Articles

Taichung’s Gaomei Wetlands are famed for their breathtaking ‘sky mirror’ sunsets and rich biodiversity. Yet this beloved destination is under growing pressure from heavy tourism. In this in-depth interview, White Fungus editor Ron Hanson talks with Tunghai University wetland ecologist Professor Hui-Chen Lin about the fragile ecosystem, her long-term monitoring, and what must be done to protect it.

Taiwanese sound artist Yenting Hsu creates immersive works that explore encounters between natural forces and human-made environments—from the torrential rains of Typhoon Morakot to the metallic rhythms of Taipei’s "Blacksmith Street" and the everyday sounds of the Chenglong Wetlands. In this interview, White Fungus editor Ron Hanson speaks with Hsu about her practice and the fictional possibilities of sound.

Taiwanese interdisciplinary artist Hong-Kai Wang creates collaborative situations in which musicians, composers, and audiences engage in productive listening. Through experimental modes of sonic sociality, she turns collective listening into a mode of political engagement. In 2013, Wang’s frequent collaborator Mattin wrote about her work for the 13th print issue of White Fungus, now available online.

Scott Arford is a key figure in the San Francisco Bay Area’s new media art scene. He creates total immersive synesthetic environments in which the perceptual and physical qualities of sound and light merge into a disorienting, ecstatic whole. Trained as an architect, Arford approaches space as a continuous sensory field. Marcella Faustini interviewed him for White Fungus.

White Fungus has released its 18th print issue. The new edition features an 80-page interview with Eileen Myles, a deep dive into Hilma af Klint and the occult roots of modern art, and a photo essay by Yao Jui-Chung on animatronic displays of hell from temples in Taiwan and Singapore, accompanied by a text on the Chinese conception of hell.

Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe have released twin albums Lateral and Luminal on Verve Records. To mark the occasion, the duo partnered with KCRW on Feeling of the Day, a new series of radio spots exploring words for emotions with no equivalent in English. The first segment introduces “ailyak,” a Bulgarian word for the art of going slow and enjoying the process. Between studio sessions, Wolfe and Eno answered questions from White Fungus editor Ron Hanson about their evolving collaboration.