Description

When there seems to be nothing in common among residents, how does one to create a sense of community? How can art be part of the key strategies to fight for saving the historic village?

As part of the Global Artivists Participation Project, this village-wide portrait project responded to a comprehensive neighborhood preservation and community development initiative for Treasure Hill, a village of self-built houses occupied by former army soldiers and their families in Taipei, Taiwan. As artists and consultants, we created a unique and memorable opportunity for families to connect with one another and to strengthen their connection to the neighborhood community garden.

Using the community garden as a backdrop, we took formal portraits of village residents, which were then framed and hand-delivered to each household. Each portrait was titled and signed by the family and displayed in their living space. The only way to see each portrait was to visit each household, creating opportunities for residents (gardeners and non-gardeners alike) to discover common experiences. Now, the site offers an artist-in-residency program for Taipei Artist Villages.