Theatre
2022
Theatre
size｜13*9*4.5 m
material｜Bamboo, wood, lacquered iron parts, LED lighting
Artist Cheng Tsung FENG’s creative practice is deeply tied to the preservation and reinterpretation of fading traditional crafts and cultural memories. For this monumental outdoor installation, his focus turned to the bamboo opera stage—a once-prevalent architectural form in Taiwan’s temple festivals and communal celebrations, but now rarely seen as times have changed. At the historic Wenwu Temple in Lukang, Changhua, which itself has stood for over two centuries, FENG constructed a vast stage using thousands of bamboo poles, reviving the grandeur of this vanishing tradition in contemporary form.
Titled Theatre, the work is composed of meticulously interlaced bamboo arranged both vertically and horizontally, creating a structure that is simultaneously rigorous and transparent. The intersecting lengths of bamboo establish a strong sense of rhythm and order, while slender split bamboo strips soften the edges, outlining elegant arcs across the façade and floor plan of the stage. Visitors ascend bamboo stairways that lead onto the broad, flat platform, where they find themselves fully enveloped by the geometric grid of bamboo. Here, through the sensations of touch, sight, and movement, the audience is invited to rediscover the spatial qualities of traditional bamboo architecture and the natural tactility of the material itself.
By day, the stage becomes a welcoming space for rest, gathering, and playful exploration. By night, illuminated by bright festival lights, the installation transforms into a ceremonial hall filled with a sense of grandeur, recalling the dazzling atmosphere of opera performances in bygone times. It is both a place to watch a play and a stage for anyone to perform their own.
Standing prominently on the expansive lawn before Lukang Wenwu Temple, the structure draws in countless passersby during the festival period, inviting them to enter the bamboo theatre. Within it, life and performance blur: participants continually move between stage and audience, sometimes watching, sometimes acting, embodying the cyclical nature of theater as a mirror of life itself. In this interplay, FENG’s work not only reconstructs a fading cultural memory but also offers a living, communal space where tradition is reimagined and relived.
2022｜Changhua Art Festival｜07/02-07/25｜Wenwu Temple｜Lugang
organizer｜Changhua County Government
executor｜Changhua County Cultural Affairs Bureau
co-organizer｜Lukang Township Office
curator｜Object Innovation
curator｜Yu Chuan TSENG, Chih Wei TSAI
artist｜Cheng Tsung FENG
project designer｜Hung Lin LIU
project execution｜Chan-Wei HSU, Sheng WANG, Ying-Chun WENG
structural analysis｜ Chien Chuan Engineering Consulting Co.
woodwork｜Chuan-Sheng Bamboo Construction
lighting design｜Oude Light
lighting engineer｜Beamtec Lighting
photography｜FIXER Photographic Studio
2022
遊戲
尺寸｜13*9*4.5 m
材質｜竹、木、烤漆鐵件、LED燈具
藝術家范承宗的創作，總與逐漸消逝的傳統技藝和文化記憶息息相關。這次，他將目光投向台灣傳統的「竹棚戲台」，一種曾廣泛出現在廟會與民間慶典的竹構臨時劇場，如今卻隨時代更迭逐漸式微。
在已有兩百多年歷史的彰化鹿港文武廟前，他以上千支竹子搭建起一座巨型戶外空間裝置《遊戲》。作品以垂直與水平交織的竹材構成通透且工整的空間架構，錯落的長短與輔以劈薄竹片勾勒的弧形邊緣，共同塑造出一座既傳統又當代的竹構劇場。
人們可以沿著同樣以竹子搭建的階梯拾級而上，進入寬敞的二樓平台，透過手、腳與身體的感知，體驗傳統戲台的體感重現。白日裡，這裡成為人們自在休憩、嬉戲的開放場域；夜幕降臨時，華燈初上，作品搖身一變，重現充滿慶典氛圍的戶外臨時殿堂。讓人憶起過去聚集在戶外看戲時的熱鬧盛況，也邀請人們走入其中，成為這座舞台上的演出身影。
這座裝置矗立在台灣彰化縣的鹿港文武廟前的草坪上，龐大而醒目。你可以進入棚腳或上樓登台，也可以從旁欣賞；可以是觀眾，也可以入戲成角。人生如戲，戲如人生，這裡不只是一座竹構劇場，更是一場關於技藝與記憶的不散遊戲。
2022｜彰化走讀藝術節｜彰開藝境｜07/02-07/25 ｜鹿港文武廟
主辦單位｜彰化縣政府
承辦單位｜彰化縣文化局
協辦單位｜鹿港鎮公所
策展單位｜原物創意
策展人｜曾鈺涓、蔡致偉
藝術家｜范承宗
專案設計｜劉鋐霖
專案執行｜許展維、王笙、翁穎諄
結構分析｜建全工程顧問
竹木構造｜筌盛竹架
照明設計｜偶得設計
照明工程｜丞逸照明
攝影｜定影影像