Fish Trap house IV Houli / Cheng Tsung FENG

Curated by 韩双羽 - HAN Shuangyu

Artists: Cheng Tsung FENG
Area: 113 m²
Year: 2020
Photographs:Yi-Hsien LEE (YHLAA)
Lighting Design: Oude Light, Yi Zhang CHEN, Jian Guo HE
Structure Advisor: Yumu Manufacture & Research, Chien Tung CHEN

Text description provided by the architects. Artist Cheng Tsung FENG applies Taiwanese traditional fish traps as the theme of artwork. Invited hundreds of local in Taichung to workshops to learn weaving the art craft of the fish trap. With them hundreds of fish trap was made and hang bamboo sign with their wishes on it. People surround hand by hand unite together. Rewrite the precious art craft which is going to vanish into our memory and body.

Recently, Cheng Tsung FENG was invited to create a lantern in the most fabulous event - Taiwan Lantern Festival. He began a huge collective work plan for this two-week celebration.

During the processing, FENG and his partners drove a truck and went to four farmers' associations in the festival’s location, Taichung. He found out hundreds of inhabitants who didn’t have any experience for basket weaving. FENG taught them how to weave basket with bamboo and shared the story behind the traditional fish traps. They finished over two-hundred basket units and bring these units together in the location. Finally, it became a grand installation art in public.

After the end of the festival, this grand installation art work carefully unpicked and took back to their maker by truck. Each basket unit has their own tag which is written down the wish of maker. These basket weaving item and invisible craft skills will keep Integrate into their lives. This exposure sparks new ideas and possibilities.

Those traditional craft lesson became into their own personal experience. It inspired those inhabitants in farmers' associations to make something new. A number of people said they would make a lampshade, others would make duck cages, and the others would pile up like a Christmas tree with this bamboo basket units.

Cheng Tsung FENG led and teach people making fish trap hand by hand. People reunite together as each unit gathering in site. Expect body experience, there’s no text record to preserve those precious handmade culture. By this collective work plan, FENG write down these craft originate from Taiwan into our memory. Keep those ancient treasure live in our body for eternity.