Mirage : Disused Public Property
By Yao, Jui-Chung + Lost Society Document + Sandy Hsiu-chih Lo (Taiwan)
Photography Workshop Project collaboration with Lostgens’ Contemporary Art Space
When the new semester began in February 2010, Yao Jui-chung, presiding over the first classes of the fine arts departments at Taipei National University of the Arts and the National Taiwan Normal University, asked the students about their expectations for this class: did they wish to follow the normal class format, where the teacher would teach related knowledge, or would they like to use the class to do a “mosquito hall” investigation? The fifty-some students at the two universities decided to make a Taiwan-wide “mosquito hall” survey as the assignment for this semester.
Through half a year of investigation across the island, the students identified one hundred and forty seven “mosquito hall” locations, compiling the 684 page book Mirage – Disused Public Property in Taiwan, which outlines an absurd situation in Taiwanese society, embodying the fact that “misguided policy is worse than corruption.” Meanwhile, this artistic action took part in the 2010 Taipei Biennial Movement Project. It was widely reported in the media, and attracted a high level of attention from the government, even prompting a call from the Vice President and a visit from the Premier of the Executive Yuan, who advised all relevant departments to engage in an inspection of said facilities, ordering them to revive all mosquito halls within a year or consider demolishing them.
Through two years of homework, the students’ art action was like a stone thrown into a pond, sending ripples outwards, shaking a presumably calm society and forcing them to face reality. The significance and value of this “participation” lie in the fact that it is both a collective action by Yao Jui-chung and his students, and in that it used artistic methods to hold up a social issue to scrutiny and engage the awareness of the people in regards to that issue.
Sub Project of Topography of Mirror Cities
Mirage: Disused Public Property in Taiwan
Talk & Screening
Venue: Lostgens’ Contemporary Art Space
Date: 12th August 2017
Time: 2pm – 5pm
Mirage: Disused Public Property in KL
Photography Workshop (13 -15 Aug 2017)
Workshop Day 1:
KL Mirage- Disused Public Property Shooting
Venue: Mosquito Hall in Kuala Lumpur
Time: 9am – 2pm Date: 13th August 2017
Workshop Day 2:
KL Mirage- Disused Public Property Shooting
Venue: Mosquito Hall in Kuala Lumpur
Time: 9am – 2pm Date: 14th August 2017
Workshop Day 3:
KL Mirage Photo Aggregated
Venue: Mosquito Hall in Kuala Lumpur
Time: 1pm – 4pm Date: 15th August 2017
Special thanks to all workshop participants*
YAO Jui-Chung
Yao Jui-Chung was born in 1969. Lives and works in Taipei. He graduated from The National Institute of The Arts (Taipei National University of the Arts) with a degree in Art Theory. His works has been widely exhibited in numerous international exhibitions. In 1997, he represented Taiwan in “Facing Faces-Taiwan” at the Venice Biennale. After that, he took part in the International Triennale of Contemporary Art Yokohama (2005), APT6 (2009), Taipei biennial (2010), Shanghai Biennale(2012), Beijing Photo Biennale(2013), Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale(2014), Venice Architecture Biennale, Media City Seoul Biennale(2014), Asia Triennial Manchester (2014), Asia Biennale(2015) and Sydney Biennale(2016). Yao is the winner of The Multitude Art Prize in 2013 and 2014 Asia pacific Art Prize. We can also find him widely involved in the fields of theatre and films.
LSD (Lost Society Document)
In 2010, Yao grouped his students into a team of photography workshop called “Lost Society Document”(LSD). This group made up of students from Taipei National University of the Arts and National Taiwan Normal University. Yao encouraged them to photograph and survey in their hometowns for field studies instead of normal class format.
YAO & LSD have constantly been working on the project. They identified 147 cases in six months and compiled the book Mirage I: Disused Public Property in Taiwan, which outlined the absurd situation in Taiwanese society and embodied the fact that “misguided policy is worse than corruption.” As the project developed further, they published Mirage almost every year (2010-2016).
The numbers of LSD members have increased to over 230 students and growing.
Sandy Hsiu-chih Lo
Sandy Hsiu-chih Lo is an independent curator, art critic, art historian, film critic and documentary filmmaker. She has been lecturing in contemporary art and film studies at several universities, and lectures at Department of Architecture, Tamkang University currently. Her research interests are curatorial practice, curating as a form of social practice and critical thinking; film studies, cinematic essay; gender politics; urban studies, space research.
Current Art and Research Projects:
Topography of Mirror Cities in Asian cities (2015-ongoing), as curator.
above photos taken by
LSD Kuala Lumpur
Chan Sing Ying, Cheong Wey Jin, Chong Yi Lin, Gan Sze Hooi, Goh Ying Shen, Puah Chin Kok, Sim Hoi Ling ,Tan Chee Hon, Tan Kian Ming, Wong Xiang Yi, Yeoh Lian Heng
