Industrial Research Institute of Taiwan Governor-General's Office

This volume compiles Hsu Chia-Wei's 2017 project, "Industrial Research Institute of Taiwan Governor-General's Office," which explores the Japanese colonial system in Taiwan. Hsu Chia-Wei, an artist featured in "Machine Love: Video Games, AI, and Contemporary Art" and "MAM Screen 009," presents two works, "Takasago" and "Nuclear Decay Timer," both of which were screened in "MAM Screen 009".

"The scene where Hanuman wiggles his long tail and skillfully lifts the healing herbs from a mountain to save humanity has ingrained in my mind since childhood. When I saw Hanuman in Chia-Wei Hsu's works again, my heart filled with immense surprise and joy. This tide of intense emotions reminded me that fate drove my encounter with Hsu. This magical luck has brought us together.

I have an unswerving passion for collecting antiques. The wisdom and experiences from my predecessors have always attracted me - I am often awed by their attitude for seeking new levels of intellectual pursuits. When Marshal Tie Jia met Hsu, he must have recognized his unquenchable thirst for knowledge and his quest for finding the essence of history through his creative expressions.

Marshal Tie Jia must have been lamenting and celebrating at the same time, for that young artists like su are a rare breed in the modern society we live in today. I often feel the same magnetic field when I converse with Hsu. Many real historical legends, through Hu's artistic techniques, have the power of evoking a moving nostalgia. Many themes conclude with an unfulfilled dream, searching for peace for humankind. Through these unfulfilled dreams, Hsu hopes to revoke a continuing completion and reexamine every aspect. The artist also brings blessings for everyone through his works, solidifying the correspondence of truth through his expressions and the aid from deities.

The artist could be a polymath - a successful scientist, mathematician, and a historian. Perhaps, this is one of the ways to contribute as an active participant in the society we reside in today. With multiple identities, Hsu can change our society's flaws and dilemmas through his own set of ways. When aesthetic becomes an essential element in anything, there always seems to be a resulting tender and good mind. Beauty is the only antidote to the conflicts of the world, and it sows the seeds of harmony and empathy between you and me. Hsu keeps this simple childlike mentality through his creative explorations. Any forgotten era, through his skillful manipulation with aesthetics and wit, is revived with unbounded imagination and lively reading. He casts a spell through his videos, making it hard for his audience not to think and reflect critically along with his imageries. While viewing Hu's videos, one is somewhat moved by the seemingly gentle choreographies and tempo that slowly penetrates your mind. The stories he tells resemble the wind - even though the wind is almost transparent without shadows when the right time comes, it becomes omnipresent, bringing thick layers of clouds and thunderstorms. Hsu's stories, just like blazing storms, wet the land and bring nutrients to our intellectual development. Hsu also sheds light upon those buried historical events and culture and brings those stories to life. Through Hsu's clear expressions, these stories shine like bright gems in the dark." - Excerpt from the preface