Welcoming Illumination

Lantern Festival, also called Yuanxiao Festival and Shangyuan Festival, marking the first full moon of the lunar new year and the arrival of spring. People celebrate the festival by eating tangyuan (glutinous rice balls), viewing lanterns, and solving riddles with their families. With the development of the lantern Festival in recent years, the Nantou Lantern Festival has evolved into a significant tourism event in central Taiwan. It has further become a cultural exhibition showcasing the essence of Nantou, allowing visitors to explore the environment, culture, history, and people of Nantou.In 2024, the Nantou Lantern Festival themed “An Inclusive and Livable City” capitalized on the region’s unique ecological and tourism resources. The government aims to position Nantou, which is not only close to nature but also rich in culture, as one of most livable cities in the coming decades. Therefore, the design of the display area is primarily planned to be suitable for all ages, allowing people of any age to explore its interesting, instagram-worthy, and beautiful elements. This year, several Taiwanese artists have been invited to collaborate and unleash their diverse creativity in crafting “Welcoming Illumination Zone” for the 2024 Nantou Lantern Festival. The design focuses on integrating the installations, light, and sound with graffiti, featuring the most distinctive landscapes such as mountains, starry skies, lakes, and forests. Graffiti artists are invited to interpret the uniqueness of Nantou with their creative styles, enabling visitors to capture every aspect of Nantou. Let the light illuminate the most touching moments. The lighting installations “Sunlight Mountain” and “Ripples Sparking in the Sunlight” represent different natural images of mountains and lakes. “Milky Way” emphasizes on the interpretation of time and the intricacies of everyday life. Regarding “Fluorescent Forest” the designer aimed to evoke the mystery and diversity of Nantou’s forests, echoing the ideal concept of a symbiotic relationship with nature. Music is combined with the display in “Music Cabin,” extending the themes of each installation and creating an immersive experience, with music curated by musician Pochang Wu according to the theme of each installation.