• 2025-07-02

The National Central Library (NCL), Taiwan officially opened the exhibition Reading Nature, Walking Through the Seasons on June 27, 2025, at its main building in Taipei. This curated showcase presents selected works from the public art installation initiative for the upcoming Southern Branch and National Shared Repository - a national cultural infrastructure project of strategic importance. The exhibition offers government stakeholders, international institutions, and library professionals an in-depth view of how art, architecture, and knowledge services are being seamlessly integrated into Taiwan’s next-generation public library facilities.

In alignment with Taiwan's Public Art Act and in support of sustainable cultural development, the NCL initiated the planning process for this public art program in March 2019 by convening a multidisciplinary advisory group composed of experts in art, architecture, and cultural policy. The resulting Public Art Installation Plan was approved by the Ministry of Culture in July 2023, and following a comprehensive two-phase selection process—including evaluation, final selection, and valuation reviews—the projec's outcomes were formally endorsed by the Ministry on December 18, 2024. A contract was successfully awarded to the selected artistic team, DADA Idea Co., Ltd., on December 31, 2024.

This exhibition serves as a critical outreach component of the public art initiative, offering a first look at the artistic proposals that will be integrated into the physical and conceptual framework of the Southern Branch. Through this effort, the NCL demonstrates its institutional commitment to aesthetic excellence, civic engagement, and the creation of inspiring spaces where art and knowledge intersect.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, NCL Director-General Han-Ching Wang emphasized the importance of embedding artistic vision within national knowledge infrastructure:

“This project reflects our belief that a national library must go beyond its role as a repository of information—it should also inspire, engage, and reflect the cultural vitality of its time. After five years of planning, we are proud to present works that will bring Taiwan's southern region a new icon of intellectual and artistic excellence”

The exhibition features works from the top three finalist teams, with six conceptually and technically diverse projects submitted by first-place winner DADA Idea Co., Ltd. These works include:

1. Joyful Reading Peak (ROSO Robotics Construction Lab)
2. Rolling Scrolls (ROSO Robotics Construction Lab)
3. Gathering Bottlegrass (Ling-Li Tseng / Occasionally Design)
4. Bubble Pavilion (Shuen Long Lin / DADA Idea)
5. Blossom Seats (Shuen Long Lin / DADA Idea)
6. Mountain Cloud of Knowledge (Yuma Taru / Wild Laurel Studio)
   

Each piece is uniquely designed to respond to the Southern Branch’s landscape and architectural features, offering a harmonious blend of form, function, and cultural storytelling. At the exhibition opening, Artistic Director Shuen Long Lin provided a comprehensive introduction to the creative vision behind each installation, emphasizing their role in enhancing the spatial experience and emotional resonance of the library environment.

In addition to the public art models and conceptual posters, the exhibition includes architectural renderings of the Southern Branch’s interior spaces and customized furniture design. The project reflects a holistic design philosophy in which public art, information services, and user experience are fully integrated from the ground up.

As Taiwan continues to invest in transformative cultural infrastructure, the NCL Southern Branch stands as a model of how national libraries can serve as both intellectual beacons and cultural landmarks. The NCL extends a warm invitation to the public to engage with this exhibition and join in the dialogue on the future of libraries as public cultural spaces.