Reading, an Ocean
2020
Reading, an Ocean
size | 9.79 * 5 * 3.23 m
material | Paper, rope, wood, LED light
“Reading is like the sea. Within this vast ocean of knowledge, we drift across time and culture, journeying in every direction.”
The Hsinchu State Library, a historic landmark located in the heart of Hsinchu City, carries more than a century of history. Once a cultural beacon, it was closed for nearly forty years, slowly fading from collective memory. Recently, through the combined efforts of the local government and Shin Kong Life Insurance, this treasured heritage site has been carefully restored and reopened. To celebrate its revival, curators and artists were invited to reimagine the building, filling it with new artistic energy so that visitors might once again step inside and rediscover its unique historical charm.
For this occasion, artist Cheng Tsung FENG, whose practice often engages with traditional handcraft culture, was commissioned to create a site-specific installation inspired by the craft of Chinese thread-bound books—an ancient method of bookbinding with deep cultural significance.
In this craft, consciousness is transcribed into words, words are recorded on paper, and sheets of paper are pierced and bound together with thread, ultimately forming a book. FENG transforms this delicate two-dimensional technique into a monumental three-dimensional expression. Thousands of undulating, book-like units rise and fall like waves, creating the vision of an overwhelming sea of books, surging once more into the long-silent halls of the library.
The installation is not only a tribute to the tradition of handcraft and the transmission of knowledge but also a poetic metaphor: just as books bind words into stories, the work binds history, memory, and community into a shared cultural space.
After its six-month exhibition period, the installation will be carefully dismantled. Each unit will return to the form of an individual handmade book, with covers randomly stamped with sketches and numbered marks from the creative process. These books will then leave the library with visitors, dispersing into the world to begin carrying new stories. In this way, the artwork extends beyond the exhibition, echoing the cycles of history that have flowed through the building for more than a hundred years.
2020 | Reopen: Future Reading | 10/01-03/07 | Hsinchu State Library | Hsinchu
“Hsinchu State Library” is a century-old historical site located in the center of Hsinchu City, Taiwan. This building has been closed for nearly 40 years and has been forgotten by people. The government and Shin Kong Life Insurance jointly funded the restoration of this monument and reopened it. They invite curator and artists to enter it for creative and exhibition activities, let this monument can return to people's lives.
curator | Hsin Chih CHANG
instructor | Taiwan Ministry of Culture
organizer | Hsinchu City Government
co-organizer | Shin Kong Life
curator | Henghe Art and Creation Co., Ltd.
artist | Cheng Tsung FENG
project designer | Yu Cheng SHEN, Chan Wei HSU
project production | Chih Ying TANG, Yi Jun CHEN, Yi Fen WU, Cha Hui LIN, Ya Ting YANG, Hsiao Chih Hong
wooden structure | Yumu Manufacture & Research
lighting design | Oude Light
photographer | Fixer Photographic Studio
2020
讀海
尺寸 | 9.79 * 5 * 3.23 m
材質 | 紙、繩、木、LED燈具
「閱讀如海，在名為閱讀的大海裡，我們徜徉古今中外，前進四面八方。」
新竹州圖書館是位於新竹市中心有百年歷史的古蹟建物，封閉了近四十年來逐漸被人們遺忘，地方政府與新光人壽共同將這座珍貴的古蹟修復重啟，並邀請策展人與藝術家們進入其中進行藝術創作，以展覽形式重新讓人們走入其中認識這個充滿歷史魅力的地方。
藝術家范承宗的創作都與傳統手工文化有關，這次受邀為已有百年歷史的新竹州圖書館所創作的空間裝置作品，他所關注的題材是中式線裝，一種具有悠久歷史的手工書籍裝幀方法。
意識成為文字，文字落於紙張，紙張被針線穿孔綑綁，便終於集結成書冊，范承宗將這項裝幀技術自平面變形成立體，成為數千本浪形書冊單元，他欲喚起一座磅礡的書海，湧進沉睡已久的館舍中。
在為期半年的展出結束後，作品將被細心拆解，回到數千本書冊的模樣，並在封面手工隨機印上創作幕後的圖稿與編號，這些書冊將隨人們一起流出館舍，前往各處開始承載起各種故事，一如百年來在此更迭輪轉的歷史時光。
2020 | 重啟・未來閱讀 | 10/01-03/07 | 新竹州圖書館 | 新竹
策展人｜張馨之
藝術家｜陶亞倫、劉文瑄、托馬斯・史維特、范承宗、霧室x祥業工業x和碩設計、舊香居、高德亮
主視覺｜霧室
指導單位｜ 文化部
主辦單位｜新竹市政府
協辦單位｜新光人壽
策展單位｜恆禾藝創
藝術家｜范承宗
專案設計｜沈祐誠、許展維
專案製作｜楊知穎、陳怡君、吳宜芬、林佳慧、楊雅婷、洪筱智
木構工程｜與木製研（陳建同、黃忠毅、李長峯、邵琮傑）
照明設計｜偶得設計（陳怡彰、何建國、陳雅汝、楊雁妤、林皓偉）
照明執行｜丞逸照明（林佑政）
攝影｜定影影像（攝影師：李尚謙／攝影助理：陳諾恒／專案助理：邱宇恩／後期：姚宇聲）