Director : Huang Hisn-Chien, Chang Wen-Chieh
Length : 25 mins
Kuo Hsueh-Hu is the most important glue color painting artist in Taiwan and he was born in the Dadaocheng area of Taipei. In the year of 1964, Kuo migrated to Japan. Then his eldest son Kuo, Song-Fen whom studied in the United States participated in Defend the Diaoyu Islands movement. Which result in listed as “ blacklist “. With less time spent together with his own flesh and blood, Kuo’s family then migrated to United States for reunion in his later years. But Kuo still yearn for the prime time of Dadaocheng area during his childhood. As time has passed and people no longer be. Kuo Hsueh-Hu, who resided in United States, looked out towards the window of his residence in San Francisco. And out of his surprise, he found San Francisco and Guanyin Mountain of his hometown is very much alike.
This XR experience is a returned journey to his hometown of his spirit and imagination. That turns into the joint work of “The State of Mind” , “The Gazed” , “The Enchanted”.
The State of Mind
A Fluid Space, VR: The Setting Sun by the Fort Provintia (1986)
With a lasting wave of nostalgia, the hues and colors of Kuo’s touches flow softly in the space. The static figures and images are brought to life as if they were animations. As the moon rises and the sun sets, the sounds of the street vendors illustrate a busy scene of ordinary life around the Fort Provintia.
The Gazed
A Solid Time, VR: Boats Moored in Tamkung (1982)
One gazes at his hometown out of reminiscence. As one gazes, his eyes shine lively. Through Kuo’s memoreies reflecting the Guanyin Mountain, the painting turned into a three-dimensional world, as it solidified with time. Carrying on the story with the blowing winds and tides of Tamsui river, the viewer’s spirit would merge with the lands here and there.
The Enchanted
Physical Experiences, VR: Festival on South Street (1930)
The work reconstructs the who, where, and what of the original art piece across time and space. We are able to approach to a physically experience to the scene of the once bustling market street in Kuo’s painting with his artistic aura. As we wander through the colorful Dihua Street at Dadaocheng area, where loads of signboards were hung, we are also celebrating the Ghost Festival with locals around the Taipei Xiahai City God Temple.
As the closure of joint work, we ride the junk boat in this long journey of river tracking memory and return to Dadaocheng area in Kuo’s childhood memory. The purest childish gaze and the homesickness in remote places. The eye gaze that look ahead to the future and pursue the past rendezvous in between. Through the AR technic, the audience can wander in the area of Dadaocheng and experience the bustling scene of “Festival on South Street” through the cellphone.
