有河之靈The Spirit of Water｜臺灣水體的精神生態 The Spiritual Ecosystem of Water Body

世界各洲以大洋相連，人們對「水」始終懷抱複雜的情感。
羊水是人類最初的居所，海洋則是萬物的起源。水，既是生命的開端，也是信仰與文化交織之處。

當無形的水凝聚成形，成為變幻莫測的河流、深不見底的湖、與難以度量的海，它們自成一方與陸地隔絕的「他界」，令人畏懼其深邃，也寄予無限想像。

在臺灣的水信仰中，原住民族神話描繪祖先來自海洋，或因洪水遷徙至高山的敘事；平原上流傳著「青暝蛇做大水」的說法，形容溪河如盲蛇般任性改道。人們為生活開井建圳，並祭祀水靈；西拉雅族以壺盛水祭祖，沿海居民則迎神船渡海驅疫。

《有河之靈》將這些關於水的記憶與信仰，融入一座抽象的臺灣地景展台上。地形模擬自高山溪流至海口的地貌，觀者入場時先望見高山，繼而潛入冥河，在眾神與眾生的喧嘩中穿行，沿途經過江河、埤圳、河口，再登山溯源。於高低起伏之間，看見、聽見不同族群的水祭儀式、信仰工藝與故事傳說，也彷彿親身經歷了一段由水之靈引導的旅程。

Across the continents, oceans connect the world—yet water has always stirred complex emotions.
Amniotic fluid is our first home; the ocean, the origin of all life. Water marks both the beginning of existence and the place where culture and belief intertwine.

When shapeless water takes form—as shifting rivers, unfathomable lakes or immeasurable seas—it becomes an “otherworld”, set apart from land. We fear its depth, yet imbue it with boundless imagination.

In Taiwan’s diverse water beliefs, Indigenous myths describe ancestors emerging from the ocean or migrating to the mountains after great floods. On the plains, tales speak of the “blind serpent” that swells rivers and reshapes their course. Communities have dug wells, built irrigation channels, and held rituals to honor water spirits. The Siraya people offered ancestral rites with jars of water; coastal villagers send divine boats across the sea to ward off disease.

The Spirit of Water gathers these memories and beliefs into an abstract model of Taiwan’s landscape. The terrain flows from mountain streams to river mouths. Visitors first glimpse the highlands, then descend into an underworld river, weaving through gods and mortals, past rivers, canals, and estuaries—before returning to the source. Amid rising and falling terrain, one encounters the rituals, crafts, and stories of Taiwan’s many communities, and journeys through a realm quietly guided by the spirits of water.