Changguang tribe, Amis people
Born 1959, Changbin township, Taitung County, Taiwan
Lives and works in Taitung

Amis artist Ruby Swana returned to her home on Taiwan’s rugged east coast in the late 1990s, where she became a central figure in the multi-ethnic group of creators known as yishi buluo, the ‘consciousness tribe’. Leading artistic and activist efforts around sustainable, zero-waste living, she developed sculptures and installations in the group’s trademark material of driftwood, adding romantic touches with glass and illumination.

Commissioned for APT10, Dancer of Light is a room-based installation inspired by the Amis legend of Tiyamacan, a woman who glowed so beautifully that she mesmerised the sea god, Ferarakas; after he caused a devastating flood, Tiyamacan was forced to accept the deity’s advances. The sparkling waves symbolise her longing for her family. Using everyday materials like aluminium foil, cellophane and smartphone torches, Swana has created a reflective environment of wavelike light, which dances across the walls, to forge a personal connection with this ancient indigenous soul.