Taipei+Tomorrow+as+a+Lake+Again+-+Wu+Mali


 * Taipei Tomorrow as a Lake Again: An installation by Wu Mali**

Title: Taipei Tomorrow as a Lake Again Artist: Wu Mali 吳瑪悧 Date: 2008 Country of Origin: Taiwan Cultural/Ethnic Affiliation: Taiwanese Medium: Installation Museum/Collection: Taipei Museume of Fine Arts
 * Identification**

Wu Mali is a conceptual installation artist who was born in Taipei in 1957. She graduated in 1979 from Tamkang University with a degree in German art and culture. She then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf, Germany and returned to Taiwan in 1985 (Tollmann 2010). She currently resides in Taipei. In the 1990s she became one of Taiwan’s most influential feminist artists (Hsiang-chun Chen, Elsa 2008). Since then she has expanded the concepts that she works with and now focuses more on social and political issues in her homeland. Her other main focus is community and social engagement through the participation of different community organizations in the production of her work. Her belief is that art should be taken off its stage and allow the viewers to be part of the work, not just mere observers of it.
 * Introduction**

One of the more recent installations she exhibited is //Taipei Tomorrow as a Lake Again//. This piece was exhibited at the [|2008 Taipei Biennial], at the Taipei Museum of Fine Arts. It is known that at one time in the ancient past, the location of Taipei was under water--a lake. The issue that Mali is bringing to the forefront of her viewer's minds with this piece is the fact that if people don't do something about the environment it's possible that Taipei could be a lake once again.

//Taipei Tomorrow as a Lake Again// is a multi station installation [|Environmental Art] piece. The focal point of the installation is the garden called "Edible Landscape Taipei" that Mali built and planted with the help of the Organization of Urban Re-s on the Terrace of the Taipei Museum of Fine Arts (2008 Taipei Biennial). The garden is a proposal to the public to show how people can become more self-sufficient in regard to the production of food; for example, how to grow their own food rather than relying on imported goods. The outside of the garden beds are lined with upside-down yellow beer crates; these are used as pathways to be able to harvest the gardens. The crates also add a sculptural element that is reminiscent of the cube-based design of the museum.
 * Descriptive Analysis**

On the inside of the museum, Mali set up several interactive stations that were to be used as educational devices to teach patrons about the effects of global warming on Taiwan and Taipei in particular. These interactive stations were also structured using yellow beer crates which aesthetically connect all of the stations and the garden together. In recent years, there has been substantial attention given to [|environmentalism] and the effects humans have on the earth. Wu Mali, along with many other artists such as [|John Fekner] of America, [|Jacek Tylicki] of Poland, and [|Andy Goldsworthy] of Britain, have decided to address these issues in their art. In //Taipei Tomorrow as a Lake Again//, Mali is addressing the issue of [|global warming], as it has been a major concern in Taiwan. Only in the last 20 years has the government of Taiwan started to realize the effects of their population on their environment. In 1987, the government in Taiwan passed its first environmental policy, and since then has passed 56 additional bills about air, water, and noise. (Arrigo, Linda Gail, Lin, Tze-Luen and Lin, Yvonne M. 2006).
 * Formal Analysis**

The [|Taipei Basin]is a triangular basin that is within the boundaries of [|Taipei County]. Millions of years ago, this basin would have been filled with water, thus covering the city of Taipei where it stands today. In //Taipei Tomorrow as a Lake Again,// Mali is making the statement that if humans continue to treat the earth the way they have been, their actions could have catastrophic effects and the Taipei Basin could once again fill with water. The main idea of the piece is to educate people about how planting gardens can affect our environment. If all of the empty spaces and roof tops in Taipei were covered in gardens it would allow the people to have control over their food. It would ensure that the food is not being grown with dangerous herbicides and pesticides, thus guaranteeing healthier foods. Not only would the food be healthier, but locally-grown food means less emissions from transporting the food. Also, the more green space there is in Taipei, the healthier the environment will become (2008 Taipei Biennial).

Mali has since worked on additional environmental pieces such as on titled //Paradise Garden// that she planted in Linz, Austria in 2009 and [|Trekking The Plum Tree Stream Project, 2010.] (Shao 2010).

This piece deals with subject matter near and dear to my heart. After reading the books [|The Omivore's Dilemma] by Michael Pollan and [|Animal, Vegetable, Miracle] by Barbara Kingsolver, I have realized the great negative effect that humans have had on the planet; there is a need to once again become more sustainable. Mali, being as influential of an artist as she is, has a positive impact on her viewers. The subject matter that she works with needs addressing and she does so very gracefully. It is highly respectable, I believe, to not only create a work of art that is aesthetically pleasing, but to take it to a higher level by making it educational, and in turn highly beneficial.
 * Personal Interpretation**

//Online Sources:// Arrigo, Linda Gail, Lin, Tze-Luen and Lin, Yvonne M. "Environmental Conditions and Environmental Law in Taiwan." 2006. http://www.teanonline.org/index.php/en/climate-change/legislation/282-environmental-conditions-and-environmental-law-in-taiwan (accessed December 14, 2010) An article written describing the environmental state of Taiwan and it's laws.
 * References**

Hsiang-chun Chen, Elsa. "Wu Mali, My Skin Is My Home/Nation." 2008. DSL Collection. [](accessed December 12, 2010) An essay on feminism that focuses on Wu Mali and her work.

Shao, Larry. "Interview with Wu Mali." 2010. Asiart Archive. [](accessed December 12, 2010) An interview with Mali about her work. She states that the focus on her work is "how a person exists comfortably within their environment."

Tollmann, Vera. "Taipei Tomorrow as a Lake Again." 2010. Gothe-Institut. [](accessed December 12, 2010) Analysis of //Taipei Tomorrow as a Lake Again.//

Unknown. "Wu Mali." Mattress Factory. [] An installation at the Mattress Factory that Mali exhibited in 1999. Other facts about Mali.

Unknown. "2008 Taipei Biennial." Taipei Biennial [|http://www.taipeibiennial.org/2008/](accessed December 12, 2010) Taipei Museum of Fine Arts Biennial web site.

**Grade Level:** High school **Time:** 4-5 class periods (about 6-8 hrs)
 * Lesson Title:** Sustainability in the Community: An Interactive Journey

1.2:Students concieve and create works of visual art that demonstrate an understanding of how the communication of their ideas relates to the media, techniques, and processes they use. 2.5 Students evaluate the effectiveness of artworks in terms of organizational structures and functions. 3.2 Students apply subjects, symbols, and ideas in their artworks and use the skills gained to solve problems in daily life. 4..2 Students describe the function of works of art to one another in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture, justifying conclusions made in the analysis and using such conclusions to inform their own art making. 5.1 Students identify the intentions for creating artworks, explore the implications of various purposes, and justify their analyses of purpose in particular works. 6.1 Students compare the materials, technologies, media, and processes of the visual arts with those of other arts disciplines as they are used in creation and types of analysis.
 * This lesson meets the following National Standards for Arts Education (Visual Arts)**

2.a Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. 5.a Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
 * This lesson meets the following National Educational Technology Standards for students**

**Central Concepts:** Sustainability: Sustainability is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. For humans, it is the potential for long-term maintenance of well-being, which in turn depends on the maintenance of the natural world and natural resources. The artwork of Wu Mali engages the community by offering an interactive artwork concerning sustainable practices in food production. Each station acts as an educational tool, informing viewers about global warming and its effects on Taipei. The artworks of John Fekner, Jacek Tylicki and Andy Goldsworthy also deal with sustainability, engaging the community with educational and interactive pieces.

Interactive art: Interactive art is a form of [|installation] -based [|art] that involves the spectator in a way that allows the art to achieve its purpose. In the case of Wu Mali's Taipei Tomorrow as a Lake Again, it directly educates viewers on the ecological issues of the area its observers inhabit. Other types of instillations ask observers to physically become part of the artwork.

- How can art educate its viewers about sustainability? - How do artists use artworks to communicate ideas and issues to the community? - How can technology reach audiences outside of an artists physical community?
 * Essential Questions: **

Activity 1: PowerPoint and sketching ideas for interactive community installation, 2 class periods. - Students will view the works of Wu Mali, John Fekner, and Andy Goldsworthy on PowerPoint. The featured artworks will contain We Mali's Tapie as a Lake Again Tomorrow, Andy Goldworthys Icespiral: Treesoul and John Fekners mural Your Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants. -The teacher will break students into small groups, assign each group as specific artist to discuss how the artist created his/her artworks, and what message the artist intends to convey. - Each group will present their findings based on their discussion. - The teacher will ask students to explain the meaning of sustainability and then as how the artworks each group studies related to sustainability. - Each group will discuss, list, and present their findings. - The class will discuss the similarities and differences among the group findings. -Students will write down at least three ideas for their own interactive artwork, using methods identified during discussions. - Students will create a sketch for each idea, write how they plan to create the work, and explain its intended interactivity and message. -Students will break into small groups, review each others ideas, and collaboratively pick the best one.
 * Lesson Activities:**

Activity 2: Creation of interactive design, begin web blog, 1-2 class periods. - Students will begin creating one of their sketched ideas. -Students will meet with the teacher to review their progress half way through the project. - During the creation of their artwork, they will document their process through photograph or video. - Students will begin posting their photographs on the class projects blog. Students will write one to two sentence captions under each photograph or video. -Students must post at least 2 times during the creative process.

Activity 3: Documentation of projects, update web blogs, 2 class periods. - Students will complete their artworks. - Students will document the class/natural forces interacting with their artworks. - Students will create 2 additional posts of their photographs or video on the class blog.

Captions are somewhat concise. || More than one post is missing, captions are incomplete/missing. ||
 * Assessment:** Rubric
 * || Good || Fair || Needs Improvement ||
 * Ideas & Documentation || Ideas created clearly reflect concepts identified during discussions. Sketches provide a thorough mapping of formal and conceptual components of proposed artwork. || Ideas created reflect some concepts identified during discussions. Sketches provide an acceptable representation of the formal and conceptual components of the proposed artworks. || Ideas created provide a limited connection to ideas discussed in class. Sketches provide a limited view of proposed artwork. ||
 * Blog || Four posts are created. Posts provide a clear documentation of the creation and interaction with artwork. Captions are concise. || Majority of posts completed. Posts provide a limited documentation.
 * Artwork || Artwork creatively engages viewers, educates them on sustainability. Formal qualities reinforce communication between artwork and viewers. || Artwork provides a limited engagement with viewers. Sustainability is implied. Formal qualities somewhat reinforce communication between artwork and viewers. || Artwork does not engage viewers, sustainability is not focus of artwork, formal qualities do not reinforce the artist's intent. ||