YEARNING FOR A PIECE OF TURF
期盼一片草皮
A Social Design Strategy for Fatigued Cultural Subjects via
the Museum as a Trusted Civic Medium針對疲勞文化者的社會設計：
透過美術館作為信賴的公共空間策略
2026
Social DesignAcademic InstitutionKolding School of Design
Collaboration PartnersNational Taiwan University of Arts Our Museum
學術機構丹麥科靈設計學院
合作機構有章藝術博物館 國立臺灣藝術大學
Yearning for a Piece of Turf
In hyper-capitalist environments, rest is often treated as laziness. With that perspective in mind, this project addresses urban burnout among exhausted city professionals and explores how art museums can serve as trusted public spaces for recovery. The outcome is a toolkit that supports the right to rest. Through a slow, non-goal-oriented weaving activity in artificial grass, it creates a pressure-free setting. This allows people to experience collective solitude while safely stepping away from performance metrics.期盼一片草皮
在高度資本主義的環境下， 「休息」 往往被視為一種怠惰。帶著這樣的反思，本計畫試圖回應疲憊都市工作者的過勞現象，並探索美術館如何轉化為大眾所信賴的修復性公共空間。計畫的最終產出是一套捍衛 「休息權」 的工具包。透過緩慢、無目的性的人造草皮編織，這項設計介入創造出一個毫無壓力的環境。讓參與者得以在集體獨處的陪伴中，安全地抽離日常的績效指標壓力。
RESEARCH THROUGH WORKSHOPS
透過工作坊進行田野調查
Workshop 01
The First Encounter and Methodological Friction
This initial workshop served as an exploratory probe. The primary objective was to establish a flattened, egalitarian space by utilizing specific interactive facilitation techniques.
Flattening Hierarchies
To dissolve the rigid seniority and hierarchical structures typical of Taiwanese environments, a nickname-based protocol was introduced. This successfully bridged the gap between museum staff and general participants, creating an atmosphere of equal standing.Narrative Ice-breaking and Emotional Catharsis
An orange ball functioned as a symbolic microphone during a collaborative storytelling exercise. Participants constructed a mock resignation letter using a structured prompt: "Dear Boss, because my [work tool] failed, I cannot do [hated task], and due to occupational burnout, I am going to the prairie to [forbidden desire]." This process provided a crucial outlet for emotional catharsis and cognitive offloading.The Boundary Object Projection
Using artist Shih Po-Hsiang's public sculpture as a mediating medium, I posed a core question to the participants: "If you did not have to work tomorrow, what creature would you become on the prairie?" This prompt was designed to trigger unfettered imagination.Key Finding: The Invisible Anxiety of Representational Fixation
This was the most critical discovery of the session. Despite highly positive engagement, allowing participants to use smartphones for visual references inadvertently caused methodological friction. Their imagination was severely constrained by a desire for realism and correctness, which ultimately triggered a competitive performance anxiety. Recognizing this cognitive drain, the design intervention for the subsequent workshop was deliberately adjusted to enforce an intentional digital decoupling. This pivot was necessary to help participants reclaim their mental space and focus purely on immersive imagination rather than rendering realistic biological forms.第一場工作坊
初次相遇與預期落差
這場工作坊是初次探索，主要目的是透過一些互動技巧來建立一個去階級化的平權空間。
打破階級
為了消除台灣環境中常見的僵化長幼與位階觀念，工作坊導入了 「暱稱機制」 ，成功拉近了美術館工作人員與一般參與者之間的距離。敘事破冰與情緒宣洩
利用一顆 「橘色球」 作為象徵性的麥克風，邀請參與者進行共同敘事。大家透過一個結構化的提示句接力創作了一封 「假辭職信」 （例如：老闆，因為我的某工具壞了，我無法做某件討厭的事，因為過勞，我要去草原上做某件渴望的事）。這個過程為參與者提供了情緒宣洩與認知卸載的出口。邊界物件的投射
以藝術家施柏翔的公共藝術雕塑為媒介，向參與者拋出一個核心提問： 「如果明天不用上班，你會在草原上變成什麼生物？」 以此引發想像。關鍵洞察：寫實的執著形成的無形焦慮
這是本場活動最重要的發現。雖然參與者的互動非常積極，但因為 「允許使用手機」 尋找視覺參考，參與者反而被 「追求寫實與正確性」 的慾望所侷限，產生了表現競爭的焦慮。因此下場工作坊的設計介入調整為 「刻意的數位斷線」 ，幫助參與者專注在想像上，而非寫實的生物。Workshop 02
Projecting the Inner Self onto Nature
Diverging from the first session, we observed a critical methodological friction: allowing smartphone access caused participants to fixate on representational realism. The creative process inadvertently devolved into a display of technical skill burdened by social performance pressure.
To counter this cognitive drain, the second workshop strictly banned digital devices to reclaim mental space. I invited the participants to reflect: Upon psychological detachment from work, what entity would you become? Beyond yourself, what does your personal sanctuary look like, and what tactile environment surrounds you?
The generated artifacts revealed that their imagined sanctuaries were not monolithic green spaces. They were vibrant environments exposing a profound subconscious yearning for sunlight, water, and tactile softness. This validated the hypothesis that professionals experiencing high cognitive fatigue harbor a deep need for natural environments and sensory engagement. This crucial feedback informed a deliberate shift toward tangible, tactile mediums for our subsequent intervention.
第二場工作坊
將內在的自我投射在大自然中
有別於上一場工作坊，因為允許參與者使用手機，導致參與者在「想像」的過程中會過份執著於寫實，而非沈浸式的想像，工作坊產出成果也成為一種有社交壓力的炫技。
所以在第二場工作坊中，則限制參與者使用手機。在引導上，邀請參與者思考當自己解脫於工作後，會成為什麼角色？而除了自己本身，也請試著將那片淨土透過繪畫呈現出來。那片淨土會有什麼？還有其他的動物或昆蟲與你一起嗎？是什麼樣的天氣，有著什麼樣植物與環境？
這週工作坊的產出，發現參與者心中的那片淨土並非單一的綠色草原，而是充滿色彩的環境，反映出對於陽光、水源與柔軟觸感的深刻渴望。這個發現驗證了工作坊進行前的假設，面臨壓力的工作者或許在淺意識中，有對於自然環境與觸覺體驗的需求，這樣的反饋，讓我在下次工作坊中，藉由改變參與媒材來引導參與者有不同的發想體驗。
Workshop 03
The Art of Doing Nothing
The final workshop marked a critical turning point for this project. By intentionally cultivating a no-preparation, no-agenda environment, the intervention naturally attracted fatigued professionals seeking pure decompression.
We discarded traditional drawing tools for tactile materials like yarn and masking tape, actively avoiding any framework that might trigger oppressive pedagogical memories. Surprisingly, these tangible materials unlocked a profound level of imagination.
One participant sculpted a large hand equipped with eyes and ears, but completely lacking a mouth. He explained: ”I hope to become a creature that can move, hear, and see, but does not need to speak.“
This perfectly captured the core field insight. Initially, I designed this project to alleviate stress through soft socialization. However, interviews revealed that fatigued professionals actively reject anything resembling a task after hours. In a hyper-utilitarian society, forced socialization merely feels like unpaid overtime. Their true healing came from pure, a-teleological play.
Knowing this, we used their sculpted creatures as avatars to engage in implicit, pressure-free socialization. On the surface, the workshop might have seemed devoid of productive meaning. Yet, hearing almost every participant express genuine happiness at the end of the session was the most profound academic and personal feedback I could have ever received.
工作坊 03
無所事事的工作坊
最終場的工作坊是這個計畫的關鍵轉捩點。透過刻意營造 「無須準備、沒有目的」 的工作坊提案，這場活動自然地吸引了不少只想在下班後獲得體驗的參與者。
這場工作坊捨棄了傳統的繪圖工具，改用毛線與膠帶等具備實體觸感的媒材進行發想，藉此避開那些容易喚起過往上學感的框架。我原先以為不用繪畫的方式進行發想，會造成參與者很大的阻礙，沒想到他們比我想像的更厲害，透過蓬鬆的毛線、實體的媒材，反而讓他們有更大的想像力。
其中一位參與者捏塑出一隻大手，上頭只有眼睛和耳朵，卻沒有嘴巴的雕塑。他說：「我希望自己成為一個可以移動、可以聽、可以看，卻無需說話的生物。」
在工作坊結束後，訪談時間我與參與者一同討論下班後的休閒娛樂，這個計畫最初是希望透過軟性的社交，來解決個人面對壓力的孤獨感。但他們告訴我，他們喜歡的是沒有任何目的的純粹把玩，這給他們帶來一種療癒。疲憊的上班族在下班後，排斥帶有目的性的任務（task），在高度功利導向的社會中，社交只會成為一種額外加班。
我並沒有在工作坊的邀請文案中提及 「這個活動需要互動」 ，因為我相信只要提到互動，就會讓參與者感到排斥。但這個活動最後還是邀請參與者一同編織一個故事，講述彼此的角色如何變成朋友的冒險故事，透過像是玩玩偶的替身方式來進行隱性社交。
而這場工作坊的參與者因為相較內向，更需要工作坊領導人的參與，所以我也一起參與這個活動，在故事中斷的情境下介入，拼拼湊湊的完成一個故事。
這三週的工作坊結束後，有些參與者選擇把作品帶回家，有些則留給我當作研究材料。可能這是一個沒有什麼意義的工作坊，但是幾乎每一位參與者在結束後，都跟我說他們今天很開心，這就是我獲得最好的回饋了。
WORKSHOP ON GRASS
草地上的工作坊
Workshop 01
The First Encounter and Methodological Friction
This initial workshop served as an exploratory probe. The primary objective was to establish a flattened, egalitarian space by utilizing specific interactive facilitation techniques.
Flattening Hierarchies
To dissolve the rigid seniority and hierarchical structures typical of Taiwanese environments, a nickname-based protocol was introduced. This successfully bridged the gap between museum staff and general participants, creating an atmosphere of equal standing.Narrative Ice-breaking and Emotional Catharsis
An orange ball functioned as a symbolic microphone during a collaborative storytelling exercise. Participants constructed a mock resignation letter using a structured prompt: "Dear Boss, because my [work tool] failed, I cannot do [hated task], and due to occupational burnout, I am going to the prairie to [forbidden desire]." This process provided a crucial outlet for emotional catharsis and cognitive offloading.The Boundary Object Projection
Using artist Shih Po-Hsiang's public sculpture as a mediating medium, I posed a core question to the participants: "If you did not have to work tomorrow, what creature would you become on the prairie?" This prompt was designed to trigger unfettered imagination.Key Finding:
The Invisible Anxiety of Representational Fixation
This was the most critical discovery of the session. Despite highly positive engagement, allowing participants to use smartphones for visual references inadvertently caused methodological friction. Their imagination was severely constrained by a desire for realism and correctness, which ultimately triggered a competitive performance anxiety. Recognizing this cognitive drain, the design intervention for the subsequent workshop was deliberately adjusted to enforce an intentional digital decoupling. This pivot was necessary to help participants reclaim their mental space and focus purely on immersive imagination rather than rendering realistic biological forms.第一場工作坊：
初次相遇與預期落差
這場工作坊是初次探索，主要目的是透過一些互動技巧來建立一個去階級化的平權空間。