Paper Organs

About the Work In traditional Chinese culture, there is a belief that individuals who undergo organ donation may be unable to ascend to heaven. "Body must be intact", this traditional perspective has become the major obstacle to promoting organ donation in Taiwan. Paper Organs is an innovative product, following a common funeral custom in Taiwan - "Joss Paper Burning". People believe that creating paper money, houses, clothes, and other paper-made items, then burning them in temples during rituals, allows these items to be sent to the deceased. These paper-made organs will be sent to the donor in the afterlife, allow donors to adhere to the cultural practice of "body must be intact". Collaborating with 11 hospitals, Taiwan Organ Sharing Registry and Patient Autonomy Promotion Center has officially integrated Paper Organs into existing Organ Donation Promotion Program. Paper Organs breaks the taboo in organ donation, enabling more confident public participation in signing organ donation consent forms. Results: • The annual signing rate increased by 28%, the highest in the past 5 years, over 3,400 forms collected during the exhibition. • 332 sets of paper organs were distributed within 6 months • Positive discussions about "organ donation" on social media increased by 411% (Source: OPView, 2023/01-2023/12, Taiwan)