Sponsored by the Biennale, Navin Rawanchaikul and four students from Chiang Mai University travelled to Taipei for 10 days, each with traditional reed grass mat in hand. The project was organised in a similar context to Navin and His Gang Visit Vancouver back in 1997 but this time the artist’s partners were “the kids” and their destination was in Asia, where mat culture and sitting on the floor are part of daily life. Typically a welcome space in Thai and Asian culture, rolled out on the floor when friends come to visit, the project considered the reed mat as a device for communication, but it is also about being close to the earth on ground level. Custom-made packets of dried watermelon seeds, a popular snack in Thailand that originated in China, were handed out with lucky packets containing a ticket that entitled recipients to a free reed mat. Reinterpreting a ready-made object into a fresh context, the project also examined the way the Chinese have migrated the world over, often carrying only a pillow and mat with no other possessions. With a Chinese style six-panel folding screen painting depicting the gang on magic mats flying through the sky above landmarks of Taipei, Navin and the kids documented themselves touring the city getting to know the mix of inhabitants. The results were shown across several monitors placed on mats in the gallery with a large pink banner with Navin & the Kids (Visit) Taipei written in Chinese displayed.