Being to ambitous?

Long day. Started today at 7 and stopped at 7. No rain at all. A beautifull warm day. Realised my project is very ambitious. Sketching a project in maquette or making it on large scale is ofcourse totally differtent. I knew that already but today I saw it again. Everything is different then suspected: the materials for example. The bamboo poles I ordered are nice and straight but I liked them to be more with a curve: ‘B quality’. You have to do, because of the little amount of time, with what you’ve got. So my poles will be straight what makes the work a total different work then sketched. And the large scale. With dis heat... Some people think I am a ‘crazy artist’. I thought the same when I was sitting and thinking the day over at the end of a day hard and muddy labour.‘What the hell I am doing?’ Being ambitous I supose.

Heavy rain

Not a good working day. In Groningen, The Netherlands we know rain but not that bad as here. Already 24 hours of rain and no stopping at all. Everybody tried to do some work but nobody did a good job today I think. Bonggies artwork was overtaken by high water, Stuarts too and mine… The site became water, the harvesting of reed was not really possible because of the water rise and we, ‘Donovan’ the volunteer and I were soaked all day, especially in the harvest field. In one night 12 centimeters water was fallen! We continued and found a way to use less reed in the sculpture. We started to cut large bamboo in small rings to be used as a skeleton together wit split bamboo. Despite the rain we still had a good day. To me its funny: nature artist always fighting the elements to do their nature-art thing.  

Hardware store old fashion

This morning at the park no volunteers to assist me at the site. Had a good morning anyway. Rumbled arround, arranged this and that en tought about the possible sollutions to give the project a bit more progress. After lunch – good vegeterian one – went to a great old fashion ‘we got everything’ hardware store, thanks to our local Taiwanese collegue. Bought rope, rope and xl working gloves. Meanwhile breeding on a plan for a good harvesting method for the big ammounts of reed I need. Together with the staff decided to find my reed closer to the site and done by machine. Neveratless well done harvesting by 5 volunteers. Hard working and good mood. Had a good day alltough it was extreemly hot. Later visited Taipei city center and camera stores. Had a spaghetti bolognese in Taiwan with Tim and Jane and went back to my nice clean and quit room at the hotel.

Testing in the heat

Feeling at home already. Woke up at 5:30 in the morning just like home. The site issue today. Got a good talk about it with Stuart Frost, my Norwegian / English collegue. He asked good questions. Decided to test 2 sites with the original bamboo poles to see what is feels like. Got altogether 6 volunteers working and this was a great help today. Put up 6 poles and walked arround. Decided to go to the far best but most difficult site. It is the one with different angles to see my sculpture and the possibility to explore the site closely. It will be a discovery to go there but the view is good! The stream besides it makes a nice curve and will give me the oppertunity to modify my installation to the site, site-specific indeed! And I a came a long way to work overhere so to me it is good the site breathes Taiwanese atmosphere! Had a heavy negotiating with chief Park about the mowing. I like the site rough and wild and not like a lawn. Managed (thanks to translator Emerlad) to arrange only a small curving path to enter the site. Happy about it. Ended the day in the hot spring downtown, super.

Meeting at the park

Good sleeping, no jetlag. Got to late for breakfast, the group was waiting for me at the lobby to enter the metro, MTR station almost in the hotel. Thats why my view is a metrowagon! The group of artist is friendly and international. We had a start meeting with staff and colluges. Nice that there are two Taiwanees people, Chao-chen and Chun-sen, to show us around in language and culture. Also there will be transalaters around al the time, good! The Guandu Nature Park itself: I already thought there wouldn’t not wild nature close to Taipei and ... it isn’t. It is a very nice park with a lot of paths, stairs and buildings. So the wide view I was hoping for (withouth water) seems not available. Three options, 1. with no entering path and high grasses, 2. a rather good view but with a fence behind it, 3. inbetween a big golfcourt and the main (hughe) building. Tomorrow at noone I have to make my choise. The first (very) importand one because it is the base of my installation. The Guandu Sculpture Festival 2009 is started!

Arrival in Taipei, Taiwan

Came over with one stop over in Thailand / Bangkok. Only saw plastic palmtrees and beautifull written signs on the airplane. De trip itself was long and the air-hostesses keep on coming with food: diner at 6 p.m. and becouse of the 6 hours timedifference breakfast at noone. Picked up at the airport of Taipei by a friendly cabdriver with my name! That was also the end of the communication because ‘no English, sorry’ was all he could say. Nevertheless it was a good trip seeing a lot of asiatic scenery. Was the first at the hotel (they told) and so visited some of suburban Taipei in the afternoon. Hot indead!