Combining Technology and Art to Create New Artistic Vitality - NCKU Master Program on Techno Art's Students' Exhibition

Combining technology and art, infusing new artistic vitality. The exhibition titled “Hidden - Longxi Landscape Illusion,” organized by the NCKU's Master Program on Techno Art, will be held from June 1 to June 12 at the“18 Mao Tea House”in Tainan City. Artists integrate their unique artistic expressions with objective information about Longxi, expressing their concerns about environmental issues in Longxi. Utilizing diverse media and creative techniques, the fusion of technology and art showcases the unique landscape and charm of Longxi, inviting the public to come and experience it firsthand.

Located at the southeastern tip of Tainan City, Longxi is a little-known treasure trove, boasting unique blue-gray mudstone badlands, extensive and diverse terrain landscapes, ecological corridors for flora and fauna, and historical industrial relics. It holds high geological and ecological value. The theme of this exhibition, "Concealment - Longxi Landscape Illusion," suggests whether Longxi's seemingly desolate appearance is truly barren or deliberately hidden to avoid human destruction. The hidden natural treasures should be cherished. The works of seven graduate students from the NCKU's Master Program on Techno Art, after field visits, research, and sourcing materials, were created over three months to artistically interpret the rich geological ecology and landscape value of Longxi.

This exhibition, supervised by Associate Professor Ming Turner from the NCKU's Institute of Creative Industries Design, with assistance from the Tainan Community College Environmental Action Group, saw graduate students from NCKU combining art thinking with technological skills to create artworks centered around Longxi.  Xin-Rui Peng's piece "Subtle Erosion" integrates artificial intelligence software to simulate the process of unique terrain, aiming to prompt rational reflection on the evolution and power dynamics among artificial intelligence, humans, and nature.  Wu Li's work "Longxi Narratives" depicts the evolution of Longxi's geographical environment, allowing emotional changes to lead us to listen to the messages nature wishes to convey. Sheng-Hong He's piece "Texture Resonance" uses a blend of physical and digital media to showcase the vitality and changes hidden deep within the badlands. Jui-Ling Hsieh's artwork "Layers" utilizes mechanical methods to replicate the footprints of Longxi animals on the beast path, offering a stark contrast between artificial and natural elements, often observable only after a rainy day followed by clear skies, portraying the ecology of Longxi.

This exhibition also emphasizes interaction with the audience, offering different interactive experiences for viewers to immerse themselves. Yi-Fan Kang's piece "Blooming Oasis'' utilizes rope weaving techniques to depict the intricate fissures of Longxi, combined with natural sounds recorded from Longxi, allowing viewers to experience the beauty and mystery of Longxi's natural world even within the exhibition space.  Yu-Shan He's work "Hidden" guides viewers to actively search for ecological treasures hidden in the Longxi environment through installation art, using color transitions to subvert the stereotypical impression of Longxi as barren and monotonous. Xiao-Tong Chen's piece "Building Together in Longxi" employs diverse image recording methods to immerse viewers in the scene of a bamboo workshop, introducing them to the unique bamboo crafting environment of Longxi.

The exhibition will take place from June 1st to June 12th, 2023, at the exhibition space on the second floor of the "18 Mao Tea House" in the West Central Dist. of Tainan City. Through various forms, it aims to engage in artistic dialogue with the public. Additionally, on June 5th, at 10:00 AM, a grand opening tea party will be held on the first floor of the "18 Mao Tea House" to celebrate World Environment Day, welcoming everyone to experience and appreciate the depiction of Longxi's nature and landscape by the new generation of artists through the integration of technology and art.

Hidden - Longxi Landscape Illusions
Exhibition Dates: June 1, 2023, to June 12, 2023 (10:30 AM - 5:00 PM)
Venue: 2nd Floor, "18 Mo Teahouse" (No. 30, Minquan Road Section 2, Zhongxi District, Tainan City)
Opening Tea Party: June 5, 2023 (Monday) at 10:00 AM
Organizer: NCKU's Master Program on Techno Art