Joining forces with artists, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Taichung City Government introduced the public art project from Shuinan Trade and Economic Park into local schools. This initiative familiarized students with AR (Augmented Reality) art and encouraged them to unleash their boundless imagination. By using their campus as a backdrop, they created unique and playful virtual school scenes. The experience left both students and teachers in awe, realizing that public art could be so innovative and intriguing!

According to the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the art project My Story in Shuinan(《我在水湳的故事》) public, currently underway at the Shuinan Trade and Economic Park, is spearheaded by Taiwan’s leading media artist Tao Ya-Lun(陶亞倫). Utilizing AR technology, the project explores new possibilities for public art from temporal perspectives—past, present, and future—allowing visitors to understand the evolving history of the Shuinan Trade and Economic Park. By expanding beyond traditional 3D installations to include the element of time, this project opens a new chapter in public art creation.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau added that the core value of public art lies in engaging the community. To share the vast potential and charm of AR with more students, the AR Art Creation Workshop was specially arranged at Taichung Municipal Bei Tun Elementary School(北屯國小). Artist Tao Ya-Lun made AR art easily understandable for the students. He encouraged them to tap into their boundless imagination and create art using their school as a backdrop. Students gathered images of their favorite themes, such as marine life and anime characters, and combined them with AR technology to create unique virtual campus scenes. The students were thrilled, calling the experience a fun and magical way to transform their school.

Since taking office, Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen has focused on developing Taichung into a beautiful, livable city with a strong aesthetic appeal. She has promoted public art installations across Taichung city. The public art project in the Shuinan Trade and Economic Park, themed “Shuinan’s New Look”(水湳展新顏), features creations by top artists from Taiwan and abroad. Fourteen permanent works, including Floating Petals(《浮遊之花》), Fluidic Light(《時光琉彩》), and Light Ring(《光洵環》), have already been set up, enriching the artistic vibe of Central Park. One of the pieces, Wandering in Greenfield(《綠野遊蹤》) by artist Kuo Kuo-Hsiang(郭國相), has earned prestigious gold awards at international design competitions in the UK, US, France, and Switzerland.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau invites citizens to visit the Shuinan Central Park and experience the beauty of public art, spending quality leisure time with family and friends. For more information, please visit the Shuinan’s New Look Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Shuinan.Public.Art).