Jung-Mei Wou, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Architecture at Taiwan Tech, won 13 awards this year, including double gold at the MUSE Design Awards and gold at the MUSE Photography Awards. Previously, her public art piece “City of Light” in Taichung’s Maple Garden won a bronze award in the Public Art category at the 2022 A’Design Awards in Italy.

Wou's aesthetic practice reflects her social ideals. Her installation “Alchemy Garden”, featuring four sculptures: “Flight”, “Eternity”, “Heart of the Maze”, and “Metamorphosis”, received double gold at the American MUSE Design Awards for Concept Design and Concept Exhibition Design. Her designs stem from a concern for the sustainable development of the world and the waste generated by rapid consumption.

The social sculpture installation “Alchemy Garden” includes four sculptures: “Flight” (first from left), “Eternity” (second from right), “Heart of the Maze” (first from right), and “Metamorphosis” (second from left).

Jung-Mei Wou pointed out that in recent years, there has been a high demand for 3C products and a high replacement rate, but the recycling rate remains low. Her work “Alchemy Garden” reveals humanity's reverence for nature, with sculptures inspired by natural organisms. “Metamorphosis” symbolizes transformation, metaphorically representing the alchemy of recycling and renewal. Through ritualistic performance, images of natural landscapes captured on 81 unused electronic devices (mobile phones and tablets) are projected onto the sculptures. The illusion created by the interweaving of images, sculptures, and light and shadow becomes a memoir of praising nature in the human heart. This process invites recycled electronic products to undergo a ceremonial transformation, embodying sustainable art.

Professor Jung-Mei Wu showcases her award-winning piece “Inseparable” from the HRD DESIGN AWARDS 2011 in Belgium, a contemporary jewelry piece created with a sculptural concept that transcends species boundaries to highlight the harmonious interaction between natural creatures - birds and humans. On the wall, her double gold award-winning sculpture installation “Alchemy Garden” from the 2024 MUSE DESIGN AWARDS is displayed.

This year, Wou also employed pictorialism to interpret her sculptures, creating pure light trails in unique environments under controlled lighting. Her series “Transcending Limits”, “Milky Way”, “Dandelion Fantasia”, and “Victory Goddess in Flight” won 11 gold awards at the American MUSE Photography Awards.

On the left is the photographic work “Dandelion Fantasia” and in the middle and right are photos from the “Transcending Limits” series, capturing the essence of the sculpture “Flight”. These photos ensure no objects cast shadows on the mirror-polished metal sculpture, creating pure light trails and points of light. These works won gold in the professional categories of “Abstract” in Art Photography and “Art” in Black and White Photography at the MUSE Photography Awards.

Professor Jung-Mei Wou's large metalworks are distinct in that they do not stabilize their centers of gravity through welding at the base, as is commonly seen. Instead, they are designed with a balance that astonishes viewers with their remarkable equilibrium without external support. For example, her permanent public art piece “City of Light” in Taichung's Maple Garden Ecological Park utilizes an internal stainless steel tube structure covered with stainless steel sheets, avoiding painted steel plates. She challenges mechanical constraints to perfectly reduce wind pressure on the sculpture, achieving a light and soaring image through shape curvature and surface treatment. Wu believes public art must have its public nature, and need to dialogue with the public and resonate with its environment.

The permanent public art piece “City of Light” in Taichung's Maple Garden Ecological Park is depicted on the left under daylight and on the right illuminated by colorful beams at night.

After completing her studies abroad and returning to Taiwan, Jung-Mei Wou has been teaching at Taiwan Tech for 17 years. She emphasizes that both creating art and teaching are equally important. Teaching is not just about imparting knowledge but also sharing creative experiences. Through interaction and feedback with students, teaching and learning are mutually beneficial.

The MUSE Design Awards, established by the International Awards Associates (IAA) in 2015, aim to recognize outstanding original design works globally, gathering interdisciplinary design thinking. Similarly, the MUSE Photography Awards acknowledge exceptional talent and creativity in pushing the boundaries of photography. Professor Jung-Mei Wu's sculpture installation “Alchemy Garden” received the Concept Design Gold Award and the Concept Design Exhibition Gold Award at the MUSE Design Awards. Her photography series, including “Galaxy”, “The Winged Nike”, “Soaring Beyond Limits” and “Dandelion Fantasia” earned 11 gold awards in the professional category at the MUSE Photography Awards.