UF 1999 Taipei

April 5 (Mon) - 10 (Sat), 1999

What's Up?

The Hwa Shan District is in the city center nearby Taipei Main Station, which includes the area of Taipei Brewery site and former Hwa Shan Train Station and a portion of surrounding commercial and residential district.

The brewery operation ceased in mid 80'. The abandoned warehouses and facilities are being utilized by local people who occupy these spaces to do manufacturingworks, to take wedding photos, to shoot commercial clips, to party, etc..

In1992, this 7.2 acres of land was designated for governmental uses and the site for new building of Legislative Yuan.

Considering the fact that this area is under the aviation height control and two elevated highway bridges intersect at the corner of the entry of brewery site, some artists, activists and local residents stood up to oppose the proposal of a highrise office which may cramp their living space.

After the upheaval, due to the internal disagreement on the budget issues within the Lagislative Yuan, the construction was then pending.

Allied people in town organized an Initiative of Hwa Shan Arts District to work on the alternatives, trying to transform Hwa Shan into an art and cultural zone by re-use of old industial structures and spaces.

What shall we do?

Participants:

chi ti nan, UF organizer & architect, Beijing / Taipei
Sohn-Joo Minn, architect, Seoul
Robert Mull, architect, London
Jonathan Hill, architect, London
Karl-Heinz Kolpf, artist & architect, Vienna
Nicholas Boyarsky, architect, London
Ravi Sundaram, sociologist, Deli
Sand Helsel, architect, Melbourne
Bernhard Schreiner, film maker, Berlin
Yung-Ho Chang, architect, Beijing
Ralf Schmitt, artist, Berlin
Bernd Mey, architect, Frankfurt
Clive Sall, architect, London
Kay Ngee Tan, architect, Singapore
Simon Herron, architect, London
Steve McAdam, architect, London