Blog #2

First location of our Taiwan design study abroad program completed! Today we left our home for the week in Taipei to get to our second location in Taiwan: Tainan.

For this blog post I’m going to share more about our first week in Taipei. 

Notable places we visited and activities during our stay in order: 

9/4

- YingGe Pottery Museum 

- Pottery studio 

- Dot Design studio 

- Vision base project work time 

9/5

- Vision Base final project presentation prep 

- Farewell dinner at Acme 

9/6

- Lunch at Gong Guan 

- Shopping at Taipei 101 

I will go over my highlights of the Taipei experience. Starting off with the YingGe pottery museum, we got to observe the history and techniques of pottery in Taiwan. It was interesting to see the evolution of ceramics from its invention and early usage to more recent pieces prioritizing aesthetics and decorations rather than strictly function. I feel that the artists were able to create pieces that showcased beauty in such unconventional ways where it was distinctly different from any other ceramic piece I've seen before. My favorite ceramics exhibit I observed was a series of large beautifully glazed pots that were deliberately broken and warped. The contrast between the beautiful vibrant colors and its broken condition created an art piece that was so much more interesting and compelling than a whole glazed pot. This ceramics museum showcased pottery in such a rich and meaningful way, and I am super appreciative of having been able to experience it. This museum was definitely my favorite museum visit of the trip so far. 

After the pottery museum, we were lucky enough to go to a pottery painting studio to experience some of the process on our own. It was a super fun experience and a great sequence of activities for the day. The paints were unlike anything I had ever used before as it was super quick drying and, as I found out during the process, required very specific techniques in order to deposit a smooth layer of color. Despite my initial confusion with working with the paint, I had a really great time learning how to use the paint on my own through trial and error, then observing the professional painters with their specific techniques. 

Up next was the Dot Design studio where we got to learn about the ins and outs of sustainable design in Taiwan. The speaker ran through a diverse variety of design objects using recycled materials to create something completely new. The materials would range from recycled plastic play structures to the unused portion of corn. I found it super interesting that the reason behind creating upcycled products was that the designers believe they have a responsibility to rectify the original sin of pushing consumerist behavior. That was such an interesting and inspiring mindset to have on design. 

Lastly, we had our project presentations on our final work day in Taipei. My group redesigned a small trash collecting gadget we found on our first lunch outing as a group. We were immediately fascinated by its functionality, efficiency, and overall simplicity that provided a service while simultaneously reflecting the rich values of the culture. We decided that the only drawback from its experience was, while extremely functional, it lacked a more fun and interactive customer experience. To target this, we redesigned its appearance to be more decorative while also maintaining its original positive characteristics. I really enjoyed working on this project and hacking a current and authentic Taiwanese design. I’m looking forward to having a more extensive design sprint in the next two weeks at NCKU.