[Back to work](https://cheyuwu.com/work/) Installation2024 # Sacred Forest Premiere Concert ![](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/dea1fec8-hero-2560.jpg) ![Makatau Rhapsody, flowers in bloom on the big screen, the orchestra below and Che-Yu Wu at his console on the left. Photograph: PTS](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/dea1fec8-hero-2560.jpg) Makatau Rhapsody, flowers in bloom on the big screen, the orchestra below and Che-Yu Wu at his console on the left. Photograph: PTS Exhibition year 2024 Type Installation Artist Che-Yu Wu 吳哲宇 Performance Saturday 29 June 2024, 7 pm, the outdoor premiere of Sacred Forest Venue Arts plaza of the National Theater and Concert Hall, Taipei Commissioned by Public Television Service (PTS) Music OneSong Orchestra, conducted by Lee Che-Yi Four pieces Song of Alishan, Atayal Overture, Makatau Rhapsody, April Rain Fantasia System p5.js scenes in a browser; TouchDesigner taking in a Leap Motion hand sensor, a Roland SPD-SX drum pad and four MIDI controllers: APC40, Launchpad, MiniLab 3 and Orba Audience More than two thousand (PTS press release) The film Sacred Forest, co-produced by PTS and NHK, first broadcast on PTS at 9 pm on 4 July 2024 and released on PTS+ the same night In the strata [The public record of 2024](https://cheyuwu.com/strata/2024/#lab-sacred-forest) Contents & work details Exhibition year 2024 Type Installation Artist Che-Yu Wu 吳哲宇 Performance Saturday 29 June 2024, 7 pm, the outdoor premiere of Sacred Forest Venue Arts plaza of the National Theater and Concert Hall, Taipei Commissioned by Public Television Service (PTS) Music OneSong Orchestra, conducted by Lee Che-Yi Four pieces Song of Alishan, Atayal Overture, Makatau Rhapsody, April Rain Fantasia System p5.js scenes in a browser; TouchDesigner taking in a Leap Motion hand sensor, a Roland SPD-SX drum pad and four MIDI controllers: APC40, Launchpad, MiniLab 3 and Orba Audience More than two thousand (PTS press release) The film Sacred Forest, co-produced by PTS and NHK, first broadcast on PTS at 9 pm on 4 July 2024 and released on PTS+ the same night In the strata The public record of 2024 Overview On the evening of 29 June 2024, PTS held the outdoor premiere of Sacred Forest: The Alishan Forest Railway, its 8K documentary co-produced with Japan’s NHK, on the arts plaza of the National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei; the PTS press release records more than two thousand people. Before the screening Lee Che-Yi led OneSong Orchestra, and the big-screen visuals for four of the pieces were made by Che-Yu Wu on commission from PTS: mountains at sunrise for Song of Alishan, golden sprouts growing out of the dark for the Atayal Overture, a field of flowers in bloom for the Makatau Rhapsody, and Soul Sea and SoulFish for April Rain Fantasia. He stood at a console on the left of the stage and played the visuals live with the orchestra. When Song of Alishan began, he raised his hand, and the sun came up behind the mountains. Three of the four grew out of works he already had: the mountains of Project %, The Soul of Flowers, Soul Sea and SoulFish. The scenes were written in p5.js and ran in a browser; signals from a Leap Motion hand sensor, an electronic drum pad and four MIDI controllers went into TouchDesigner first and reached the images through a small bridge program, so that the same rules could follow an orchestra on an outdoor screen. What PTS asked for at the planning meeting was that his gestures should be visible on the night, so that the audience could feel the images being made live. ![April Rain Fantasia, Che-Yu Wu reaching out at the left of the stage as a SoulFish swims across the screen above the orchestra](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/c672387f-photo-fish-wide.webp) April Rain Fantasia, Che-Yu Wu reaching out at the left of the stage as a SoulFish swims across the screen above the orchestra ![Makatau Rhapsody, grass and flowers filling the screen, Che-Yu Wu and his console on the left](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/539e37b1-photo-grass.webp) Makatau Rhapsody, grass and flowers filling the screen, Che-Yu Wu and his console on the left ![April Rain Fantasia, a SoulFish crossing the big screen above the orchestra and the console](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/902a85b5-photo-fish.webp) April Rain Fantasia, a SoulFish crossing the big screen above the orchestra and the console > At the summit of the hundred peaks, at the boundless beginning of the world, moving through the mountain mists that time keeps building, the ranges evolve with every sunrise and sunset at the edge of the horizon, performing in each present moment a dialogue between eternity and life. Che-Yu Wu, work statement for Island Impression, Poem of the Mountains, 30 March 2024 ## Four pieces, four sets of images In March 2024 he wrote the four sets of images up in two documents for PTS: the visual contents of 25 March listed how each section would be played, and the work statement of 30 March gave each one a name. Song of Alishan became Island Impression, Poem of the Mountains, an extension of Project %, mountains evolving at the edge of the horizon with every sunrise and sunset. The Atayal Overture became Revival of Life, Golden Evolution: particles born out of the void, answering the Atayal ancestral song “Live well”, putting out new branches with the rhythm. The Makatau Rhapsody became The Soul of Flowers, Fantasy in Bloom, generative Impressionist flowers opening in a wilderness of souls. April Rain Fantasia became Dream Sea Drift, Soul Sea and SoulFish: from the soul to the soul sea and the soul fish, until a whole shoal swims across the screen. He recorded a rehearsal demo for each piece; the file names date them 25 March for Song of Alishan, 6 May for the Atayal Overture and 7 May for April Rain Fantasia. A video of OneSong Orchestra plays in a corner of each recording, and he plays along to it to see whether the images can follow the sections of the music. Four pieces4 1. 01 ### Song of Alishan Island Impression, Poem of the Mountains - Raise a hand to summon the sunrise and steer the sun - Mountains rising, the view panning - Colour changes on the beat On screenThe mountains of Project % 2. 02 ### Atayal Overture Revival of Life, Golden Evolution - New branches on the notes of the rhythm - The picture scrolling down - New colours each section On screenGolden sprouts in the dark 3. 03 ### Makatau Rhapsody The Soul of Flowers, Fantasy in Bloom - Hands up, the flowers grow faster - Where you wave decides where seeds fall - Grass on the beat On screenAn Impressionist field of flowers 4. 04 ### April Rain Fantasia Dream Sea Drift, Soul Sea and SoulFish - Waving sets how fast things appear and swim - Drum hits control light and dark On screenThe soul, the sea, fish, and finally a whole shoal Titles and gestures follow the two documents he gave PTS on 25 and 30 March 2024. The four sets of images4 [video](https://cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/) Song of Alishan: mountains and the sun [video](https://cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/) Atayal Overture: golden sprouts [video](https://cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/) Makatau Rhapsody: a field of flowers [video](https://cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/) April Rain Fantasia: a SoulFish From his rehearsal demos, cropped to remove the orchestra video in the corner and the software interface; six silent looping seconds each. ## One table, six controllers At the planning meeting on 4 June, PTS hoped for gestures the audience could see on the night, so that they could feel the art being made live. He handed in a device layout: the APC40 to switch pieces, the SPD-SX drum pad to drum and let the beats set off the images, the Launchpad to trigger effects, the MiniLab keyboard to change size and colour most of the time, the Orba to wave and summon the mountains, and the Leap Motion to read the movement of his hands. At the start of Song of Alishan he raised his hand to summon the sunrise: TouchDesigner read the height of his palm from the Leap Motion and passed it to the mountain scene as the height of the sun. The other pieces each had their own gestures: in the Atayal Overture new branches grew with the notes of the rhythm and each new section brought a new set of colours; in the Makatau Rhapsody raising both hands made the flowers grow faster and the position of a wave decided where seeds fell; in April Rain Fantasia waving changed how fast the creatures appeared and swam, and drum hits controlled light and dark. ![The device layout he gave PTS (4 June 2024)](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/9784d4ed-photo-devices.webp) The device layout he gave PTS (4 June 2024) ![Che-Yu Wu beside his console on stage. Photograph: PTS](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/f7a54874-photo-station.webp) Che-Yu Wu beside his console on stage. Photograph: PTS ## From rehearsal to the night The rehearsal was on the evening of 28 June: OneSong Orchestra took its places on stage, Che-Yu Wu stood at the console on the left, and the images on the big screen went through the music with the orchestra once. The performance was the next evening, 29 June. It rained, and the audience sat in raincoats. The two films below were shot by the same camera set up below the stage: one shows contour lines on the screen at the rehearsal, the other the mountains on the night. The big screen at rehearsal and on the night2 [video](https://cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/) 28 June rehearsal: contour lines on the screen, the orchestra below [video](https://cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/) The night of 29 June: a pink sky, a crescent moon and mountains Shot from a fixed camera; six silent looping seconds each. ![28 June rehearsal: Che-Yu Wu at the console, the orchestra and green mountains on the big screen](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/535f4242-photo-rehearsal-desk.webp) 28 June rehearsal: Che-Yu Wu at the console, the orchestra and green mountains on the big screen ![The performance on 29 June: Che-Yu Wu at the console, the conductor and orchestra, generated images on the screen](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/e05be4cc-photo-show-stage.webp) The performance on 29 June: Che-Yu Wu at the console, the conductor and orchestra, generated images on the screen ## The night Online registration through the PTS Friends programme was full by 6 June. The running order PTS drafted in May had Song of Alishan open the evening at seven, then speeches, then a musical tribute in which the orchestra played the Atayal Overture, the Makatau Rhapsody, April Rain Fantasia and three other pieces, and the screening at eight. The big 8K screen stood behind the orchestra, and the images for all four pieces were made on it. PTS broadcast the documentary at 9 pm on 4 July, releasing it on PTS+ the same night. Three of the sources have their own pages on this site: Project % · Island, The Soul of Flowers, Soul Sea and SoulFish. That October the mountains of Project % appeared again as a vertical film on AUO’s booth at ART TAIPEI, as Algorithmic Verses: Island Impressions, Poems of the Hundred Peaks. The journey11 1. 01 ### 1 March 2024 The PTS commission’s contract period begins 2. 02 ### 25 March 2024 Visual contents and the demo for Song of Alishan 3. 03 ### 30 March 2024 Work statement for the four sets of images 4. 04 ### 6 May 2024 Demo for the Atayal Overture 5. 05 ### 7 May 2024 Demo for April Rain Fantasia 6. 06 ### 4 June 2024 Meeting with PTS; the device layout 7. 07 ### 26 June 2024 Stage and screen up; testing at the desk in the evening 8. 08 ### 27 June 2024 Night test; images on the big screen 9. 09 ### 28 June 2024 Rehearsal with the orchestra on stage 10. 10 ### 29 June 2024 The premiere on the plaza 11. 11 ### 4 July 2024 The documentary’s first broadcast on PTS Dates follow the contract, the names of documents and demo files, meeting notes, the PTS press release, and the capture times of photos and films on site. ![26 June: the stage and screen just up](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/2c2702fa-photo-setup.webp) 26 June: the stage and screen just up ![28 June rehearsal: golden contour lines on the screen and the whole stage](https://media.cheyuwu.com/work/sacred-forest/2ae282d5-photo-rehearsal-stage.webp) 28 June rehearsal: golden contour lines on the screen and the whole stage Clippings and records8 - [**公共電視（新聞稿）**PressPTS and NHK’s Sacred Forest premieres in 8K2024-06-30](https://www.pts.org.tw/zh_tw/pr/latestnews/%E5%85%AC%E8%A6%9626%E5%91%A8%E5%B9%B4%E8%88%87NHK%E5%90%88%E8%A3%BD%E3%80%8A%E7%A5%9E%E6%9C%A8%E4%B9%8B%E6%A3%AE%E3%80%8B%E8%87%BA%E7%81%A3%E5%B1%B1%E6%9E%97%E6%96%B0%E7%B6%A0%E9%98%BF%E9%87%8C%E5%B1%B1%E6%9E%97%E9%90%B58K%E8%B6%85%E9%AB%98%E7%95%AB%E8%B3%AA%E7%8D%BB%E6%98%A0%E5%9C%8B%E4%BA%BA-80173297) - [**經濟日報**PressBringing the Alishan Forest Railway to the world2024-06-28](https://web.archive.org/web/20240708062445/https://money.udn.com/money/story/6722/8060623) - [**公視之友**Event pageThe premiere event page2024-06](https://web.archive.org/web/20240625203518/https://friends.pts.org.tw/action_detail.php?id=575) - [RecordStrata: the entry for 20242024-06-29cheyuwu.com](https://cheyuwu.com/strata/2024/#lab-sacred-forest) - [BeforeWhere the mountains came from: Project % · Island2022cheyuwu.com](https://cheyuwu.com/work/fabdao/) - [BeforeWhere the flowers came from: The Soul of Flowers2023cheyuwu.com](https://cheyuwu.com/work/soul-of-flowers/) - [BeforeWhere the fish came from: SoulFish2022cheyuwu.com](https://cheyuwu.com/work/soulfish/) - [BeforeWhere the sea came from: Soul Sea2021cheyuwu.com](https://cheyuwu.com/work/soulsea/) Clippings are the outside record, tags pages on this site along the same line. Every one opens. ## Credits Generative visuals, live operation Che-Yu Wu Production MONOLAB Commissioned by Public Television Service (PTS) Music OneSong Orchestra, conductor Lee Che-Yi Documentary Sacred Forest, co-produced by PTS and NHK Stage photographs PTS ## Context & sources - [PTS press release (30 June 2024)](https://www.pts.org.tw/zh_tw/pr/latestnews/%E5%85%AC%E8%A6%9626%E5%91%A8%E5%B9%B4%E8%88%87NHK%E5%90%88%E8%A3%BD%E3%80%8A%E7%A5%9E%E6%9C%A8%E4%B9%8B%E6%A3%AE%E3%80%8B%E8%87%BA%E7%81%A3%E5%B1%B1%E6%9E%97%E6%96%B0%E7%B6%A0%E9%98%BF%E9%87%8C%E5%B1%B1%E6%9E%97%E9%90%B58K%E8%B6%85%E9%AB%98%E7%95%AB%E8%B3%AA%E7%8D%BB%E6%98%A0%E5%9C%8B%E4%BA%BA-80173297) - [Strata: the public record of 2024 →](https://cheyuwu.com/strata/2024/#lab-sacred-forest) Exhibitions, research & collaborations [Contact the artist](https://cheyuwu.com/contact/?work=Sacred+Forest+Premiere+Concert&from=/work/sacred-forest/) ## Continue through the work ![Project % · Island](https://cheyuwu.com/static/img/fabdao/cover-2026-10.jpg) 2022 ### Project % · Island [https://cheyuwu.com/work/fabdao/](https://cheyuwu.com/work/fabdao/) ![The Soul of Flowers](https://cheyuwu.com/static/img/soul-of-flowers/cover-2026-09.jpg) 2023 ### The Soul of Flowers [https://cheyuwu.com/work/soul-of-flowers/](https://cheyuwu.com/work/soul-of-flowers/) ![SoulFish](https://cheyuwu.com/static/img/soulfish/cover-2026-09.jpg) 2022 ### SoulFish [https://cheyuwu.com/work/soulfish/](https://cheyuwu.com/work/soulfish/) ![SoulSea](https://cheyuwu.com/static/img/soulsea/cover-2026-09.jpg) 2021 ### SoulSea [https://cheyuwu.com/work/soulsea/](https://cheyuwu.com/work/soulsea/) ![The Boundary of Dreams and Solitude](https://cheyuwu.com/static/img/algorithmic-verses/cover-2026-10.jpg) 2025 ### The Boundary of Dreams and Solitude [https://cheyuwu.com/work/algorithmic-verses/](https://cheyuwu.com/work/algorithmic-verses/) ## Connected ### The same year - [StrataStrata 2024](https://cheyuwu.com/strata/2024/) - [WorkThe Flower of the Other Shore2024](https://cheyuwu.com/work/flower-of-the-other-shore/) - [WorkUrban Contour2024](https://cheyuwu.com/work/urban-contour/) ### Along the same thread - [WorkThe Eternal Garden in a Bottle2025](https://cheyuwu.com/work/eternal-garden-in-a-bottle/) - [WorkChaos Lab2022](https://cheyuwu.com/work/chaos-lab/) - [WorkThe Great Equation2023](https://cheyuwu.com/work/the-great-equation/) - [WorkThe Last Input — Before the End2026](https://cheyuwu.com/work/the-last-input/) 1 / 0