Absence

THE SCARECROWS

Theme

Absence

The theme aims to explore, expose and express the spirit of the site, which might be a lost or implied one.

Landscape is a product of natural and human processes through time. The spirit of place emerges through such interaction, generating a sense of belonging and a set of collective memories among the people who grow and evolve with the place.

With the fast pace of contemporary life, history, culture, and collective memories have to make ways for modernization. People lose their sense of identity to specific places; they become the “lost-souls” longing to belong somewhere.

Land art is chosen as a medium to convey the spirit of the site, awakening local residents with questions of identity and belonging, and building up links to reconnect forgotten traditions and cultures. The absence of active interaction between nature and culture provokes the search for the spirit and identity which are missing in the landscape.

Concept

The Scarecrows

On a field under a warm sun and with songs sung by birds and insects, Hakka farmers are busy planting paddy with the help of buffaloes. When wind is blowing smoothly on the land, these hardworking farmers stop what they are doing and enjoy this gift from the nature. They grow, work, take and give harmoniously by understanding Mother Nature.

The above is a common scene in the rural village fifty years ago but today it no longer exists. The absence of the scene leaves the traditional Chinese houses and original farmlands overgrown by the natural vegetation. Somebody might say that wilderness has invaded the farmland, but in our views, we think it is simply human returning the land back to nature.

The farmers are gone. What remain are the abandoned scarecrows dressed in Hakka-style, and used farming tools on the field.