Trolley Coaster

SUPER SOUTH
The Taiwan Design Expo heads south to Pingtung, further than its’ ever been as we hope to showcase the abundance and warmth of Pingtung to the public. Consistent with the theme of Super South, we’ve extended the exhibit design of a supermarket into the entire exhibition space, transforming the Taiwan Sugar Civic Park into a bustling supermarket.
The Trolley Coaster, an installation, was used to connect the 6 exhibition spaces of the Super South – Supermarket. The two tracks, sometimes parallel and sometimes overlapping, carry a convoy of shopping carts that coasts along like roller coasters in a theme park.

Trolley Coaster Roaring Through the Supermarket
Most people in Taiwan are reminded of holidays when they think of Pingtung because most of the times they travel to the warm and lively Pingtung for vacations and they always bring home a cart full of happy memories. This is a similar sentiment that we share for trolleys: when an empty trolley begins to fill up, our hearts also grow satisfied. Going on a trip as a kid meant first going to the supermarket to stock up on snacks and that kind of joy just doesn’t disappear with age. Connecting the two happy memories inspired us to create the Trolley Coaster, an installation that we believe can bring the audience back to a happy vacation and correspond with the concept of the Super South – Supermarket.
Standing at an impressive 606m2, the main venue is expansive and holds two tracks that are sometimes overlapping and a convoy of trolleys winding down the tracks like roller coasters in a theme park. The visitors will be able to see the trolleys coasting down the tracks but also hear the sounds of the trolley which inevitably reminds them of a supermarket thus transforming the design expo into a happy and vibrant Super South Supermarket.

Design in Full Force & Professionalism in Motion
The dynamic installation, Trolley Coaster, was a joint effort between the government and the public. The tracks were designed and produced by glove puppetry stage cart technicians. The Pingtung County Government and Taiwan Design Center collaborated with a private corporation (Carrefour) to borrow trolleys for the installation, lowering costs and potential waste of resources. All trolleys part of the trolley coaster will be safely returned to Carrefour after the exhibit to continue serving the public.

Recycling Materials for an Eco-friendly Exhibit
Many large exhibits produce a large amount of waste which is why this time, we chose to take advantage of materials that could largely be recycled and reused. As the exhibit would only last for two weeks, we had already planned for where everything will go after the exhibit in the very early stages of planning and we’ve already found a home for the trolleys, scaffolds, motors, tracks, wheels, and canvas. We hope that the public will be able to see beyond the designs exhibited at the Taiwan Design Expo and experience the carefully designed plans and presentations that may be formless but ultimately exhibit the true strength of Taiwan’s designs.