Craft Time

 Since the last blog post, we went on a 1.5 day road trip to Taichung and Nantou, with a few stops along the way. At our first stop, we went to the Yoshan Tea museum / tasting room / shop. This stop probably provided the least direct inspiration for the project, but it was fascinating. As someone who only started liking tea about a year and a half ago, it was really cool to learn more about the different types of tea they produce and to be able to try some proper tea prepared right. After that we stopped at Feel Good bamboo factory that makes primarily bamboo mugs. It was very industrial and a different side of things from the later stops on the trip that were more craft-focused. It was fascinating seeing the bamboo go from full stalks to cut pieces that were drying to final, polished and painted cups being sold commercially. Going to the store afterwards, we got to hear a lot more about the details and features of their products. I especially liked the little extra tab at the top where the handle attached to keep the top from lying flat for better drainage after cleaning. It was just such a simple detail that makes the human experience of using it so much better.

We then moved on to the woodshop in Taichung, where I wish we could’ve spent even longer although the space was small. All of the hand-carved objects in there were so incredible, and every little detail was impressive knowing the work that went into it. Both of these stops were pretty different, but they both made me really think about materiality in design. Specializing in one singular material made them really bring every aspect of their benefits out and know how to work around their downsides too. We finally made it to Taichung that night and arrived at the “Hostel” (the coolest hotel I have ever stayed in). I got the best sleep I have gotten on the whole trip and then got some breakfast before getting back on the bus.

The first stop of the day was the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute, which is in the top 2 places we have been to this whole trip. The first building was full of incredible bamboo woven creations from vases to chairs to lamps to wearable art. I was geeking out the entire time we were there and getting so much inspiration for the bamboo weaving concepts my group had. There was this one stool made by splitting the top of the legs to fully integrate into the organized chaos of the woven seat seamlessly that blew my mind. Zong had shown a photo of it to my group at SCU, but it was way crazier in real life. All the other furniture up there was mind-blowing too, and made me really appreciate furniture design in a different way than before. I spent a bit too long there and had to rush through the other craft stores, but it was still really cool to see them and I got a cool dried fruit pod keychain.

We drove from there to a bamboo weaving workshop where we got to weave our own little vase baskets. We stopped at an incredible lunch place afterwards that was all sourced locally, which was super cool and tasty. If I hadn’t appreciated the woven furniture before, I certainly did after that workshop. It took me so long, with so many mistakes to make such a simple little object, and it made me understand how they started some of the woven furniture, but also blew my mind even more to think about the complex forms they made. I was just scrolling back through the pictures going insane even more. The drive back was peaceful and I fell asleep a little bit before my group had to lock back in and finish our presentation (after I got some insane dumplings). Our presentation went pretty well, but our brainstorming session diverged a little too hard afterwards because we had so many inspirations bouncing around that we wanted to include. We need to narrow down / pick a direction, but for now my group is resting.