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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