Double Echo of Time

The exhibition "Double Echo of Time" is based on the history between the Netherlands and Taiwan. By revisiting archives such as "De dagregisters van het Kasteel Zeelandia" and "The Formosan Encounter", this multidisciplinary exploration breathes new life into lesser-known historical records, bringing forgotten histories to light.

This exhibition consists of two works, Holding the Wind in Your Hands and Glitch in the Weave, created by four Dutch artists and one Taiwanese artist during their residency at Soulangh Cultural Park. The artists use digital tools and various storytelling methods to reveal the power dynamics that determine which stories endure the test of time. Both works reinterpret archives in different ways. Incorporating elements of 17th-century maritime transportation and the strongest natural forces at sea—ships and wind—Holding the Wind in Your Hands invites viewers to interact with them, while Glitch in the Weave emphasizes the bias in historical narratives and the power dynamics that determine which stories endure.

Looking back, the exhibition presents an interplay of past and present, further questioning how artists, inspired by the "truth" and "hearsay" left by past officials, pirates, missionaries, and aboriginals, can convey these narratives to our generations. In an age of digital archives and rapid flow of information, how will we recount this moment to future generations? Therefore, we invite visitors to write a description of this exhibition in the style of “De dagregisters van het Kasteel Zeelandia” (Diary entries from Fort Zeelandia) written by Dutch officials of the time after viewing the exhibition. This exercise challenges us to envisage whether, in the future, we can recreate the experience we are sharing today.

This exhibition is curated by Wen Chin Fu supported by Lam Lai and is co-produced between iii (instrument inventors initiative) in the Netherlands and Soulangh Cultural Park.


The work of Baalman and Rodrigues departs from the experience of seafaring, examining its social and technological features to create a multisensory experience inside the Soulangh's exhibition hall. The artists attempt to blend methods of kite flying with the 17th century sailing technologies that brought distant cultures closer together.

While land and water can be subjected to territorialization, thus becoming objects of geopolitical dispute, the winds cannot be easily measured, or controlled, neither claimed by any state. Air, blast, breeze, gale, gust… As a force of nature, the wind can be a beneficial energy source, or a pleasant breeze in the hot days; however, in extreme weather conditions, the wind can be dangerous and a fatal agent of disaster, during tempests, cyclones and so forth. Wind cannot be tamed, it doesn’t follow any human regulations. We can only learn to collaborate with it.

In the 17th century, both the Chinese and the Dutch took an interest in the Tainan area and whoever could hold the wind in their hands had a strategic advantage. The technologies of the ships, the shapes of their hulls, the design and rigging of the sails were different between the Asian junks and the European ships (e.g. brigantines and fully rigged ships). Thus the diverse ships could catch the wind in different ways.

Marije Baalman gives continuity to the work V.L.I.G. (vliegen, liggen in gedachten) presented as a video installation (recorded on the beach of Anping) at Soulangh in the exhibition Sails Sugar, Silicon (2022). This year in collaboration with Ludmila Rodrigues, she expands her work with kites into a multi-sensory spatial installation. Together the artists have created an experience that encompasses sound, image, movement, and air flows.

The public is invited to walk through the space and actively listen to the sonic composition inspired by the action of the wind on an old sailing ship. On one hand the artists have chosen to work with natural materials, striving to learn techniques of the era of the sailing vessels. On the other hand, they utilize electronics to activate the installation and orchestrate sensations as in a hybrid environment.


Yun Lee and Stephanie Pan in collaboration with Shih Wei-Chieh

In a search to understand the world around us, we create and tell stories. Whether factual or completely mythological, these stories form the basis of our personal and collective lore, defining our identities and our place in the world. In this project, we dive into the lore around the brief history of Dutch Formosa from 1624 to 1668. What remains in the collective and individual consciousness of this often forgotten past?

As artists with ties to both Taiwan and the Netherlands, Stephanie Pan and Yun Lee were curious about these remnants and what they can tell us about who we are today. They collected stories from friends and family, locals and visitors, laymen and experts, from the Netherlands and Taiwan, to create this interactive archive.

This project is an oral cartography of memories and imaginations - tied to places, people, and words. Some of these stories compliment each other while others clash. Together, they weave a complex tapestry of multifaceted narratives. This installation takes the visual form of a large handwoven neural network that stores collective memories, family histories, myths, songs and chants patched and woven together, stories that are not written in history books.

You can hear these stories at the listening stations next to each Delft blue panel on the wall. Choose different stories by pinching and holding the different copper threads connected to each panel. Or, listen to different ghosts of memories within the neural network by touching the panel in the center of the installation. The Delft blue (Delftsblauw) panels on the walls feature visual motifs from the interviews, asking what would happen if the Dutch recorded what they saw when they landed in Formosa.

More Information: https://soulangh.tnc.gov.tw/index.php?inter=exhibition&id=106&type=1&kind=current