used these woody materials to design a six-meter-long ecological boat. "This ship adopts the concept of an eco-hotel, allowing insects and organisms to live in symbiosis, and many organisms have already settled in. In addition, it can also allow the park to continue to pile wood during maintenance without affecting its appearance. In the end, these wood can be Return to the land and make the environment sustainable and circular."
Lin Shizhong, chairman of the Kaohsiung Bird Club, described this art work as "like a giant ship in the ocean."In fact, the artist also said that the presentation of this ship in Niaosong Wetland is of great significance. In addition to the use of local natural materials, it is also due to the input of volunteers that this large-scale work can be completed in three places without the use of large machinery. Completed within
h. tml0 Another artist Hong Linru's work "Regaining the Wetland Paradise" uses materials such as millet, arundo, pistacia chinensis, maple leaf morning glory and other materials. She worked with wetland volunteers to transform a dead corner into a new wetland paradise. This area was often forgotten in the past. Side entrance corners, often Some people throw away living things and "release them", so the artist hopes that through participatory transformation, the public can discover the special design and beauty of this corner, and then stop to appreciate it, interact with nature, and feel the vitality of nature.
Artist Hong Linru works with wetland volunteers. Using local materials to transform the dead spots of wetlands that are often released, hoping to "restore the wet paradise". Photo: Li Yuqin looks forward to the expansion of the Environmental Art Festival. Forming another characteristic of Kaohsiung
Ke Yanmei, who has served as the curator for three consecutive years, believes that if the environmental art festival can be expanded, combined with the expanded hinterland of Niaosong Wetland and Chengcheng Lake, and featuring natural ecology, the Renwu area can develop into Kaohsiung City. Another tourism feature that is different from Minato City is to follow the approach of Japan's Land Art Festival and use the environment. With the theme of ecology and the participation of local community people in artistic creation of the surrounding natural environment, it is believed that Kaohsiung can develop a unique environmental theme art festival.
Niaosong Wetland Park Environmental Art Festival In addition to Ke Yanmei, Wang Bingwen, Hong Linru, there are also The final works exhibited by three artists, Lin Yanling, Hong Xiufen and Qin Limei, include "Where to Spread?" Wetland – Carpentry – Toriyama No.”, “Weaving a Net – Fiber – the Network of Biodiversity”, “Leaf Recording – Clay – Recording the Veins of Life”, “Regaining the Wet Paradise – Knotting Reeds in People” "Environment", "Plant Chameleon - Happy Hand Dyeing", "Niaosong Wetland Games - Cloth Book. Picture Book", etc., the exhibition period is from From now until December 31, the Bird Club will be on site every Sunday to explain the Southern Green Market, which sells handmade agricultural products from friendly local farmers. Photo: Li Yuqin.
