YEH MEI-LI AND LIU HO-JANG
On the slopes of Guanyin Hill, overlooking Xindian River on the outskirts of Taipei, is Treasure Hill, a community whose historical roots can be traced back to around the end of World War II, when it appears to have been frozen in time. Because most of its residents belong to disadvantaged groups, it has tended to stand at the margins removed from the urban development of the city. This collection of simple, run-down buildings and roadways have formed naturally, without any kind of planning, resulting from the lifestyle of its residents and from the intrinsic shape of the hill. At one time it was threatened with demolition, but thanks to the protests of residents and assistance from non-governmental organizations, the Taipei City Government decided in 2001 to establish it as a historical preservation area, and to plan its development as an artists' village.
Artists living in Treasure Hill have not only renovated abandoned houses and transformed them into workshops and exhibition spaces, but have also engaged in interactive exchanges with community residents. In February 2004 the photographic artists Yeh Wei-Li and Liu Hojang began their residency. Treasure Hill Tea House and Photo Studio, part of the Treasure Hill Co-living Fringeville Project. Turning an empty building into a teahouse and portraiture studio, they invited residents and visitors to enter, interact with them, and pose for individual and group pictures. Treasure Hill Tea House and Photo Studio: Phase Two (2004) is composed of large photographs and texts, printed on newspaper-sized sheets, recording this process, as well as street scenes, historical photographs and brief descriptions of the community and the artists' observations obtained while living there.
Yeh Wei-Li and Liu Hojang are both outside observers and vital young residents taking part in the area's transformation. Their documentary material presents a forgotten community achieving self-awareness and building collective spirit.
http://www.treasurehill.org/archives/2004_02.html
Yeh Wei-li (Born 1971 in Taipei, Taiwan, lives and work in Taipei, Taiwan), Liu Ho-jang (Born 1972 in Taipei, Taiwan, lives and work in Taipei, Taiwan)
THTP Project, Phase TWO, Delineations, 2004
Installation with posters, video, texts
Installation with posters, video, texts
On the slopes of Guanyin Hill, overlooking Xindian River on the outskirts of Taipei, is Treasure Hill, a community whose historical roots can be traced back to around the end of World War II, when it appears to have been frozen in time. Because most of its residents belong to disadvantaged groups, it has tended to stand at the margins removed from the urban development of the city. This collection of simple, run-down buildings and roadways have formed naturally, without any kind of planning, resulting from the lifestyle of its residents and from the intrinsic shape of the hill. At one time it was threatened with demolition, but thanks to the protests of residents and assistance from non-governmental organizations, the Taipei City Government decided in 2001 to establish it as a historical preservation area, and to plan its development as an artists' village.
Artists living in Treasure Hill have not only renovated abandoned houses and transformed them into workshops and exhibition spaces, but have also engaged in interactive exchanges with community residents. In February 2004 the photographic artists Yeh Wei-Li and Liu Hojang began their residency. Treasure Hill Tea House and Photo Studio, part of the Treasure Hill Co-living Fringeville Project. Turning an empty building into a teahouse and portraiture studio, they invited residents and visitors to enter, interact with them, and pose for individual and group pictures. Treasure Hill Tea House and Photo Studio: Phase Two (2004) is composed of large photographs and texts, printed on newspaper-sized sheets, recording this process, as well as street scenes, historical photographs and brief descriptions of the community and the artists' observations obtained while living there.
Yeh Wei-Li and Liu Hojang are both outside observers and vital young residents taking part in the area's transformation. Their documentary material presents a forgotten community achieving self-awareness and building collective spirit.
http://www.treasurehill.org/archives/2004_02.html