Art and Village

The colorful canopy, the metal sculptures to the right, and the mottled blue door add color to this simple structure. These bright elements contrast with everyday life objects in the photo: plastic containers, a cone-shaped bamboo farmer's hat, a metal basin for washing., and a bicycle.

This post features the art of Togo Village (土溝村), in Tainan 台南, southern Taiwan. The name of this village means "ditch." However, I did not see its namesake. I obtained most of the information about this village's revitalization plan from a college-aged resident, Chang Wen Jei (張文杰), who worked along with another young-adult in Togo Art Museum. It was good to see young people, who identify with their home community, participate. This architecture major explained that four years ago, local residents and business leaders formed the "Tainan City Togo Village Culture Development Association. The Association initiated a "village-as-museum" program, which aimed to bring new life into Togo Village through art. As the project did not obtain any government endorsement, all efforts were self-funded and self-organized.

For the annual art exhibitions, a committee of community members would invite artists to create site-specific works: sculptures, murals, photography, mosaics, and temporary installations. Below is a piece of functional art made by one of the invited artists. The cushioned seat features the typical plastic fabric with the trademark colors and pattern that make up Taiwan's traditional grocery shopping bags. Taiwanese viewers can recognize and associate this bench with mom and grandma's shopping bags in an instant.

In regards to strategy for economic revival, the organizers envisioned that an organic transformation would occur through the residents' own ideas and actions. Although the plan meant to serve the local population rather than tourists, the art of Tugo Village attracted numerous visitors near and far. On the weekends and national holidays, people come to Tugo to explore artworks, architecture, an art gallery and a ceramic studio. Colorful signs mark spots of interest. Besides farmland and houses, the village also houses a spatial design company, a space for kids to make art, artful public restrooms, a meeting place, a public storage space, a community kitchen, and vegetable vendors' stands. Here, neighbors are blood-relatives or long-time friends. They help promote each other's agricultural products, such as pickled vegetables, cabbage, and squash.

A few questions emerge from this visit. First, what are the evaluative criteria of "successful" revitalization through art? It may be easier to quantify income from selling produce than to qualify the spiritual and psychological effects of the additional artworks and attention. Who holds the position to define the parameters this evaluation? Also, what do the artworks and the village-as-museum mean to the local residents? How has their life changed because of the program?

The photographs below offer a glimpse of this quiet yet lively village.

On the left of this brick structure, a yellow-green metal piece of a bird-in-flight responds to the earth-toned, metal machine parts on the right. The yellow and green tones connect to the potted plants, which imbue life.

Inside a community kitchen with typical angular sinks and wood-burning stoves, a mural honors farmers, rice-farming, and water buffalo. Water buffaloes play a central role in traditional farming. As vehicle, tool, and companion for farmers, they can pull plows and turn soil. Notice glass-set-in-plaster decoration on the faucets.

Three elements stand out in this photograph. On the right, a modern, cartoon-like interpretation of a traditional visual trope: the gate keeper god, (門神). This plump and friendly character, unlike typical representations, wears a pleasant facial expression. The contextual modifications here include the cone-shaped bamboo hat that farmers wear to shield the sun and the rain, the hoe and sickle that the god holds, and the cloth-belt with the name of the village, 土溝. The green door handle appears to be upcycled machinery parts. To the left is a photograph of a lady holding her painting, which may be the result of a community painting class.

The village-as-museum team requested residents' family photographs and had them imprinted on tiles, which decorate the outer walls of the public restrooms.

This over five-foot tall, weaved bamboo structure caught my attention. Though in storage and not displayed as art, this craft piece holds hoes and sickles. Its main function remains a mystery.

Tou South Wind Studio (透南風工作室) created The Soul of Fingertips, an exhibition of photographs that hung on a wall that separates a street and a factory. The images showcase the hands and fingertips of seasoned workers of various craft and crop.

Mosaic flowers decorate a painted storage space that holds a water tower.

A juxtaposition of "modern" buildings and a traditional Minnan-style san-ho-yuan (閩南三合院) , which means "3-sectioned compound." I find the protruding brick work on the front of the winged sections curious. Its function awaits further research.

I encountered this man sorting recycled materials. I asked whether I could photograph him, and he responded, "No, I am unattractive." He broke out in a big smile and posed for a picture when I countered, "No, you look handsome!" And I mean it.

These three elderly gentleman hung out in front of their homes. A cigarette, a can of Taiwan Beer, and the simple joy of friendship. They told me, "there's one across the street who can play the erhu (二胡), a two-stringed bowed musical instrument. Soon after, their musician friend came over and performed two tunes before bid goodbye.

The Togo Art Museum shop sold various creative cultural products (文化創意產品), including these towels imprinted with the message, "Support Farming Villages."