Construction worker Chen Chih-wei stole the show at a recent Kinmen cultural exhibition with a unique creation — a rendering of a local deity, the Kinmen “Wind Lion,” made entirely out of shells.
The self-taught 45-year-old started collecting shells over 20 years ago when Kinmen’s beaches were still a no-go area for most people. To maintain the natural aesthetic of his scupltures he insists on using shell for every feature, including the eyes, mouth and nose.
Despite having calloused hands from years spent working on construction sites, Chen’s creations are surprisingly delicate.
He says that loquat fruit-shaped shells are best for creating sculptures of the female form, with the hips and breasts being particularly well-suited to such shells, and you can see exactly what he means once you take a look at his troupe of three shell pole dancers. It took him a week to create the first raunchy dancer, but he only needed two days to complete the other two.
Because it’s just a hobby, Chen feels no pressure when making his sculptures, which means he can just follow the muse wherever it takes him and lovingly craft each one. Such is his passion, if he were to create a pig’s head he would be able to give you a detailed account of the sculpture, and could even let you know its gender.
(liberty times, translated by taijing wu)
用貝殼打造「拼貝藝術」,是在工地上班的陳志緯「撿」來的興趣。金門守護神風獅爺被他拼成「貝」勒爺,獨一無二,讓他在金門文創特展中大出風頭。
二十幾年前,金門海邊還被視為禁地,四十五歲的陳志緯就開始收集貝類。他說,拼貝是無師自通的興趣,很自然的「拼」,且拼出來的人或動物都堅持不剪修,連眼睛、嘴、鼻都用貝殼。
陳志緯在工地上班,粗獷的雙手有細膩的絕活。
他說,琵琶螺的弧形漂亮,與女性婀娜的線條十分相符,尤其是臀部、胸部的曲線,看著、看著就看出了味道;第一個鋼管女郎花了一星期,後來兩個只花兩天,都是前凸後翹的勁爆女郎。
因為是興趣,所以沒有壓力,也讓陳志緯製作過程投入。全憑感覺的作品,「神韻」成了特色,連顆豬頭,對公、母的分別也說得頭頭是道。(自由時報記者吳正庭)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too