From May to June 2024 I was invited to spend three weeks on an artist residency in Dongyin; a small Taiwanese island near the coast of China. The residency was a collaboration between Artist Home Swap (UK) and Salty Island (TW) and I was there alongside Howl Yuan and Yurika Imaseki.
On our arrival in Dongyin we were given a tour of the island, and I was immediately struck by the old military lookouts that were present along the island’s coastline. These concrete, utilitarian windows give a focused lens through which to view the vast expanse of sea beyond, and this guided my thinking whilst on the island. I thought about my own position within the island community, an outsider looking in, a singular pair of blue eyes in a sea of brown eyes. I also began to write lists of the sights, sounds and smells that I noticed, carrying them around with me and adding to them everytime a detail caught my attention.
I brought these ideas together into a series of works created for a sharing event with the local reidents. This consisted of: Observations of an Island; a foldout pamphlet containing a list of island observations and a cut-out window, a series of postcards, handmade badges, Sea Windows; a set of drawings inspired by the military lookouts, and a performative event which included a talk and guided walk.