TNUA has completed a public art project for a Taipei elementary school whose students, teachers and neighbors played an active role in creating the works of art.
The project, which was designed for a new building and underground parking lot of the Nangang Elementary School, produced three pieces of art.
The project also came with a series of learning activities, such as classes by artists-in residence at TNUA and lectures on public art.
Before actual work started, meetings were held with the elementary school's teachers, students and people from the neighborhood to explain to them the meaning and idea of the project.
Discussions with the community were also held before deciding the content and locations of the works of art that could echo the elementary school's cultural background and architectural characteristics, find a new expression for public art, and reshape the campus.
The result is public art that incorporates the history of the school, traditional values and contemporary trends. The dialogue and interaction between the participants in the project also has helped raise the community's awareness for art education.
In one of the activities accompanying the project, students from the fourth to sixth grades, as well as neighbors of the school, were asked to create objects from things from their childhood collections. These objects are now hanging from one of the pieces of public art, symbolizing a wish to jointly create the future.
And the works of art mostly use natural materials, such as clay and stones. The visual effects are accentuated by the surroundings and the play of lights and shadows that change with the seasons.