YOON, Soo Jung

Gong-Si-Tian River Project

Documentary Photography, 2013

Gong-Si-Tian River is located in Tamsui district, Northern Taiwan. It is the biggest flesh water river in Tamsui and its lower reaches are located in a developing new town area so called DanHai New Town.  The length of the main stream is 13.5 km, the total length including 7 branches is 35 km. In recent years, through the process of new town construction, Gong-si-tian river exceeded the limit of self purification capacity, smelled bad and have been to turn into river what life cannot live. Because the waste water and the sewage increased very rapidly due to increase of commercial facilities and residential facilities and population concentration. Nevertheless, all residential facilities of New Taipei publish a slogan ‘the city is in harmony with nature’, but, these facilities are far from the natural river and all ways to the river are shut. At the beginning of the project, i tried to interview to the local residents in the new town about the river, and finally i found the most of people don’t care this small river near them. To understand, I took a walk Gong-si-tian river, and written diary and observed the flow, the cleanliness and the surrounding environment (sound, smell, etc.) of the river. It’s first step for Gong-si-tian long-term project. 

- in Artist Statement -