Abstract
The Partners’ Memorial, composed of seven works of glass-wall installation art, is located on the south side of the landmark Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei City, Taiwan. Its bright colors and eye-catching features have made this memorial a popular spot for tourists and passengers to stop and take pictures. However, few people are aware that it was erected to honor workers killed in the 331 Earthquake in 2002 during the construction of the Taipei 101 building. At the expiration of the 20th anniversary of the 331 earthquakes, this 2-year-research plan traces the occupational injuries, the tripartite negotiations for the Partners’ memorial, the trauma experience of the dead workers’ family members, and the labor policy change caused by the event. The research uses archival data collection, on-site inspections, in-depth interviews, and other methods to explore the memorial subject, investigate the follow-up influence of the mourning on the dead workers’ families, and the significance of the public memorial to individual traumatic experiences. The two-year-long plan, in addition to the officially published academic research papers, involves the participation of the dead workers’ family members through touring seminars, field tours, and action research group discussions. The democratic-participation approach to establishing labor memorials promotes community identity and facilitates the creation of a platform for public dialogue.
Presenters
Yu-ling Kuassistant professor, Graduate Institute of Transdisciplinary Studies on Creative Writing and Literature, Taipei National University of the Arts, Taiwan
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Museum Transformations: Pathways to Community Engagement
KEYWORDS
Taipei 101, Partners’ Memorial, Occupational injuries, Collective memory, Trauma
