Woman falls off art installation on east Taiwan beach

東台灣海灘上，一女子從裝置藝術上墜落

Second incident to hit art show within month


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A woman fell off an art installation in the second incident in a month occurring at Taitung County beach, reports said Wednesday (April 5).

The artwork involved in the latest accident was a 120-meter-long two-story wooden walkway leading up to the beach. While the lower-level section connected to a staircase down to the sand, the upper-level walkway ended without any railing to keep visitors from moving ahead, UDN reported.

A woman reportedly took a wrong step while taking a picture Wednesday morning and landed in the sand two floors below. Because of its height above the beach offering excellent views of the ocean, the installation was popular with tourists and photographers, though a sign said only 10 people were allowed on the walkway simultaneously.

After the morning’s accident, authorities closed off the work of art with yellow tape across the upper walkway. Visitors arriving on the last day of the April 1-5 Tomb Sweeping Festival were disappointed they were not allowed to enter the structure, per UDN.

On March 8, another woman fell from a ladder at the same show, despite warning signs not to climb the art installation dubbed the “Stairway to Heaven.” She received head injuries but was not in danger, the hospital said.

The pieces of art in the township of Dawu were left over from the 2022 Nanhui Art Project along the coast of Taitung County in southeast Taiwan.