Wetland Network 濕地關係網
2019 Nov.-Dec. / New Taipei City Wetland Art Festival: Merge
How many interactions and related connections are built inside a constructed wetland?
Among all, how many elements are natural/man-made?
Wetlands are transitional areas between land and water ecosystems. Wetlands function as sponges that trap and slowly release surface water rain, snowmelt, groundwater and flood waters. Tree and wetland vegetation also slow down the speed of flood waters. Wetlands also help to counterbalance human effect on rivers and its surrounding ecosystem. Wetlands protect both land, water and their ecosystem. Wetlands work as filters for water coming off the land, they also protect water quality and help prevent soil erosion. Wetlands can effectively regulate the microclimate, sequester carbon from the atmosphere, provide water storage (flood control), and work as a vital habitat for wildlife.
Wetlands support a vast and intricate food web, from algae, plants to insects, frogs, crabs, reptiles, birds and mammals. Many nutrient cycling as carbon, sulfur, phosphorus and nitrogen are found within the soil of wetlands. Among such vast range of elements, no matter how many food chains and nutrient cycling occur in wetland, and no matter what kind of exchange and interaction happen between organisms-nonorganism, soil-water. Every element seems to closely linked to each other. The sum of such complicated relationships constitutes the regulation of wetlands. In other words, the balanced ecosystem of wetlands relies upon the interaction between living factors such as plants and animals and nonliving, abiotic factors.
This work epitomizes the vast and complex network of wetlands to the connection between the natural tree and the man-made bridge, and draws a network of regulating relationships interwoven with ropes in the air. Besides, the orange color of interwoven ropes also symbolizes a warning situation that wetlands are facing. Due to that climate change is accelerating, the balanced situation still remains changeable in the future. I hope that through the visual association, the viewer can think about the diverse roles and relationships in the wetland.
2019 Theme of Art festival: Merge
"Under the rhythm of nature, humans and the wetland coexist in a symbiotic relationship, and gradually merged with harmony."
The New Taipei City Wetland Art Festival has been held by Vision Union creative studio since 2017. This annual art festival has been organized to deliver the importance and core values of constructed wetlands along the Danhan River, through the implication of environmental education from artists’ creations at Xinhai phase II Constructed Wetland (under the Crescent Bridge on the side of the Banqiao area).
bamboo sieves, linen thread, polyester rope, cable tie, steel cable