The 561st Hour of Occupation

In 2014, Taiwan experienced a historic event as students occupied the Legislative Yuan for a total of 585 hours.

Viewed as a painting, the chamber of the Legislative Yuan presents a stable, triangular composition, reminiscent of half a Roman coliseum. The composition’s visual focus and vanishing point converge on the podium at the front, framed by a portrait of Sun Yat-sen. Below the portrait, a sign marks the occupation’s duration. Accompanying this scene is the national anthem, played at half-speed as the soundtrack, imparting a serene, almost sacred atmosphere akin to a place of worship, characterized by a sense of the holy and sacrificial. Time in this context appears to flow seamlessly between past, present, and future, intertwining themes of abundance, decay, and emptiness.

A slow, linear scan of the empty chamber allows viewers to observe objects out of place in this setting: cameras on tripods, backpacks, coats, food and drinks, banners with declarations, homemade posters, and oil paintings. This juxtaposition invites reflection on the chamber’s background, the modes of activity, the atmosphere, and its future after being vacated. The work captures a temporal and historical essence that fluctuates between the past and the future. This transient landscape opens a gateway beyond familiar media portrayals of the legislative chamber, offering a view that is more rational and, arguably, more spectacular than the usual media spectacle.