Embracing WDC 2016：Taiwanese Design Shines in Dubai
「New Craft」entering 2015 Design Days Dubai
Design Days Dubai is the leading fair in the Middle East and South Asia dedicated to collectible and limited edition furniture and design objects. 2015 “New Crafts－Taiwan contemporary craft transformation” is the first time Taiwan participate in the fair which shows design from leading international designers and galleries alongside up and coming design from across the world.
Taiwanese Design has actually been developing over the last 40 years, designers and artisans from all over Asia are drawn to the country to be inspired. Taiwan has many traditional crafts such as bamboo weaving and wood carving, in recent years Taiwanese designers have been blending these with more contemporary materials and manufacturing processes to create some very unique pieces. Through Taipei’s status as World Design Capital next year, the city aims to seize an opportunity to let the world see how Taipei’s brilliant creative energy can be applied to develop design both at home and internationally.
Designer x Artisan, Re-interpretation of traditional craft
Many traditional industries have declined under the impact of industrialisation and globalisation, the collaboration of designers offered an opportunity to regenerate these ancient crafts. Take Bamboo as an example, originating from Asia, it has a warm texture and durable property therefore often being used and applied to furniture. ‘Bubble Chair’ is one of the works under the cooperation of designer Kevin Yu-Jui Chou and artisan Su-Ren Su, ‘’the purpose of the objects of industrial design is to meet the need of mass production and profit, while the essence of craft is to appreciate the delicate details and beauty. It is not easy to achieve a balance of the two especially to have clear positioning of the work on both sides,” says Kevin, the designer who has visited Nantou and working with the artisan for several projects. On the other side, the artisan Su-Ren Su revealed that this collaboration stimulated her curiosity; she was also excited about how the work will look like with this whole new process of working. In fact, their collaboration has created widely-acclaimed pieces, such as ‘Bambool’ which obtained an honour of ‘Coup de Coeur’ at the 2008 Maison & Object Paris Show. (Invited by the organiser, Kevin will holding a workshop at Design Days Dubai 2015)
With the participation of designers and artisans, we all look forward to seeing the future of Taiwanese traditional craft as this movement of crossover has not only regenerate the old industries but gave birth to new potentials of skilled artisans.
Taipei, Adaptive City Taipei, See you in 2016 !
“Adaptive City – Design in Motion” is Taipei City’s core appeal in hosting World Design Capital 2016. How can we apply innovative ‘design thinking’ to overcome the constraints that limited resources place on our city’s development, to pursue continual renewal and change in our urban governance, to create happiness in the lives of our citizens, to bring citizens a better quality of life in a liveable city, and to create a forward-looking city with design vision? These are the goals and directions that Taipei City is constantly thinking about and seeking progress toward.
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Media Contacts
Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government
Jessica Chen│ bt_yinglin@mail.taipei.gov.tw /+886-920-426-783
Taiwan Designs’ Web
Ben Chiu │ ben.chiu@twdw.org /+886-931-065-842
Kevin Yu-Jui Chou’s traditional bamboo weaving workshop 「Bubble Craft」
2015 on 18th March 16:30-18:30 at Design Days Dubai, allowing people from the region to experience the art .More information about the workshop see the webpage: http://goo.gl/ZmXwcL .