今年的藝術家們活力充沛，昨天開始就騎著YouBike來回淡水和關渡，沿途欣賞淡水河風光。今天上午請到關渡自然公園資深志工呂光洋老師來為藝術家們介紹公園的動植物生態，呂老師是台灣重量級的兩棲、爬行動物專家，談起植物和鳥種也是信手捻來，眼神閃閃發亮。藝術家們仔細觀察起植物的形狀、硬度，思考它們可否成為創作的材料，也熱烈地和呂老師討論外來種（如福壽螺）跟人類生活和棲地生態之間的互動關係、從關渡的漁撈文化想到傳統漁具的編織方法…一邊敞開心胸探索，一邊腦筋轉個不停，開始構想作品的概念、場地和素材了！

下午大夥一起到關渡宮和關渡老街走走，由台灣藝術家小白為大家介紹祭儀的步驟（據說小白這次的創作希望探討關渡的信仰和土地的關係，讓我們拭目以待！），看大家多麼誠懇地向關渡媽祖打招呼呀！散步回來後，環境部的同仁品秀跟我們分享了公園長年進行的幾項研究計畫：怎樣從鳥類、底棲生物等數據，看出目前棲地狀態，來選擇適合的維護方法，初步回應了藝術家們對於淡水河河川汙染情況的好奇。大家都很認真，提了不少問題，很期待藝術家們怎麼繼續發掘關渡的各種故事！

The 2016 artists are very energetic! They figured out how to use YouBike yesterday and started to bike between Tamsui and Guandu to enjoy the view along the Tamsui River. This morning we had our guest speaker, Prof. Kuang-Yang Lue, who is an expert on amphibians and reptiles as well as an experienced volunteer of Guandu Nature Park, to give us a lesson on ecology in the Park. The artists followed Prof. Lue to observe plants and animals, and they developed questions about the alien species, the local fishing culture, leaves and seeds for use, and so on. In short, for the present stage, they are open for any ideas for their artwork, in terms of design concepts, locations, and materials.

After lunch we took a walk to Guandu Temple and the old street area. Pai, the Taiwanese artist of this year, introduced the manners and rituals of the Temple to the other artists. He also plans to put the idea of religious rituals into his artwork. At around 4 o’clock, Lisa from the Habitat Management Department gave us a brief introduction on the research projects they’ve been doing, including bird and benthic surveys on their amounts, types, and locations, so as to find the proper ways of management to keep the habitats healthy. Her talk was a quick response to the artists' curiosity on how the Tamsui River has been polluted. Today the artists have done a great job being good “students” by thinking deeply and raising interesting questions. We’ll see what further stories they’re going to find during the following days.