According to data from the United Nations, as of 2024, there are 43 megacities worldwide with populations exceeding 10 million—double the number in 2000—marking the rapid advancement of urbanization. Modern architectural techniques, smart city technologies, and transportation infrastructure developments have accelerated the transformation of cities. The "Zhongxiao Huai Sheng Urban Renewal Project," orchestrated by Lienyun Group, stands as Taipei’s fastest urban renewal initiative, embodying a vision for the future.
Unlike conventional urban exhibitions that explore future-oriented blueprints, this collaboration between IF Plus and French photographer Hubert Kilian, titled Coincides, takes a tender look back. Through poetic expressions, it brings the focus of urban renewal back to the memories of its residents. Using an immersive exhibition experience, visitors are transported through time, rediscovering the details of life within the residences and tracing the everyday essence of this land. From the recollections of long-time residents to the fresh perspectives of newcomers, history and the future intertwine, highlighting the profound value that lies beneath urban renewal.
Above the Courtyard: Depicting Urban Memories
In 2021, “urban renewal” became a hot topic in media and social discourse, redirecting attention to issues surrounding city development. The following year, Lienyun Group and Harvest Ideation curated the Imageable City exhibition, bringing together artistic talents from Taiwan, Japan, and France. This multi-perspective approach expanded public imagination about urban renewal.
During the pre-exhibition site inspection, as outsiders, we felt like strangers intruding upon the residences. Much like a group of strangers entering abandoned homes, we sought fragments of connection hidden in the empty rooms and deserted hallways. Standing beside the courtyard, we seemed to sense traces of the lives once lived here. The courtyard, a semi-public space outside every home, not only captured neighborhood interactions but also bore witness to the daily rhythms of each household—neighbors crossing paths on the stairs, the aroma of dinner wafting through the air, and the intricate details of ordinary life intersecting.
Faced with this neglected space that once connected the emotions of its residents, we instantly decided to "play with time" within the courtyard. Instead of projecting distant future visions, we leveraged technology to recreate the lived moments of this place. This exhibition allows former residents to reclaim fragments of their memories, while newcomers are encouraged to slow down and perceive the space not just as a blueprint for the future but as a repository of the land's accumulated heritage and value.
Creating an Artificial Sun: Reweaving the Spectrum of Time
Unlike the conventional cubic white-box exhibition spaces, our creation breaks the traditional framework by centering on the courtyard. The vertical space, spanning four floors, serves as a unique four-panel canvas. The irregular layout of each floor's corner spaces forms an atypical exhibition site, challenging conventional interactive design concepts.
During site inspections, we discovered the courtyard roof was sealed with corrugated metal, originally installed as a security measure but resulting in a stifling atmosphere. To revive the courtyard, we replaced the metal with a custom-fit LED screen, creating an “artificial sun” that reintroduced the rhythm of sunlight into the space. By calculating the sun’s angles and brightness at various times of day and simulating subtle changes in daylight’s color temperature, we used optical projection technology to reflect everyday scenes like flying birds and growing plants onto the courtyard walls. This long-dormant space was reanimated, reclaiming its life force.
This innovation went beyond technology, incorporating new ways of “watching.” Visitors can admire the courtyard’s entirety from the ground floor or peek into segments of it through small windows on each level. As they move through the building, they piece together their own impression of the courtyard. This multi-layered viewing transforms the intersection of architecture and daily life into dynamic memories. The courtyard, no longer just a structural entity, becomes a symbol of urban vitality and warmth.
Collaborating with Hubert Kilian: Poetic Rebirth Across Time
“To treat a city like a home, one must first find a way to love it,” said French photographer Hubert Kilian in an interview. This time, Kilian delicately captured the final moments of the original buildings in the Zhongxiao Huai Sheng project. His works not only preserve the outlines of the architecture but also retain the emotional essence and memories of home for its former residents.
In Coincides, our collaboration injects "light and scenery" into this reborn courtyard. Kilian's spatial memories intertwine with IF Plus's optical reconstructions, creating a multi-dimensional interactive experience. Visitors can feel the flowing daylight and immerse themselves in a poetic theatrical space. This creation blends white-box exhibition areas with black-box theatrical settings, merging the past’s everyday life with the vision of the future. It establishes a convergence of time and space in this fragment of the city, awakening deep emotional resonance with the land.
Work Description
Coincides
Artist: IF Plus
Dimensions: W3 x H12 m
Materials: Projectors, sound systems, concrete, sensory devices
This work observes the courtyard space as a unique site where “private” and “public” coexist. During the day, it resembles the white-box existence of an art gallery; by night, it transforms into a black-box theatrical space. By simulating changes in sunlight through LED lighting, the work traces the trajectory of time, alternating between revealing traces of habitation (white box) and projecting images (black box) onto the courtyard walls. These recorded visuals leap from screens to walls, enabling viewers to encounter the daily lives once lived here. Utilizing existing architectural features like window frames and thresholds as diverse visual frames, the artwork merges captured images with the viewers’ reflections, creating a surreal aesthetic that reimagines the potential of these spaces while evoking personal and emotional memories.
Visual Material: The imagery used in this work includes photographs from Hubert Kilian’s Spatial Memory Preservation Photography Project, taken before the demolition of the Huai Sheng project’s old buildings.
Audience Feedback
＃This exhibition made me and my kids realize that a city is not just a combination of buildings and streets but a vessel for countless memories of people’s lives. Coincides felt like flipping through an old photo album, showing us the stories that once unfolded in the courtyard.
＃The LED sunlight in the courtyard was so cool! At first, I thought it was just a regular lighting installation, but then I noticed the light and shadows changing with time—and even silhouettes of birds appeared. It felt like watching an invisible theater performance!
＃Coincides truly moved me, especially the way the light and shadows overlapped to recreate everyday scenes. It reminded me of my younger days living in a similar old apartment. This exhibition not only allowed us older residents to reflect on our past lives but also made me hope that future generations will cherish every piece of a city's history.
Media
The Imageable City explores urban renewal issues through four main exhibition areas
Imageable City: Coincides