A group of art-loving women from the Sheltering Sky Art Association have breathed new life into the murky and cold flood defense walls along the Tamsui River in the Dadaocheng area of Taipei City. Through their dedication and effort, three murals spanning 112m were completed, not only brightening the view for passers-by, but also rekindling the past elegance of the historical area.
Sheltering Sky is located on Huanho North Road next to the Tamshui River and currently has more than 30 members. On the roof garden of the studio, members can gaze out at the picturesque view of the river. But the beauty of the riverbanks has been blemished by the flood defense walls and elevated highways and gradually forgotten about.
“Why do flood defense walls have to be so ugly?” says Bo Yin-ping, an art teacher from Sheltering Sky. She lived in New York City for a long time before moving back to Taipei several years ago. She says every time she sees the dark walls, she sighs and thinks that the river and the life of people should not be separated. In particular, the Dadaocheng area was the first to be developed in Taipei due to the waterborne trade on the Tamsui River, so the scenery of the riverbanks should not be allowed to pass into oblivion.
Sheltering Sky therefore decided to begin work on the dike wall across the street from its studio between Huanhe North Road and Nanjing West Road in an attempt to turn the dark, filthy and featureless concrete walls into a work of art.
Their first mural, titled Re-appearance of the Great River, was made possible with small donations from members and a subsidy of more than NT$400,000 from Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs. To ensure the art lasts several decades at least, they decided to use mosaics and hired a mosaic art master from Yingge in Taipei County to help transform the wall.
The process of creating a mosaic mural was complex. After Bo finished the design for the wall, members worked together on the project. Each mosaic took at least a year from start to finish.
After the first mosaic was well-received, Sheltering Sky made a second one two years ago, titled Beyond the Skyline, at the entrance of Minsheng West Road with financial support from the Department of Cultural Affairs. The third one, titled Rebirth of Elegance, was created next to the Dadaocheng wharf. Local residents and children were invited to try fitting mosaic pieces in as part of their contribution to the development of their neighborhood.
“It is not only an effort to beautify the environment, but also a resolution to rebuild the community,” Bo says. The mosaic walls have become public works of art, bringing the beauty to everyone and representing the feeling and care that local residents have for the area.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY THEODORE YANG)
台北市大稻埕淡水河邊原本灰暗暗的冰冷堤防，因為在地的「天棚藝術村協會」一群喜愛繪畫婦女的投入與努力，接連完成三幅總長一百一十二公尺的馬賽克磁磚壁畫，不僅要讓路過大稻埕的人眼睛一亮，更要「點亮」大稻埕，讓風華再現。
位於環河北路緊鄰淡水河的天棚藝術村協會，三十多位成員因喜歡繪畫聚在一起，站在高樓天台可以遠眺淡水河的美麗景致，但美麗的大稻埕河景，卻因為堤防與高架道路的干擾，漸漸被人遺忘。
「為什麼堤防就一定要這麼醜？」天棚的畫家老師薄茵萍長年在美國紐約居住，多年前回到台灣住在大稻埕，每次看到灰暗暗的堤防，總是感慨台灣不該將河流和生活空間分開，尤其是因淡水河水運貿易而成為台北最早開發區域的大稻埕，河岸風情更不應該被人遺忘。
天棚藝術村協會決定先從環河北路、南京西路口，天棚教室對面的堤防開始，將既黑又髒且封閉、無空間感的水泥牆，打造成為一件藝術作品。
天棚設計的第一幅壁畫「大河再現」，是靠著成員小額捐款聚沙成塔，加上台北市文化局的四十多萬補助，才勉強籌到經費，為了讓壁畫至少可以數十年不變，決定選用馬賽克材質，並找到鶯歌燒磁磚經驗豐富的師傅，讓巨牆換個風貌。
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