Through the lens of new media art, the Shuinan Economic and Trade Park is presented in a new light. The public artwork “My Story in Shuinan” by artist Tao Ya-Lun(陶亞倫), completed over a span of more than 200 days, employs AR technology to merge virtual imagery with the real environment. Visitors strolling through the park can simply scan a QR code with their mobile phones to interact with the artwork across time and space. The Taichung City Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau invites the public to explore the stories of Shuinan Airport through AR.
The Shuinan Economic and Trade Park brings together major municipal projects such as the Green Museumbrary, the International Convention and Exhibition Center, and the Shuinan Transit Center, making it one of Taichung’s most significant recent municipal highlights. Since the launch of the park’s public art program in 2020, 14 public art installations have been completed, with several works garnering recognition at prestigious international design awards. This has transformed the Shuinan Economic and Trade Park into an outdoor art corridor full of surprises. “My Story in Shuinan” serves as the final piece of the puzzle, integrating augmented reality, public spaces, and local memories to open a new chapter in public art.
Artist Tao Ya-Lun noted that Central Park was once an important military and civilian airport in central Taiwan. As the Shuinan Economic and Trade Park’s development gradually takes shape, the stories that once unfolded here have slowly faded from public memory. “My Story in Shuinan” is like a time portal hidden within the park, transforming memories into public art through AR technology to explore the present and future possibilities of this land.
To uncover these past stories, the artist personally interviewed the relatives of eight former Shuinan Airport employees. The artwork is presented in the form of ceramic tile plaques installed at eight locations throughout Central Park and nearby small parks. By scanning the QR codes on these plaques, visitors can step through a “doorway in time,” not only “seeing” the past, present, and future of the Shuinan Airport, but also “hearing” the stories that once took place on this land.
Since Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen took office, the city government has actively pursued the vision of creating a beautiful, livable city, promoting the installation of public art across the mountain, coastal, urban, and suburban districts. In the Shuinan Economic and Trade Park, the public art program is themed Shuinan’s New Look, inviting outstanding artists from Taiwan and abroad to create works for the park. In addition to the AR installation “My Story in Shuinan,” the park also features international design award-winning pieces such as “Wandering in Greenfield(《綠野遊蹤》)” and “Island Sphere Signal(《島球訊號》),” along with “Floating Petals(《浮遊之花》),” “Retrospect(《逐光掠影》),” “Doh-lounge(《水湳客廳．環生座椅》),” “Coordinate Series – Glowing Blossom(《座標系列—螢花》),” “Fluidic Light(《時光琉彩》),” “Light Ring(《光洵環》),” “Avian Horticulture(《雀鳥園藝師》),” “Eternal Spring is in Shuinan(《水湳種籽花園》),” “Microscopic Reprography(《微觀複印》),” “Lush Greenery(《綠蔭·菁菁》),” and “Pipe(《蕴蘊之湳》).” Together, these 14 exceptional works allow the public to engage in a dialogue between art and the environment, while deepening their understanding of Shuinan’s historical transformations and development.
The public is warmly invited to visit Central Park and the surrounding small parks, following the map to uncover the stories that once took place on this land. Information on the installation sites of “My Story in Shuinan” can be found on Shuinan’s New Look Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Shuinan.Public.Art).