We encountered an island of oyster shells in Luzhugou. Using shells, we collected there, we created the shape of a dugout canoe and its original form—a single tree. It became the image of a sacred, sugar-white tree. We held a traditional Japanese rakugan (pressed sugar sweet) workshop and exhibit it, inspired by the sugar factory.

 “Soulangh” means “land of the covenant” or “where the river meanders” in the Siraya language. At Tainan City Cultural Heritage Architectural Materials Vault, we found red logs that were once sail masts of the Taiwan Chenggong Ship. With old wood and oyster shell trees as masts, we created the image of a large ship that sailed from the continent to Taiwan.

We conducted research on the indigenous peoples and found that they always express a connection to their ancestors. The Siraya tribe mixed with the Han Chinese and forget their own language. This is similar to the Japanese forgetting our ancestors by urbanization and the mixing of Jomon people and continental immigrants. I felt that the act of affixing a pair of oyster shells was like weaving a genealogy to forgotten ancestors.

We will perform with local drummers there. It evokes the memory of the land of covenant of the Siraya tribe, where the ancient sea and river meet.