De/Re-coding of the Port

My research begun with a “measuring apparatus”, which assists me in discovering the spatial phenomena in daily life: As one registers its personal space into the city, the process of “negotiation” becomes necessary. It was further deduced that it is the “events”, rather than programming, that determines people’s activity.

Within the discussion of context/event-driven spaces, fishing harbor manifests as a prime example: Fishermen actively respond to the elements and the production needs, in ways of makeshift constructions using ready-made materials, which turns a simple port warehouse complex into an intricate system of working and social spaces.

From surveying and defining the system and its corresponding events, “seasonal terms” (節氣 / the cumulative knowledge responding to the seasons), to exploring the possibilities of insertion new events and activities, these research would help me devise a brand-new design proposal for An-Ping Harbor. While sustaining the pre-existing industry, the proposal provides new opportunities in response to the declining fishing profit and An-Ping’s booming tourism: Based on the fishermen’s construction ability, it accepts partial transformation into tourism in the warehouse space, and simultaneously displays the everyday life of fishing industry to the city-folks. The port would become “an exhibition of seasonal terms.”

Ou Tsung Han

Tunghai University