Vessels That Carry Life is a site-specific installation of semi-glazed stoneware casts of common plastic water bottles. By transforming a common plastic bottle into fired clay, Vessels That Carry Life invites viewers to reflect on the value of water.
    Presented in Taipei’s Treasure Hill, this sculptural installation of ceramic “bottles” engages with the site’s histories and their connection to water. For many generations, the Xindian River provided a lifeline to Treasure Hill residents, serving as a source of drinking water, fishing, gravel for makeshift construction, and everyday needs. During the early years of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan, water-borne illnesses such as cholera caused thousands of deaths due to inadequate public sanitation. Then, in 1909, Gongguan District, home to Treasure Hill, became the birthplace of Taipei’s first modern water system, due to its proximity to the Xindian River at the foot of Guanyin Mountain, leading to the city’s growth.
    The ceramic "bottles" embody the site’s layered histories of water, both as a source of life and a site of loss, by transforming the present-day plastic bottle into the traditional material of ceramic and using glazes that evoke hues of polluted waters.

Materials: Semi-glazed stoneware
Dimensions: 9 in x 30 in x 30 in
Special Thanks to: 抱瓶庵陶藝事空間 Versammeln
Date: 2026