Passers by might haven noticed a young man collecting driftwood on a river bank one rainy day in September last year shortly after Typhoon Morakot hit southern Taiwan and wondered what he was doing. The mystery was finally answered at an exhibition in Milan, Italy, in April.
The exhibition — which uses driftwood to depict modern designs in lacquer ware — received much acclaim at the Taiwan pavilion at Milan’s design museum Triennial.
“Having thought for many years about how to present the true spirit of Taiwanese lacquer ware, I found that using local materials was the best way to showcase the value and beauty of lacquer,” designer Liao Po-ching (廖柏晴) said.
PHOTO: CNA
Liao worked with lacquer ware artist Liao Sheng-wen (廖勝文) and woodcarver Lan Wei-wen (藍偉文) for half a year to create a cupboard with a traditional lock called Calligraphy Cupboard. This features 23 layers of lacquer and a shape created by nature.
“Drift wood is a material shaped by the weather and local natural environment,” Liao said.
These characteristics make it the best possible medium to present the features of Taiwanese art.
It seems he is on the right track. Several buyers have offered as much as NT$1,000,000 (US$30,000) for his work, director of the Taiwan Craft Research Institute, Lin Jeng-yi (林正儀) said.
Liao is not the only designer to attend the international event and win praise. Wu Hsiao-ju (吳孝儒) is another good example. He has successfully promoted “Yii,” a brand which was established by the institute three years ago.
Wu’s creative idea is based on a belief that when global brand IKEA meets Taiwanese crafts, a new design style is forged.
He cooperated with craft artist Huang Li-shu (黃麗淑) to transform simple glass into a more complicated work infused with Eastern design flair.
One example is a vermeil lamp portraying a mythical battlefield of tigers and dragons.
In collaboration with craft artist Lan, Wu turned a typical IKEA table leg into a carving depicting the deity of protection, Guan Yin, riding a dragon.
Wu and Huang were among 15 young artists and 20 craftsmen who presented 44 works at the Salone del Mobile, the International Furniture Fair in Milan, this year.
They represent the new face of Taiwanese craftwork.
The annual one-week design event is considered one of the largest design trade shows in the world.
“The most important part is we were invited to exhibit our works at ‘La Triennale di Milano,’ an important venue where access was previously only provided to European and Japanese brands,” Lin said.
“All of the works we showed at the event blend local traditional craft skills with modern design concepts to show unique characteristics,” Lin said, adding that this included craftwork made of silver, glass, porcelain, wood, macrame and many other materials.
This successfully drew the attention of designers and the media.
“Even a manager from Louis Vuitton and other collectors and buyers hope to cooperate with Yii,” Lin said.
He said the “Yii” brand was created to promote a Taiwanese brand to the world. Originally a five-year project, after successfully promoting the brand around the world in a shorter time than planned, the next step is to find an agent to sell the products.
Since the institute is part of a government organization, Lin said that they will choose a representative agent by means of a competitive selection process.
“We have successfully achieved the recognition of the brand as our first step, which has transformed previous impressions into an acknowledgement of the high-quality modern design works made in Taiwan,” Lin said.
“The world can definitely see Taiwan’s culture and modern design capability as well as future trends through our works,” he said.
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