Another Way of Thinking About Collection: Waste Regeneration, Precise Use of Surplus, and Allowing Disappearance

"Form is not created but is allowed to occur at the intersection of time, material, and intention; I merely act as a coordinator of its conditions." Chang Wen-ting (張文婷)

The works in this exhibition are the result of a dialogue between Malaysian-Chinese architect Chang Wen-ting and the museum collection piece "Winnowing Fan."
The winnowing fan, as a farming tool from Taiwan's early agricultural period, is nearly absent in contemporary daily life. Chang Wen-ting uses the winnowing fan as a starting point and introduces a regenerative material: bio-leather, as a response to another logic of collection. This is not merely a material choice but a shift in attitude towards the relationship between nature and the market. Bio-leather is a creative material she forms by using pineapple waste, combined with bacteria and yeast to generate an organic membrane, which is then fermented and pressed into shape. Its toughness is close to that of ordinary leather and it possesses certain fire-resistant properties. However, this material is not premised on permanence; changes in time and environment constitute the conditions for its decomposition and disappearance.

The regenerative material is presented in a sheet form. To respond to the curved surface structure of the winnowing fan, this time, folding is used to generate a continuous curved surface resembling snake scales, combined with a three-dimensional rhombus structure arranged in a cross pattern, transforming the flat material into a curved two-dimensional surface. This bio-leather will gradually decompose with changes in time and environment, eventually disappearing. This series of creations is Chang Wen-ting's contemplation and response on how to minimize waste during the production process, allowing artistic creation to become an ecological cycle, enabling materials to be transformed and used again. It is contemporary fiber art that practices waste regeneration and sustainable environmental concepts.

Exhibition Period｜Saturday, April 18, 2026 - Friday, July 31, 2026
Exhibition Venue｜Taichung City Fiber Art Museum, Hall 1C
Creator｜Chang Wen-ting (張文婷)
Curator｜Yang Wei-lin (楊偉林)