A joint investigation into the revitalization of three historically and culturally notable sites in New Taipei City —specifically the Remains of the 13 Levels (水湳洞選煉廠遺址), Benshan Sixth Tunnel Entrance and Cable System (水湳洞本山六坑口及索道系統), and Lian-Dong Copper Refinery Smoke Tunnels (瑞芳區臺金濓洞煉銅廠煙道) — has culminated in a new public art program that will light up the Remains of the 13 Levels.
The Shuinandong and Ruifang Districts of New Taipei City built their reputations in the past on mining. The Shuinandong Refinery — commonly known as "The 13 Levels" — was a copper refinery during the Japanese colonial period, and the foundations of the structure remain today as a valuable historical relic that was registered as a heritage site in 2004.
To reproduce the golden landscape of this historic site and remind people of its beauty and industrial legacy, the Taiwan Power Company has teamed up with Taiwanese artists Chou Lien (周鍊) and Joyce Ho (何采柔) to curate the "Light Up 13 Layer Remains" public art installation. Chou was a former lighting designer for the Statue of Liberty in New York, while Ho is an internationally active interdisciplinary artist working in painting, sculpture, and theater.
Their "Light Up 13 Layer Remains" installation will be formally unveiled on Sept. 13 with an evening ceremony featuring performances by U-Theatre (優人神鼓) to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival. The showcase of amber lights in varying degrees of luminance will be lit from 6pm to 9pm every night therefore.
The lighting ceremony will be held by the Taiwan Power Company and the Taipei-based General Association of Chinese Culture (中華文化總會), with support from the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
The site is under the supervision of the New Taipei City Government, and managed presently by the Taiwan Power Company. Through ongoing discussions, the Ministry of Culture aims to work toward a consensus that would facilitate the ongoing cooperation between the central and local governments to help bring new life to the mining heritage of the Shuinandong, Jinshan, and Jiufen areas, which are collectively known as the Shuei-Jin-Jiou Mining Sites.
‘Light Up 13 Layer Remains’
- Date: Sept. 13, 2019
- Time: 7pm - 8.40pm
- Location: Remains of the 13 Levels (Ruifang District, New Taipei City)
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