The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Taipei assured the public on Tuesday that all its exhibitions followed legal and safety regulations in the wake of a controversial show on Sunday in which sleeping pills were reportedly handed out.
Local artist Su Hui-yu (蘇匯宇) staged a sleepwalking exhibition entitled Stilnox Strolling, in which he appeared to be handing out Stilnox, a prescription medicine used to treat sleep disorders, and then encouraged participants to discuss the drug’s side effects.
Su’s exhibit created a stir because Stilnox, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drowsiness, memory loss and hallucinations, is considered a controlled drug by the Department of Health.
In reality, Su gave out candy pills that had been made to resemble Stilnox. A museum official said fake pills were given to the audience, along with a release form they had to sign detailing Stilnox’s alleged side effects and releasing MOCA from any liability.
“Only a few knew of the truth behind the experiment, because we wanted to create a real-life experience,” the official said, adding that the museum was aware from the beginning what Su’s exhibit would entail and it was supportive of the project.
Although health officials had told local media earlier that they would open an investigation into the incident, they had yet to contact the museum, the MOCA official said.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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