Three young artists have made popsicles using water from 100 polluted sources across the nation to draw attention to the degradation of the nation’s water sources.
The “Polluted Water Popsicle Factory” organized by National Taiwan University of Arts visual design students, aims to draw attention to the degradation of the environment by creating a contrast between visual and psychological information, artist Hung Yi-chen (洪亦辰) said.
The trio on Wednesday uploaded a video featuring the popsicles on its Facebook page, after which the number of the group’s followers surged from 7,000 to 11,000, Hung said.
Photo: CNA, provided by the Polluted Water Popsicles Factory
The water samples were taken from sewage drains, rivers, harbors and wastewater pipes around the nation and were slow-frozen into popsicles, each with its own, individually designed wrapper, Hung said.
The water was collected from sampling locations used by water resource bureaus, she said, adding that they numbered the popsicles by sampling location from the north to the south.
Previous campaigns using posters have failed to raise public awareness and the group believes that using visual and psychological tactics to shock the audience might work better, Hung said.
“The stench of popsicle No. 1 from Keelung Harbor was the worst and it left a greasy coat on the bottle. The night market ditches are also pretty gross. A popsicle made from a ditch in Yunlin County was full of bugs, but water from Taitung County’s Chihshang (池上) was comparatively clean,” she said.
The artists experimented by giving popsicles to their classmates, who thought they looked pretty and delicious, but after they were told that they were made of dirty water, they threw them away, she said.
A yellow popsicle Hung showed reporters was made from water infested by the eggs of channeled applesnail, considered one of the world’s worst invasive species by international conservation groups.
Taipei World Trade Center, Exhibition Hall 1 is to showcase polyresin replicas of the popsicles from today through Monday.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
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
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
RSS