THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF EVERYTHING // TAIPEI ARTIST VILLAGE RESIDENCY // TAIPEI // TAIWAN // 2018

The intention for the 3 month residency was to utilise local indigenous medicinal practice and healing organic materials as the foundation for the aesthetic structure. Combined with symbolic materials from the artists (and local communities) Buddhist and Shinto practice to create a collective and additive work. One that develops over the residency period both on site and via documented day trips to the outer areas and communities of Taiwan. These trips were opportunities to learn about and collect samples of flora, medicinal knowledge and alternative health practice. The artwork then re-contextualised this back into the unfolding gallery space, as an intimately informed knowledge system of traditional Chinese medicine with its four-thousand-year history. This all encompassing approach to holistic wellbeing is inclusive of herbal therapy, food therapy and the five elements theory. The artwork would be centred around an existing health frameworks and provide a space for multiple perspectives of wellness to be acknowledged.

As various factors such as urbanisation, decrease in indigenous population, and loss of faith in traditional medicine among the younger generations have resulted in a sharp decrease of not only indigenous culture and languages, but also loss of traditional herbs and therapies. Reflective of my previous body of work with healing foods and flowers, this project further unpacks my academic enquiry around the Arts, Health and Wellbeing dynamic. The artwork also serves as an awareness tool that continues to perpetuate the dialogue around the importance and forgotten wisdom knowledge associated to the natural environment and Mother Earth. Thus enabling the traditional values of Wu Shen and Wu Xing to be seen through the lens of a contemporary artwork.

This project was funded by Asia New Zealand Foundation in collaboration with Creative New Zealand.

The full project page can be found here: https://tiffany-singh-tav-residency.tumblr.com/

such as urbanisation, decrease in indigenous

population, and loss of faith in traditional medicine among the younger generations

have resulted in a sharp decrease of not only indigenous culture and languages, but also

loss of traditional herbs and therapies. Reflective of my previous body of work with

healing foods and flowers, this project would further unpack my academic enquiry

around the Arts - Health and Wellbeing dynamic. The artwork would also serve as

awareness tool that continues to perpetuate the dialogue around the importance and

forgotten wisdom knowledge associated to the natural environment and Mother Earth.