In order to discuss maritime culture and public art in the port, Si Wan College at National Sun Yat-sen University, in collaboration with Taiwan International Ports Corporation and the Port of Kaohsiung, organized the Forum on Port Public Art and Exchange Event: Geography, Navigation, Data. The Forum encouraged people to participate in public art issues in the Port of Kaohsiung.
The three days of the Forum were rich in content, with public art curator Ya-Ling Pai setting “Geography, Navigation, Data” as the theme. The Forum invited Kuo-Yu Wang, the former Director-General of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Penghu County, Shiau-Yun Lu, Associate Dean of Si Wan College, art critic Yu San San, and Professor I-Hsun Lee from the Department of Vision Design of National Kaohsiung Normal University to discuss and share views on port aesthetics and urban planning, as well as to cite successfully transformed cases and activities abroad. Together they co-imagine and discuss the art and cultural environment of Taiwan and the port area in Kaohsiung.
During the lectures, artists Wen-Yung Huang, Chung-Kun Wang, Wei-Cheng Tu, Tzu-Kuey Hsu, Sakuliu Pavavaljung, and designer Wan-Chen Lin shared their creative process of making public art installations in the port area, while Duchamp Art Company and designer Hsu-Chung Wang, respectively, gave a tour around the public art and the Great Harbor Bridge. With lectures and the guided tour, the participants were able to gain a better understanding of the art facilities in the port area.
“This is the first step of making public art by Taiwan Port Corporation. Right people come together to make the right things happen,” said Sheng-Fang Luo, the Director of the Construction Management/Engineering Department of Taiwan International Ports Corporation. After this forum, we hope to learn and connect with citizens who have an interest in and are concerned about the public art of Kaohsiung port.