Taiwan Slang Trail 台灣俚語之道 | 2023
by Taiwan Dream Engraving Team | 台灣夢幻刻字隊
(Biao Wang 王標, Chuan-Hsien Yeh 葉權賢, Dwan Yu 段宇, Che-Wei Chen 陳哲偉)
Boulder from Crystal Park, paint
“The Taiwan Slang Trail - Contemporary Calligraphy and Stone Carving Art Project” invited 151 calligraphers from both Taiwan and New York to contribute their calligraphy. Four senior stone sculpture artists from Taiwan spent two months completing the calligraphy stone carvings. The project originated three years ago on a weekend afternoon when Thomas Chen, the founder of Crystal Park, was strolling along forest paths with artist Shih-Pao Lin. As they gazed at the stones erected around the lake and along the paths, inspiration struck: why not give these stones new meanings and appearances? Thomas Chen suggested inscribing the Taiwanese proverbs, often heard in conversations among the older generations during his childhood, onto the stones. Artist Shih-Pao Lin further proposed the idea of "paintings within stones," aiming to integrate the ancient Eastern art of calligraphy with the beauty of stone sculptures within nature. By combining the "pen" with the sculpting "knife," these two valuable cultural art forms were elevated, creating a new realm of artistic expression.
