「讓我們一起迴島嶼吧。」 

本屆迴島嶼吧的策展共創香火由東莒傳遞至東引，在藝術共創的基礎上加乘東引近年來獨有的特性：設計力，解析馬祖各島青年”回島嶼”後的日子裡，如何轉換觀看視角、如何通過種種方式經起考驗、生紅過夏———永續島嶼。

承襲第一屆的策展精神，以藝術共創為精神，並遵守環境永續之原則；以設計回應「地方文化故事」的消失與重生，再以共創設計解答「地方人口」的消滅與重建過程。 

馬祖青壯年人口的外流已然成為地方最大的考驗之一，然而，東引近年在人口上卻呈現相反姿態。2022年中旬東引鄉戶籍人口總數增加到1500人，超越莒光成為馬祖人口數第三多的鄉，東引近十年人口呈現緩慢但穩定的成長的趨勢，更於去年成為連江縣人口結構最年輕的鄉。

此外，2020年在東引成立的「鹹味島合作社」青年團隊，截至今年亦從最初的3人新增至17人，包含8位返鄉青年與9位移鄉青年。 東引是如何從一個即將地方消滅的狀態在十年內搖身一變，擺脫衰亡危機成為最年輕的鄉。

東引如何以設計力改變島嶼？又或者，島嶼共創如何影響設計思維？「東引設計之島」是東引的青年現在進行式，邀您一起來見證。

“Let’s return to the island.” 

This year, the co-creative incense of the Returning to the Island exhibit passes from Dongju to Dongyin, adding a dose of Dongyin’s recently acquired “design prowess” to the co-creation project. 

The exhibit analyzes how each Matsu youth has shifted their perspectives since their “return to the island”, unveiling the ways they have responded to the test of time, like Ruby Red After Summer, sustainably living on each island. In the curatorial spirit of the first biennale installment, artistic co-creation and environmental sustainability, this year’s project addresses the loss and rebirth of “local cultural narratives” through design and the diminishing and reconstruction of “local population” through co-creation. 

The exodus of the youth population has become a major issue in Matsu. However, Dongyin’s population numbers bucks the trend. By mid-2022, the registered population of Dongyin Township has risen to 1500, surpassing Juguang to become the third most populous township in Matsu. Not only has the population in Dongyin risen steadily the last 10 years, but the township has achieved the youngest population age structure since last year. 

Salty Island Studio, a team of young creators which started in 2020, has grown from 3 members to 17, and now consist of 8 homecoming and 9 newcomer youths. How did Dongyin emerge in the space of 10 years from a dying town to become the youngest township in Matsu? Or rather, how has design thinking effected change in the co-creation process? The Dongyin Design Island Project is the present action of Dongyin’s youth, inviting you to bear witness. 

DY01《Township office announcement...》

Walking Grass Agriculture

Get to know Dongyin through an auditory experience that starts with ”Announcement from the Township Office: Fresh fish for sale at the pier.“ The ocean’s significance in terms of fishing vessels, catches, trade, and cuisine all unfolds through the broadcast. Using the backdrop of Dongyin‘s harbor where fishing catches are traded, this installation merges visuals and sounds, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in these memories. Through on-site visits, collecting stories from local residents and capturing environmental sounds, a different path to understanding Dongyin’s fishery, the ocean, and its beliefs is crafted, encapsulating the unique relationship between Dongyin‘s culture and the sea.

DY02《Glistening gathering》

Ｕ-Meadow & partners Design office

The transparent structure is the seawater surrounding the island, carrying fragments of the life of the island, connecting neighbors near and far, and those wandering. 

Its material is molded fiberglass reinforced plastic grating, chosen for its weather resistance and resistance to acid corrosion, while inherently tough in structural strength, suitable for use in coastal areas.

DY03《Guard》

Lin Mei-Lin 

The image memory of the battlements has always been an important element of childhood. I always think that by hiding behind it, I can be protected, free from the threat of war. 

The stones are wrapped in wool in the colors of blue, white, and green, arranged into an image of the battlements, which stand for our safety under the protection of democracy, thinking that the war will never be of any concern to us. 

DY04《Searchlight Afar》

Lin Mei-Lin 

The anti-aircraft bunker setting is primarily dominated by red hues, coupled with lifelike chains. Holding a flashlight, one enters the dim and oppressive anti-aircraft bunker. The beam of light takes people on a journey through time and space, transporting them to the era of martial law, experiencing the curfew-regulated life on the island. This artwork captures the daily life of the residents living under constraints, enduring the hardships that ravage the human spirit. The cruelty brought about by war is depicted vividly, as the light filtering through the bunker‘s entrance is like a woolen curtain, offering a glimmer of hope and the aspiration to escape the turmoil of war. Through this piece, the stark reality of war is starkly warned against.

DY05《Asterism》

HSIEH Yu-Cheng

MA Wei-Yuan

The sea is a mirror in the dark, stars shimmering within. Dongyin appears in a flash of light then falls into darkness. In the muffled thud of a ship hitting the rocks, a lighthouse was placed on Dongyin. And then it is seen throughout the night. 

Since then, whether it in the long curfew hours of the war zone administration, the apparitions of a general in the late Qing Dynasty in a dream; or the painting of the lighthouse illuminated by the flashlight in the opaque photo studio, Dongyin teeters between visible and invisible fates. 

Asterism uses the mirror ball from disco halls of yore as an element to recreate the light and shadow of time and space in the exhibition.