In the Anthropocene of extreme climate, the fluvial environment and the ecology of flash floods pose challenges to the future of cities, with the survival of multiple species and the fate of riverine ecological islands remaining recurrent themes over thousands of years. Artist LIU Yu returns to the diverse narratives of primordial flood myths, subtly indicating the inevitability of future floods and the structural variations in narratives about flood and torrential stories. The eel survival project from the Netherlands, spanning from Europe to Taiwan, showcases the migratory behavior of eel and elver, which today has become a symbol of stream environmental indicators. In addition to the long history of elver fishing at the river mouths in Tainan, which is integrated with the temple belief system, the numerous sand traps and hydraulic engineering facilities have also made the myths and facts about eels in the upstream areas of the Zengwen River and the Erren River part of the eel survival game today. The design of survival reality games demonstrates scenarios in the Anthropocene where humanity’s actions endanger other species with extinction. Artist Cia Himiân Lí, in collaboration with the Southern Taiwan Science Park Wastewater Treatment Plant, collects sounds from the wastewater treatment process to design an interactive art installation, enabling citizens to understand the whereabouts of rivers and wastewater. Following the ground watershed channels, visitors leaving this exhibition will arrive at artist KANG Ya-chu’s rolling stone groups, made from Styrofoam chunks collected at the mouth of the Zengwen River and felted wool, constructed together. These Styrofoam chunks, like stones washed over time, are relics of nature and human activities, while the layered wool, through the process of rubbing, pressing, and wet felting by humans’ hands, represents a dialogue and interweaving between individuals and the collective, responding to every blend and felted state among nature, time, and life while pointing to the context of watershed culture and hidden future crises.
