The large exhibition room is decorated so it seems somewhat eerie, as it is actually trying to simulate a traditional mourning hall or a deserted temple. But the things to worship are less than holy: backpacks made of bamboo.
They are the underpinning of architect-cum-artist Yan Chung-hsien's "Unfolded Packing Landscape," a conceptual installation that uses the framework of nomadic traveling as its theme.
Using soft structures of bamboo sticks and white cloth, Yan's installation is heavily loaded with hidden meaning. The observant and meditative artist throws in plenty of cultural implications that reflect his rich experience in folk allusions. Using his familiarity with Chinese literature, for instance, he draws characters from the classic novel The Monkey King.
To represent his concepts of traveling, Yan made 10 bamboo backpacks, topped with helmets fashioned with the designs of the five characters that the artist adopted from the Chinese novel. The Monkey King tells the story of a long journey by a Tibetan monk and his four followers, one of which is the famous Monkey King.
Each person in the five-member party has a different purpose for undertaking the journey. Whether it is for business, for romance, to serve as a clown, to accompany others or simply to follow what others do, these various reasons to start a trip denote a state of mind that all travellers experience during a journey. Yan uses the backpacks as reservoirs of memory -- objects that retain the flavor, feeling and experience of a trip. They are reminders of how the travelers interacted with changing environments.
"The backpacks are a sightseeing point themselves as you spot them lying somewhere in your house weeks after you returned from your travels," the artist said.
Because there's so much to see at the display, visitors to the show can easily spend a whole afternoon exploring and connecting with this sophisticated exhibit. The exhibition room is divided into five areas. A gate-like bamboo structure with white cloth hanging down invites you into the entrance. Behind the gate, the second area presents you with a memorial hall tagged with postcards centered on a large backpack. The bamboo backpacks and helmets of various designs make up another theme area and the artist's postcard collection from various trips abroad reveal his traveling experience.
The last interesting point on view is a VCR display of the action part connected to this conceptual art project. Yan doesn't limit his large-scale installation project within the exhibit space of the gallery. An ardent promoter of environmental art and so-called action art that reaches beyond three dimensions, Yan's newly released project involves interaction with several landmarks in Taipei.
Two days before the opening of the exhibition, the artist, along with five actors wearing large helmets designed with the heads of the five characters from The Monkey King, visited eight high-profile places in Taipei, including the CKS Memorial Hall Plaza and the Grand Hotel. The touring process was videotaped and is included in the exhibit. This is a part of the project that shows that what impresses the artist right at home.
In various ways throughout the exhibit, Yan elaborates on a nomadic voyage that is improvisational and without a destination. "What matters in a trip is what takes place, what impresses you and how you feel about what you encountered," Yan said. "That reflects in and changes your itinerary during travel."
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