TAMING THE BEAST

Taming the Beast is an installation composed of repurposed textiles, forming a series of amorphous, expanding structures. These shifting forms embody the anxiety surrounding the uncontrollable excess of industrial and consumer waste—material that continuously mutates rather than disappears. The work reflects a transitional moment in which society struggles to confront the scale of its own production while searching for alternative models of responsibility and transformation. 

Designed as a modular system, the installation can be reconfigured in response to different sites. It was exhibited in Changhua City and Taipei City before completing its trajectory by returning to the factory that donated the textile waste used in its creation. This circular journey mirrors the work’s central inquiry: how discarded materials might re-enter cycles of use through cultural and collective processes.

Throughout its development across locations, the public was invited to participate by learning basic weaving techniques and adding new layers to the installation. This participatory process functioned both as material construction and as an open platform for dialogue about the textile industry, waste accumulation, and the urgent search for sustainable alternatives. As layers accumulated, the work continuously transformed, shifting in form and color, thickening its surface, and renewing itself through use. This evolving “skin” reflects the artwork’s core themes of growth, research, and maturation. 

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Taming the Beast proposes a partial but tangible response to the waste crisis by repositioning discarded materials as resources for cultural production. It advocates for collaboration between artists, manufacturers, cultural institutions, and the public to extend the life cycle of materials. Allowing the waste to become the creative resources of tomorrow may be one way to begin taming the beast.

All the fabric is repurposed material donated by Yee Chain International Co.