The fifth Taipei Biennial (4 Nov 2006 - 25 Feb 2007) with a theme of "dirty yoga' attempts to explore the conflicts that exist among different extreme values, and was translated by participating artists into works about consumerism, youth culture, identity and other 'hip' subjects within contemporary art. E Chen is one artist whose work invites viewers to see mass-produced objects in a new way. His installation "One thousand year bloom", described as a "poignant meditation on consumption", reflects on Taiwan's position within the phenomenon of globalization. It consisted of a roomful of knitted random objects, such as flower pots, fire hydrants and cacti, which were slowly mechanically unraveled over the course of the exhibition, leaving piles of discarded yarn in their wake.

For another yarn art project which discusses environmental issues see this previous TreeHugger story about a crochet coral reef.

::Chen at Taiwan Biennial ::Via Art in America June/July 2007

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