Applied Arts of Taichung
Words by Taichung City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau
Translated by Anna Yang
The Taichung focus of this year's Creative Expo Taiwan is "Applied Arts of Taichung". The spirit of craft arts begins with culture and continues to develop creatively towards eventual applications in daily life. Innovative approaches in four categories--food, tea, serve, and play--is the goal of Taichung craftsmen as they integrate traditional arts, modern life and cultural inspirations to present an elegance in everyday-use items.
The Chinese word "chi" for "appliance" is ancient and can be interpreted as the force of craft arts. Today, crafts are not only have an intrinsic artistic value but are also connected to modern, industrialized life, becoming cultural appliances for an extraordinarily diverse urban lifestyles.
Craft arts in our everyday lives have valuable uses and the process of craft-making also symbolizes a maturing of humanity. For example, serving tea with designated containers is not only for quenching thirst, but also a vehicle for traditional Chinese etiquette, socializing and expression of respect between host and guest. Taichung is known for its exquisite dessert pastries, which are usual accompaniments to tea. In such ways, urban culture helps to transmit the beauty of modern Taiwan to future generations and the outside world.
Crafting materials are gathered from local natural sources and have cultural connotations. As time and technology move forward, traditional crafts continue to evolve in pace with historical changes. In earlier times, Fengyuan was a collecting and distributing center of woods; then, the idea of crafts paint was brought into Taiwan during Japanese colonial period. Later the place became a township famous for painting-related crafts. Today, such traditional crafts are blended with designers' creativity in graceful artistic expressions.
Craft arts passed down through successive generations have brought us a distillation of the best products. Despite of changes in craft styles, the quality has remained the same. A piece of art can also be a useful daily-use utensil and Taichung's crafts industry continues to make an impact in cooperation with small and medium enterprises.
Taichung's needs continue to be made by many creative craftsmen, and it is important to have effective tools to produce good work. The city government invites you to experience "Applied Arts of Taichung" in the highest expression of gratitude to those who dedicate a significant part of their lives to the arts.
Time: April 20 (Wed.) and April 24 (Sun.), 2016
Location: 1, Bade Rd., Sec. 1, Zhongzheng Dist, Taipei City (Huashan 1914-Creative Park)
This advertisement is provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Taichung City Government. |
April 2016
