Summer 2017

A six-week residency in Taiwan, invited by TreeTreeTree Person  and Home Swap. I was invited to make work exploring the relationship between art and nature in the mountains of the Taroko National Park. I lived there with Simat and her family, members of the indigenous Truku tribe. The incredibly difficult reality of the Truku (the National Park was built in the eighties and had thrown the indigenous people out of their land, killing their lifestyle and forcing them to submit to a capitalist society) and how problematic our presence there and the residency in itself was, turned this into a very complex experience. However, a real friendship and care was built between the artists invited and the Truku. I made three works in this first trip (Instructions for leaving and arriving, Bamboo and Something for Simat) as I attempted to recognise the problematic position I was in but still honour the Truku people and our friendship.

 

Summer 2018

Four-week residency, invited by TreeTreeTree Person. I felt that returning to Taroko to give care and continuation to the relationship built with the Truku would help redeem the ignorance with which I had approached the first invitation. The first time, I made works for the people in the cities to connect to the Truku, somehow. In this second occasion, the residency was all about making something for Simat herself, something that would make her feel appreciated. Together, we made On the trails of Sukadan.