The inspiration for ‘Traders of the Visible’ came from a Chinese architectural tradition which sees three buildings located in a single courtyard, the central building being the most prestigious and the left and right buildings extending out to form protective wings. This architectural style is connected to a traditional Chinese carrier device called bian-dan in Mandarin or pikul in Indonesian. This device consists of a pole strapped across a person’s shoulders, with goods hanging on both ends. The way of carrying things with pikul in Indonesia was introduced by Chinese traders and is still common in Indonesian cities. I brought this way of carrying back to Taipei since we don’t find this anymore in this city.
For many centuries, trade, religion and knowledge have been key forces leading people to travel the world. The work ‘Traders of the Visible’ was created for Bo-Pi Liao, an old area in Taipei, and reflected on the area’s close ties with traders and religious beliefs in its prosperous past.