“Your Country Needs You: Glory of ‘Jun Hun’ (國家需要你：軍魂之光)”, an art installation featured at the 2nd Matsu Biennial, has won the 2024 International Association of Lighting Designers Award of Merit.
The artwork, whose title “Jun Hun (軍魂)” in Mandarin means “military spirit”, was installed at the now decommissioned Beigan Power Plant (北竿電廠), showcasing the history of Matsu as an archipelago of heavily militarized islands on the front line of the Cold War between China and Taiwan.
In addition, the installation work also presents historical scene reconstruction of soldiers constructing the power plant as it was first commissioned in 1973, as well as the original generators used at the power plant.
Matsu Biennial is an art festival held jointly by the Lienchiang County Government and the General Assembly of Chinese Culture (GACC). Since its inauguration in 2022, the festival has seen over 60,000 visitors and 50 participating artists.
Li Hou-ching (李厚慶), secretary-general of the GACC, noted that the wartime history and the geographical features of Matsu are both unique to the world. Li also added that the GACC was glad to collaborate with Taiwan Power Company, allowing visitors to see Taiwan’s military past from a different perspective at the Beigan Power Plant, which was closed off to the general public.