Materials developer Huang Wen-chuan (黃文娟) spent over a month experimenting on paper mulberry tree fibers with Thai industrial designer Ratthee Phaisanchotsiri, with each contributing their expertise to an exhibition in a boutique beneath their studio.
Sandwishes Studio has taken collaboration a step further, working with neighboring W Glass Project to create a hand-blown glass cup that contains elements that promote the awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — Lou Gehrig’s disease — otherwise known as ALS.
The designers at BuyMood, on the other hand, have been playing around with the cutting-edge machines and tools in the studio, while testing the market by attending international design fairs and selling their products in the boutique downstairs.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
These are some of the possibilities for the 18 resident design teams at Songyan Creative Hub (松菸創作者工廠) that have occupied the open coworking space since July last year. Only open to design teams with less than six years experience, the studio is part of Songshan Cultural and Creative Park’s plan to not only promote but to support and develop new design talent.
With UV-LED and 3D printers, laser engraving and computer-controlled cutting machines as well as woodworking, sewing and pottery tools, it’s both a makerspace and coworking space. The studio also provides a variety of workshops, exchange opportunities and a shop downstairs for their products to test the market.
Previously limited to resident teams, except for special events, the studio opened its doors to the public two weeks ago, and now a limited number of amateur members can also use the machines, attend workshops and interact with the designers.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
MORE THAN RENTAL
While it seems that Songshan Cultural and Creative Park had mostly focused on exhibitions, renting spaces to designers and selling products, executive director Jasmine Chou (周琍敏) says that the studio is the latest step to nurture designers — whether amateur or professional.
“Although it’s what we focused on initially, our goal was never to just let people rent a space and open up shop,” she says. “We want them to keep developing.”
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
The first phase was to attract foot traffic by turning the grounds into a creative showcase through shops, exhibitions, graduation shows and other activities. Then they launched Songyan Creative Lab, which focused on performing arts talent. Songyan Creative Hub was the logical next step, a project that took about two years to develop and realize.
“We had many programs to support designers before, but we wouldn’t see them again after the workshops or classes,” Chou says. “They need to be here so we can help them with the fine details.”
The 266-ping (866m2) space is completely open, only with a conference or workshop room that’s enclosed with glass. This fosters communication as designers will often chat, collaborate and borrow each other’s working spaces, tools and expertise. One section is dedicated to foreign resident designers, which is how Huang got the opportunity to work with Phaisanchotsiri.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
Having machines on site makes experimentation a lot easier for the designers, as factories usually don’t take small orders and designers often have to seek out spaces for them to tinker with prototypes.
“We hope that our designers can use these tools to make more prototypes and initial studies before they take the step to turn it into a product,” Chou says.
“Anyone has the ability to make things [if given the tools],” she adds, an idea that eventually led to the decision to open the studio to the public.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
THE PRESSURE IS ON
Sunny Hsu (徐敏津), cofounder of BuyMood, says that there’s no slacking in the space, as the staff checks attendance and requires them to submit monthly progress reports. The 18 teams will come up for review after three years to determine if they can remain.
“Also, every team here is very talented,” she says. “When you see that they’ve come up with a new product, then the pressure is on. It becomes positive competition.”
Hsu says that the machines are what makes the space unique. They’ve been learning 3D printing and pottery, playing around with new textures — they’re considering Huang’s paper mulberry tree fibers — and also dabbling with carpentry.
“When you make the prototype yourself, you gain a clearer understanding of what’s actually possible and then look for new creative opportunities within those parameters. A factory craftsperson wouldn’t explore that,” she says.
BuyMood has been able to test the market through selling their wares in the shop downstairs, leading to adjustments in their design direction. As they noticed that more foreigners favored their products, they started introducing Taiwanese popular culture in their work — postcards, for example, that explain certain Taiwanese sayings such as baimu (白目, insensitive or clueless) and naocan (腦殘, idiotic). Through Songyan, they’ve also had the chance to exhibit in Thailand and Japan.
“When overseas, we can find out if our products can be translated into something that foreigners can also appreciate and understand,” Hsu says.
Huang says that even though Songyan does check on her progress, unlike her previous coworking space they also encourage experimentation, even selecting her to collaborate with the Thai designer. Plus, the grounds have a large variety of paper mulberry trees for her to use. The only downside is that since it’s an open space and historic building, she has to take her hammering and other processes that may produce odd smells elsewhere.
A major appeal for Huang is the studio’s assistance with marketing and promotion, which she had been clueless about.
“Many designers don’t know how to write a good project proposal,” Chou says, noting that they also teach presentation skills and how to participate in overseas exhibitions.
“We have high standards for their products,” she adds. “We don’t want them to just play around — we want their ideas to eventually turn into actual products. We may be working with small teams with little experience, but we hope that in two or three years they become important players in Taiwan’s creative industry.”
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