“Poly-“

“I would strongly reject the criticism that the TAZ itself is “nothing but” a work of art, although it may have some of the trappings. […]Art in the World of Art has become a commodity; but deeper than that lies the problem of re-presentation itself, and the refusal of all mediation. In the TAZ art as a commodity will simply become impossible; it will instead be a condition of life.” – T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone (1985), Hakim Bey

Pacific Pirate is a long term project launched by Writing FACTory(TW) and RRD(MX) in late 2018. By examining the concept of ownership and expanding the discussion from that of information, technique and culture production to that of relationship and history, the project aims at discovering the alikeness of Taiwan and Mexico with the history of being colonized and the existence of domineering neighbors. In addition, it tries to develop possible solutions for contemporary predicaments through practice.

The project has pirated several ways of knowledge production: Pacific Pirate#1 took the form of exhibition, which includes the open call project “Re-DBT” and the database “#PiratePirateManifesto”. Pacific Pirate#2: TAZ took the form of research-based residency programs with three keywords: sounding, writing and performing. Three artists from each country are invited to participate in the practice. Their roles contain but are not limited to artist, curator, researcher, musician and independent journalist. In the book “T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone” published in 1985, Hakim Bey suggested that one should substitute temporary state for permanence and uprising for revolution. He proposed the idea “TAZ”, a space-timewhich can “exist” nomadically not only in information-space but also in the real world. Considering three keywords, six practitioners will elaborate on six ways of creating TAZ throughout the project.

Organizer:
　Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts
Project Initiator:
　Writing FACTory (TW)
　RRD(Red de Reproducción y Distribución)(MX)
Project Participants:
　Cevo Yang(TW)
　Concepcion Huerta(MX)
　Yunjie Liao (TW)
　Sandra Sánchez(MX)
　Xia Lin(TW)
　Yutsil Cruz(MX)

• This project is sponsored by Grants for Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects with Personnel between Taiwan and Latin America, Ministry of Culture, Taiwan.

＊ Project Introduction of Yunjie Liao’s “Poly-”

The flow of feeling helps to expand the boundaries of information, knowledge and technology. But does feeling carry ownership? How do people share, protect or restrain each other’s feelings? The ocean and colonial sentiments have strengthened the image of adventures based on patriarchy, while the roles on land are given the responsibility of providing harbors and the sense of security. Their desire for transparent transmission, flow, and sharing of feelings is not allowed. What follows are the commonly seen unequal dominance of requirements, sexual violence, sexual orientation attacks, and a society lack of honest communication skills. After the legalization of same-sex marriages in Taiwan and Mexico in whole or in part, the flow of the sexual spectrum is still frequently regarded as abnormal; Mexico’s social situation of both respecting and belittling female roles, femicide cases and high ratio of extramarital relations are interesting for further investigation.

“Poly-“, as one of the sub-projects of “Pacific Pirates #2 Temporary Autonomous Zone”, focuses on the research and interviews of Taiwanese and Mexican social context, and the experiences of how feelings flow. It follows the artist’s interaction and exploration of relationship anarchy and polyamory over the years, and aims to discuss: How can the elements that trigger feelings be shared and transmitted to generate greater agency, which in turn disrupts the footholds and power struggles between different roles, and derives possibilities for new types of community? In today’s mainstream beliefs that regard possessiveness and territory exclusivity as sublime, how are poly beliefs, values and practices viewed by society? Through reproduction of writings and two interactive installations “POLY: Keyword Clippings” and “Mare Liberum: Re-Gifting”, this project observes and verifies that, under the premise of informed consent, the process of reproducing and re-giving with open, free and decentralized spirit can not only cross borders, but also generate something unique and valuable.