indigenous craft preserved by public in cheng-tsung feng's fish trap house

taiwenese artist, cheng-tsung feng, is known for his reinterpretation of bamboo craftsmanship and now he continues to pass on the beauty of ancient wisdom by bringing together the artisanal knowledge of an indigenous tribe and the curiosity of a community. his latest installation – fish trap house – sees the construction of a bamboo river fishing trap on sun moon lake, using the skill embodied in indigenous craft, but instead of capturing fish this intricately built construction does better to capture people’s attention.

fish trap house is located on the sun moon lake in the heart of taiwan, 
image by chong sheng hsu

located in the heart of taiwan, on the ita thao pier of sun moon lake, it is not by chance that cheng-tsung feng has chosen the most beautiful lake in the region. sun moon finds itself is at the foothills of taiwan’s central mountain range, surrounded by eye-capturing scenery, and is not only an attraction to the tourists of more modern times but is also the chosen habitat for the taiwanese aborigines – the thao people.

a sketch of the installation by cheng-tsung feng

with an old soul in his body and reluctant to let go of traditional methods hidden in tools, tseng embarked on an art installation to be built on sun moon lake learning from those of the aborigines. so the artist organised a workshop where more than twenty people from the community could learn the techniques to build a bamboo fish trap house where people could enjoy the beauty of the area and its’ traditional culture.

the sculpture preserves the bamboo craft of the indigenous tribe – the thao people
image by chong sheng hsu

the workshop saw people from the community learn the over/under bamboo weaving techniques necessary to build the structure of the artwork, first practicing on smaller models. using lengths of bamboo string, the group assembled a rib cage constructed out of various pieces of bamboo, punctuated to frame the scenic value of the lake. with a seat at the centre and pendant lights hanging from above, the final piece is a place for community contemplation and appreciation of craftsmanship of times gone by.

the over/under bamboo weaving techniques were learnt by a community of people who help realise the isntallation
image by chong sheng hsu

the structure is punctuated to frame the beautiful scenery of the lake
image by chong sheng hsu

using lengths of bamboo string, the group assembled a rib cage constructed out of various pieces of bamboo
image by chong sheng hsu

the string holds the pieces of bamboo together, tightly weaved around each piece
image by chong sheng hsu

a group of more than twenty people helped to build the structure
image by chong sheng hsu

tseng embarked on the art installation learning from the techniques of the aborigines
image by chong sheng hsu

the artist organised a workshop where more than twenty people from the community could learn the techniques to build a bamboo fish trap house
image by chong sheng hsu

 the final piece is a place for community contemplation and appreciation of craftsmanship of times gone by
image by chong sheng hsu

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