Residents in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢) are divided over the Taoyuan Land Art Festival using Blue Pond Park — a designated recreational and ecological zone — for installation art and concerts.
While the audience appeared to enjoy the festival’s opening on Thursday, a number of residents on the Facebook page “We Are From Cingpu” (我是青埔人) said that the park has been overused for city events.
The festival prevents local children from using the field, is causing traffic jams, left art pieces that clash with the surroundings and is disrupting waterfowl and fish with its daily rehearsals, which featured stereo sound, neon lights and fireworks, they said.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
“Is nature less important than some meaningless artificial activity?” a local man identified as Leon Chen said on the page.
Taoyuan Department of Cultural Affairs official Lo Chao-yueh (羅炤月) on Friday said that the placement of power transformers for a performance is temporary and that they would be removed by the end of the festival.
Three of the nine art pieces are to be returned to the artists and schools that designed them, while the remaining six are permanent installations that would be left at the park, she added.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
The Taoyuan Airplane No. 1 piece is fenced in to accommodate construction work and damaged turf is to be repaired as soon as possible, she said, adding that the space taken up by the piece could serve as a stage for other performances.
The festival is the sixth that the city government has sponsored this year and is to run until Sept. 30.
The festival has been held in different locations citywide to “trigger local artistic energy” throughout the municipality, Lo said, adding that the city government hopes the residents would “view it with a positive attitude.”
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