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Paper, trains and automobiles

By Noah Buchan
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008, Page 15

Cityscapes take on a new meaning in Susan Stockwell’s work. PHOTO: NOAH BUCHAN, TAIPEI TIMES

Susan Stockwell eyes her recently installed collages covering the walls and windows of the British Trade and Cultural Office’s ultra-slick new location on the 26th floor of the President International Tower. The space has large picture windows and spectacular views of western Taipei, the perfect backdrop for a show inspired by the streets and metro systems of Asia’s large urban centers.

Line Drawing’s collages and installations are the product of a three-month residency at Taipei Artist Village sponsored by the Taiwan-UK Artists Fellowships Program. They expand on Stockwell’s earlier use of everyday materials to map environments, identity and history.

Her paper cutouts of city streets strip urban areas of buildings, parks and people, to show how a city’s development can be traced by looking at its streets. For example, Taipei’s linear grid, developed over the past four decades, contrasts with London’s spider web of streets, which grew haphazardly over centuries.

The artist. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SUSAN STOCKWELL

Two large collages in the shape of Taiwan — one made from paper with a colorful flower pattern, the other from tea-bags stitched together — reveal the symbols Stockwell thinks represent Taiwan: tea and paper.

Many of the works on display at this exhibition are unpolished; Stockwell has, after all, worked on the project for only three months. But the purpose of the residency, she said, was to get her outside her comfort zone and help her find new sources of inspiration. In showing viewers their daily commute from a new perspective, Line Drawing may do the same its audience, too.

Exhibition notes What: Line Drawing Where: British Trade and Cultural Office in the President International Tower, 26F, 9-11 Songgao Rd, Taipei City (台北市松高路9-11號26樓) When: Weekdays from 9am to 5pm; until May 30 On the Net: www.susanstockwell.co.uk

Taipei Times: What inspired you to apply for the fellowship in Taiwan?

Susan Stockwell: Two years ago I was doing a residency in Nanjing, China, and I made a piece of work there that was a bit controversial. It was … an impression of China. On the day the exhibition opened [the curators] said they had a problem with the work because it didn’t include Taiwan. I told them that it was an artwork and not a map. And they said they didn’t want to offend any government officials — they said maybe we should take [the work] out [of the show] or put Taiwan in it. I said that this was crazy. I said, ‘Why haven’t you asked me why isn’t Hong Kong in it or why isn’t Macau in it?’”

TT: At the time were you familiar with the cross-strait situation?

SS: A little bit, though not especially. I knew that China thought Taiwan was in China … . But anyway, we had an argument and they were quite adamant that Taiwan is [part of] China … . This made me interested in the whole China-Taiwan debate. So when I saw the residency here I thought I would apply. It was also very much up my street because it was about mapping.

TT: Is the work you’ve created since arriving in Taiwan related to your previous work?

SS: I did work a lot with the idea of maps and mapping and that sort of various ways — whether making dresses out of maps or making a film about taking a line for a walk — it manifests itself in different ways. Essentially, [my] work is often about maps: mapping colonialism, post-colonialism — those sort of issues [involving] humans mapping out the world and taking territories and the idea of ownership. I also look at [a country’s] indigenous material.

TT: If you were to choose a material that symbolizes Taiwan, what would it be?

SS: I think paper — it seems very much a part of the culture and history of the culture. Not just regular paper but cloth-like paper and paper with vibrant colors on them. Though of course two-thirds of the landmass is covered in tea country [she laughs].

TT: Before arriving in Taiwan, did you have the idea of mapping the city streets and subways of different Asian cities?

SS: No I didn’t. I think that I came here with quite an open mind and I didn’t want to come here with a very set agenda. I saw the opportunity of being in a different place for three months away from my life in London as a way of hopefully starting new and different work — which is exactly what I did. And that is a great opportunity because, you know, when you are in your normal life you tend to carry on doing whatever projects you’ve got or whatever commissions you’ve got carrying on in the same sort of vein; and it’s quite good to get shaken up, come to a new place [and] look at the world quite differently. And I feel that — I started two or three new ideas, like the paper map pieces and the calligraphy stitch pieces and the drawings as well, that I can really take forward and do a lot with and develop on to a deeper more elaborate level. So as an artist it was a very useful experience — a very inspirational experience.

TT: Is there any relationship between colonialism and the way cities are mapped?

SS: It tells you about history. Take Taipei and London: one is very old and developed later and one is very young and developed quickly. Obviously, a place like Taipei, where it’s very car-orientated, the car dominates, not the pedestrians and the cityscapes, the building has evolved to suit vehicles. The car has a lot of power here — whereas in London for example, they are taking this power away from the car.

TT: How has living in Taiwan altered your perspective about what you originally experienced in China.

SS: Quite a lot. Having been here for quite a while, I don’t see Taiwan as being part of China. Of course there is a cultural and historic link with China. But I think the culture here is very different and the people are different. Oh, and the food is better.

TT: Is there an experience you’ve had in Taiwan that you perceive now that you can carry back with you.

SS: I think that Taroko Gorge is fantastic and beautiful — quite a magical landscape. And the people of Taiwan are incredibly friendly. Oh, and eating out on the street — the food is just wonderful and that kind of outside culture.
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