Taiwan: Preserving memories of Losheng · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

The Losheng Sanatorium was built in 1929 by Japanese government when Japan colonized Taiwan. It was originally named Rakusei Sanatorium for Lepers of Governor-General of Taiwan (台灣總督府癩病療養樂生院）. During the Japanese colonial period, leprosy patients were forced to live in the sanatorium for quarantine and treatment. Ironically, it has become their only home after all these years of isolation. However, due to the construction of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transportation, many buildings in the sanatorium were forced to be removed, and the residents dislocated.
The action of saving the Losheng Sanatorium has not been as successful as many people hoped. Many buildings in the sanatorium have been and are still being torn down. Yet, many still try very hard to keep the Losheng community together and preserve their memory of their dear home. Masao Okabe's frottage workshop is one of the initiatives.
The demolished Losheng Sanatorium. Photo courtesy of Chyng.
The Japanese frottage artist, Masao Okabe (岡部昌生; ヴェネチア・ビエンナーレ) heard the story about the Losheng Sanatorium, and he decided  to hold a frottage workshop to help people preserve their memory of Losheng. The frottage workshop was held on 3/22, for the sanatorium residents and their supporters. There are a number of carry-on discussions about the workshop.
about_fish talked about what she thinks about frottage.
「你跟土地最近的距離，有多遠？」
這是我看到日本拓繪家岡部昌生創作過程的照片後，最想問自己的話。
This is the question I want to ask myself most after watching the photos that present how Japanese frottage artist, Masao Okabe, rubbing a crayon over a piece of paper.
「拓繪」是種把紙覆蓋在物質表面上，擷取歷史痕跡的藝術，要擷取土地的記憶，必須要趴下或跪下或蹲下，跟土地達到零距離的接觸，持續一段時間才能完成。整個過程，宛似宗教的虔誠，越是抱著對歷史和土地的敬意，越能吸取彼此之間的對話。
Masao Okabe demonstrated the making of frottage art. Photo courtesy of loshengschool.
Photo courtesy of loshengschool.
In a forum held in the National Taiwan University,  Masao Okabe and his fellow Japanese artist, Chihiro Minato (港千尋; みなと ちひろ), talked about why they held the frottage workshop in the Losheng Sanatorium. Chihiro Minato said it is about we losing the memory of our past:
這次應邀來台，主要是為樂生院。我也想到，如果樂生院的建築都消失了，將來怎麼辦？我們社會目前記憶消失的問題很嚴重。
Masao Okabe talked about why he chooses frottage as the medium to preserve our memory:
城市宛如巨大的板木，人的生活、歷史和痕跡都在城市裡，所以想用紙張把城市的記憶拓下來。 …我對拓繪藝術最深刻的體會就是拓繪過程本身，在拓繪道路時，好像把城市的皮膚撿拾起來，藉以傳達那個城市的變化。
Annpo shared her experience of this frottage workshop.
和以往拍照不同，拓繪，是要去碰觸拓繪的物品…不可免地會細看物品，碰觸他，這個東西便和你產生了接觸的記憶關係，他便和你的生命連在一起了。而選擇拓的東西，必然是你對樂生感受深切的東西。
Chihiro Minato described how the sanatorium residents participated in the workshop.
今天下午我們到樂生院，跟樂生院民一起作拓繪。那裡的院民大部分都在樂生住了一輩子，對老人家來說，樂生幾乎就是他們的故鄉。…今天看到院民用蠟筆一起做拓繪，他們作過截肢的手其實不太方便，必須用失去手指的僅剩關節，小心夾住筆，再慢慢地摩擦拓繪。看到他們細心的動作，我非常感動…很像媽媽剛生小孩時，會對小孩輕輕撫摸的那種動作，這動作本身會 否激起院民們很原始的情感呢？
Masao Okabe talked about what he had learned from working with the sanatorium residents:
這些院民們面臨即將要失去他們故鄉的危機時，很容易了解我想要做的創作，帶著他們特有的情感去參與我的創作…我跟他們一起作拓繪，一邊聽他們講故事給我們聽，在物質之外，就會同時帶有過程中產生的新情感。
A sanatorium resident was watching the frottage art made in Losheng. Photo courtesy of Annpo.
In the workshop, the sanatorium residents shared their thoughts with other participants.
阿添伯細細地說，他非常仔細看了大家的作品，看大家眼中的樂生，大家拓下的記憶，不論是花草樹木石頭還是根，都和他的生命連在一起分不開了，他非常確認這是他的家，就算是剩下一顆小石頭，也是他的家。
A workshop participant, Annpo said her feelings were complicated because
這邊正在說明城市記憶的重要，如何以藝術記錄歷史，而傳進蓬萊舍的是轟隆隆的拆除工程聲音。
Uncle Lee chose the words he loves. Photo courtesy of loshengschool.
Gaea, another workshop participant, talked about how she was comforted by the frottage art created by Uncle Lee, a sanatorium residents:
我想起會長拓的「仁者無憂」。多讓人震驚與心疼。雖是控訴，但比起我們壓制不住的憤怒，他表現得如此寬容。
More photos about the frottage workshop are online.