SINO-FRENCH 140 KEELUNG

The Sino-French War is an important piece of international history that took place between Taiwan and France in 1884. It has been 140 years since then, and many French soldiers and Taiwanese died in the process. The work of this project was created on a battlefield and in a cemetery 140 years ago, using art, light, text from historical letters, and woven patterns on soldiers’ clothes as themes and elements of the design, transforming them into a series of outdoor light landscape art to commemorate the events 140 years ago. The disappearance of the young soldier.



The Light of Letters｜Poem of Destiny

During the Sino-French War, the French came to Keelung from Europe. To the French, this was a very distant country. We found a letter written by a young French soldier named René Coppin to his mother in France. The lights of fishing boats cast words on the land where young soldiers are buried, allowing this work to soothe the souls of young soldiers in the past historical times. It is also a work exhibited in the cemetery area at night.



Weaving decorative light｜Dentelle d’amour

At the same time, we also found that since the 18th and early 19th centuries, French soldiers often carried lace-decorated fabrics into the battlefield. The most popular of which are "poignets en dentelle" and "collier en dentelle". Some of these delicate lace cloths are precious keepsakes left by their lovers or wives. Therefore, we create woven decorations like this into large outdoor artworks that are 75 meters long, using the flow of light to present the rhythm and life energy of these patterns.



The Light of World Geography｜1884 Ships from the Sea

We use maps, panorama techniques, and light installations to tell the changes in historical landscapes through the storytelling method of the Keelung battlefield map that appeared in Le Monde Illustré 140 years ago, allowing people to experience the flow of history in light.



We hope to use different landscapes of light to let everyone remember forever this international historical event that took place in Keelung, Taiwan.