The textures of our exhibition originate from the residue of industry—in the frayed ends of ropes, the patina of disuse, the charm of discarded matter. Marine nets are twined into large chunky anchor chains that resemble compulsive scribbles and markings in space. The corrugation of the white ropes are frothy waves that fold into each other endlessly by the shoreline.

Our intention at this residency is clear: to work with industrial leftovers, specifically from factories that manufactured ropes for Kaohsiung’s ocean economies like fisheries and freight shipping cargo ships. We spent our first month here sourcing leftover materials from them in Dashe, Daliao, and even Pingtung.

Every factory-owner-staff we met received us with a kind of generosity that caught us off guard. Not only did they offer us materials, they welcomed us into their spaces, and gave us their time and stories. There was one exception where one rejected our request for a visit via phone call, but immediately shipped two large bags of factory leftovers to our studio two days later. 

These factories - mostly family-owned -  felt gritty and tempered, active but uncertain. They share common narratives emblematic of broader structural changes in Taiwan’s industrial landscape:  aggressive competition from China, dwindling labor forces, and increasing reliance on migrant workers.

Pursuing the manufacturing lineage further upstream, we connected with a rope-making machinery manufacturer in Changhua and picked up a retired maypole braiding machine that was commonly used in factories 40 years ago. In the exhibition, the viewers are invited to rotate the machine’s handle and look upward—to see the machine’s continuous, synchronized choreography reflected back to them.