We are pleased to welcome Yuching Lin to Cove Park this summer, in our ongoing series of residencies for Taiwanese writers and researchers.
Yuching Lin currently is an independent research-based translator, curator and writer based in Taipei, Taiwan. Her projects usually involve and introduce issues of politics, culture, history and society of South and Southeast Asia through books and exhibitions. Yuching is SEAD Fellow, a co- project between Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council, former Fulbright grantee and Commonwealth scholarship holder.
In the past two decades, Yuching has cultivated two career trajectories: working with populations affected by conflicts, human right violations or disasters, and working with artisans and artists. With degrees in Journalism, Oriental Studies and International Relations, before turning freelancing, Yuching has accumulated a wide range of international experiences including the Center for Traditional Arts of TNUA, renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, International Federation of Red Cross-Americas and Taiwan’s NGO alliance for UN convention on eliminating violence against women and anti-human trafficking bill. Hence, unearthing muffled voices and stirring existent views have always been the core of her approaches.
In terms of artistic practices, Yuching’s passion is mainly about craft and sees it as the creative influx of human and natural forces, of historical heritage and contemporary flair, of political symbol and economic impact, of the made and makers. Throughout years, she has collaborated with teachers of fine arts and heritage studies to design and produce workshops of craft masters from SEA, South Asia and Taiwan. In addition to several awardees of UNESCO-World Crafts Council Award of Excellence, her partners also include the Salvi family, the prestigious Indian heritage holder of the Patan Patola double ikat weaving tradition for eight centuries, as well as Yuma Taru, the ever first Taiwanese indigenous designated preserver of important traditional weaving craft.
In addition to a dozen of book translations related to history, politics and arts, Yuching’s recent curation and writing projects include Transfiguration: from Nature to Art – 2021/22 2021/22 Biennial International Paper Fibre Art; Phaedra/Phaedra (innovative Peking opera); Thanaka- A Tree in the Desert (documentary short); Behind the Masks (online exhibition); Sounds from Chaophraya, a traditional Thai Musical Instruments Exhibition & Concert. The ongoing project, The Quietest Noises: Stitching, Weaving and Embroidering in Conflicts, Oppressions and Forced Migration Research & Writing Project, looks into and uncover silent stories of women’s weaving and stitching practices in the context of conflicts, oppressions and forced migration through Hmong story cloths, Afghanistan war rugs and Chilean arpilleras, in often male-dominated traditional craft communities.
This residency is made possible with support from the Ministry of Culture Taiwan.
