AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

The Chimei Museum collections become the world's largest musical instruments of historical significance in 2021, in particular violins and other string instruments by famous artisans. During the past 30 years, Chimei Museum is well-known for the loans the antique instruments to distinguished musicians free of charge. For receiving a new normal lifestyle after certain prevention rules in epidemic years, an innovative exhibition project in Chimei Museum has planned the Outside Box special exhibition for 30th anniversary celebration since 2021. The exhibition named ‘When Machine Meets Art’ opened in June 3rd, 2023. The values of exhibition impart stories for Chimei founder Mr. Wen-Long Shi’s thinking outside the box from antique machines, showcased by eight artists from six different countries who draw inspirations from machines and industrial materials. It illustrated their unconventional ways of creativity with interpretation how art-work used by daily materials.

National Science and Technology Museum is national-level applied science museum located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Industrial machinery and tools are common for NSTM collections that include typewriters, sewing machine and lathe. Chimei Museum’s antique industrial objects were carefully selected after conjunction with NSTM collections researchers examined objects’ condition and evaluated the historical meaning in industry. The purpose of the study will focused on the antique machine collections and a discussion the relation between early machine’s conservation and exhibition. In addition, give Outside the Box exhibition insight a summary and interpretation after exploring the connections between industrial innovation, social changes, and artistic creativity.