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Carnival of the Animals, Big Contributions from Small Soldiers Artwork Established at Guandu Station and Fuxinggang Station

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Post date:2019-11-13

Updates:2019-11-13

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Let’s see who can find the most artwork! When passengers enter MRT Guandu Station and MRT Fuxinggang Station, they will be surprised by the small bird nests on the wall or small soldiers standing guard in the corners of the walls while they are waiting for the train.

Committed to enhancing the spatial aesthetics of their stations, Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) has installed the Carnival of the Animals and Big Contributions from Small Soldiers-inspired bronze sculptures throughout the surrounding environment of Guandu Station and Fuxinggang Station. Passengers are invited to embark on a treasure hunt as well as take photos and upload them to social media to commemorate the special occasion.

MRT Guandu Station is adjacent to the Guandu Nature Park, therefore Carnival of the Animals utilizes animals in Guandu Nature Park as the protagonists. However, instead of presenting them in the station like the stunning flocks of birds shown in an illustrated book of birds, they appear in various corners at MRT Guandu Station in the form of a black comedy.

Perhaps you may come across a nightingale that has built its nest out of garbage on the crossbeam above the stairs, a grey heron with a garbage bag hanging over its body above the platform bench, or you may unintentionally see a hermit crab using a plastic bottle as its shell outside the station. Bronze is the main material used in these artworks, while accessories such as plastic bags, gas masks, and garbage are used as decoration to raise people’s awareness of environmental and ecological agendas. MRT Fuxinggang Station is located near the Fu Hsing Kang College of National Defense University, therefore the theme of Big Contributions from Small Soldiers is adopted, drawing inspiration from the classic green army men toy figures, transforming the metro station into the world of army men. The toy soldiers are focused on performing different tasks to ensure the safety of the station, be it reconnaissance, military parade or drills.

Fu Hsing Kang has always been a symbol and landmark of the armed forces and the spirit that they personify, therefore MRT Fuxinggang Station is transformed into a fantasy world guarded by the toy soldiers. Although the bronze toy soldier sculptures measure only approximately 30cm tall, their combat fatigues and gear including multipurpose backpacks, binoculars, and helmets are all carved into the sculpture in exquisite detail. In the station, you may encounter toy soldiers carrying multipurpose backpacks on the platform bench or medics attending to wounded birds in the crevice between the automated external defibrillator (AED) and stairwell. If you look up, you might just discover the toy soldiers tidying up the line or conducting a covert recon mission on the wall.

Each artwork bears a QR code, so everyone is welcome to scan the QR code to browse the artwork’s introduction page. Besides small stories about their creation, there are other reading materials pertinent to issues such as animals and the armed forces. In the future, TRTC will uphold the philosophy of beautifying station spaces in an effort to enrich urban aesthetics and let passengers enjoy unexpected surprises, so please stay tuned!

For additional information details, please refer to the event website or contact the TRTC’s 24-hour customer service hotline (02) 218-12345 and 1999 Taipei Citizen Hotline (for callers outside of Taipei, please dial 02-27208889), or you can refer to TRTC’s official website .

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