Artistic manhole covers depicting local culture and history are to be unveiled by the end of the year, the Taipei City Government said.
Taipei is turning manhole covers into something eye-catching and symbolic, and since 2013 it has invited designers to beautify otherwise insignificant covers, the city government said on Sunday last week.
Four design companies participated in this year’s project, titled the “Taipei Manhole Cover Design Exhibition” (台北蓋水), with each being responsible for one district in the city, it said.
Screen grab from TaipeiWow’s Facebook account
UID Create designed the covers in Wanhua District (萬華) by incorporating traditional temples, festivals and Ximending’s (西門町) Red House (紅樓), which is known for its unique architectural style, company director Jimmy Chang said.
“Wanhua, the oldest district in Taipei, is packed with traditional temples, such as Longshan Temple (龍山寺) and Cingshan Temple (青山宮). A walk in the district is an encounter with the gods and goddesses along the way,” Chang said. “We hope to present the district’s historical vibes in the manhole covers we design.”
Blueprint Design created covers in Zhongzheng District (中正), with designs featuring Liberty Square and cheering students from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School and Taipei First Girls’ High School.
The imagery echoes elements of the district: humanities, knowledge, democracy and historical relics, the company said.
Bito Studio designed manhole covers in Datong District (大同), which highlighted Dadaocheng’s (大稻埕) Xiahai City God Temple (霞海城隍廟) and traditional apothecary AS Watson and Co — local architectural landmarks.
On the sides of the cover are two pairs of divine blocks — crescent-shaped red blocks that, depending how they land, determine a deity’s answer when praying at a temple — the company said, adding that other elements include fireworks, fabrics, burning incense and traditional herbal medicine.
Hwat’s Design worked on Nangang District’s (南港) manhole covers, which present a view, as if looking up from below the cover, of people from multiple walks of life passing through the district, company chief designer Yang Chia-chang (楊佳璋) said, adding that the district is a transportation hub that holds indefinite possibilities.
The company hopes that the manhole covers can be a platform to convey more than just aesthetics, such as arguments, local specialties, cultural events or the science behind a manhole, Yang added.
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