“We all live within systems of sacrifice. What appears to be a prosperous and progressive society is often built upon the sacrifice of marginalized communities—their interests, even their lives. And such sacrifices are not concealed but glorified as noble offerings.”
— Tetsuya Takahashi, “The System of Sacrifice”
The Necessary Evil on the River
Sabo dams exist within a paradox: destined to be buried, to be sacrificed, yet entrusted with the critical task of preserving reservoir capacity. In 2007, Typhoon Wipha brought catastrophic rainfall to the Dahan River Basin in Taoyuan, obliterating the 55-meter-wide Baling Dam—a massive sabo dam that had reached the end of its life cycle.
Tantalus’ Dam: The Measure of Temptation
Between the ruins of the sacrificed 55-meter dam, a new, porous dam emerges—an organ-like structure that, like Tantalus, the son of Zeus, exists in a state of endless hesitation and temptation. It both captures sediment and fails to capture it at the same time.
Suspended above the dam are three distinct elevations, acting as lines of measurement: the human line, the river’s line, and the original dam’s line. These lines reveal and reconstruct the absurd landscape shaped by the constant tension between human intervention and natural forces.
The Museum’s Waterfall: A Landscape of Absurdity
When the riverbed elevation finally overtakes the original dam’s height, the desilting system is triggered, marking the beginning of a sacrificial performance. In the future, during heavy rains, we will no longer merely marvel at the spectacle of Shimen Reservoir’s flood discharge. Instead, within the confines of a museum, the temporary Baling Waterfall will become the ultimate exhibit—commemorating the dam while reenacting the absurd cycle of sacrifice that defines its very existence.
「我們都活在一個個犧牲體系之中，看似繁華進步的社會，卻是建立在犧牲邊緣社群的利益甚至是生命，而這樣的犧牲通常不會被隱蔽起來，而會被美化為一種尊貴的犧牲。」—「犧牲的體系」高橋哲哉
河川上的必要之惡｜
防砂壩具有荒謬的存在價值：終究會被淤滿、被犧牲，卻也肩負著拯救水庫庫容的重責大任。2007年，韋帕颱風為桃園大漢溪流域帶來致災型的豪雨，摧毀了55公尺寬的壩體：巴陵壩，一座正好走過完整生命週期的大型防砂壩。
坦塔洛斯之壩：誘惑的量測線 ｜
在被犧牲的55公尺壩體之間，再次種下如人體臟器般，新型態多孔隙的壩體，它就像宙斯的兒子，塔坦洛斯一般，在猶豫不決與誘惑之下，既攔得到砂，也攔不到砂。
懸在壩上的三個高程，扮演著三條量測自然的線， 「人為的線、河道的線、原有壩體的線」，分別重現與顯現自然與人為互相牽制下的荒謬地景。
博物館裡的瀑布:荒謬的地景｜
當河床高度淹沒原有壩體的高程時，清淤系統開始作動，一場犧牲的展演正式展開。在未來，大雨來襲時，我們不再只能觀賞石門水庫洩洪的壯麗美景，博物館裡期間限定的巴陵瀑布正是紀念這座壩的最佳展品，演繹著犧牲體系的荒謬價值與存在。
