Taipei: Days 4-7

September 4-7, 2024

9/4 – Yingge Ceramics Museum + Tai-Hwa Pottery Factory + Dot Design + SCU

9/5 – SCU final worktime + presentation + farewell dinner

9/6 – Taipei 101

Our first week in Taiwan is over! Today is day 7 and we just took the train from Taipei to Tainan. Over the past few days we’ve learned about ceramics, sustainable design, and completed our first design sprint with Shih Chien University (SCU)! 

We started off our fourth day by taking a charter bus to Yingge and touring the Yingge Ceramics Museum. The museum housed a variety of ceramics from different time periods, and was formatted in a unique way. The exhibits ranged from ancient Chinese pottery and indigenous pottery to modern ceramics. It was really interesting to see the similarities and differences between ancient and modern ceramics, as well as the advancement in technique. I noticed that pieces that were intricately glazed were often simplistic in their form, while complex or unique forms were glazed simply to draw attention to the most important aspect of the piece. 

Continuing our pottery experience, we took a tour of the Tai-Hwa Pottery Factory which has been my favorite field trip so far! We saw thousands of ceramic pieces, but the most eye-catching ones were the large vases covered in intricate, glistening gold detailing. Our tour guide informed us that the vibrant gold color on these vases were a result of real gold present in the paint. However, when I looked closer at the vases, I noticed that there were two different textures of gold: one smooth and reflective, and the other dull and matte. When I asked our guide about this difference in texture, I learned that both textures were achieved by using the same paint, but covering the areas that they wanted to be dull during the firing process. We then got to walk through the artisan studios and observe their work. I spoke with one artisan who was in the process of making two incredibly intricate pieces, and learned that the lid of just one jar took him four days to sculpt by hand. Although I had seen ceramic like this before, I had never fully appreciated the craftsmanship that went into each detail. Before visiting Tai-Hwa, I would’ve appreciated these ceramics only on an aesthetic level. However, seeing the full process of the artisans’ work helped me understand the care, skill, and effort required for each piece of pottery. 

Our next stop was Dot Design Studio—a design firm that specializes in circular design using different recycled materials. Lance Han presented products such as chairs and packaging made from recycled toys, pineapple leaves, and bamboo. I had no idea that so many materials could be recycled into such new and robust products. This reignited my interest in materials research, and made me wonder how many more materials can be recycled given the correct resources and research. I was also inspired by Dot Design’s dedication to improving existing recycling processes such as repurposed life vests. Although other companies already recycle life vests into new products they often still discard a portion of the plastic. Dot Design went a step further to use all parts of the vest and not waste any material. This philosophy was inspiring and showed me that existing processes can always be improved.

My design team at SCU brought this philosophy into our design, and we ended up creating a rattan-inspired chair made out of recycled pipes. Overall, I had a great time learning about different aspects of recycling and sustainability that I had never thought about before. The program has only just started, and I will already be bringing new knowledge and considerations of sustainability and recycling into my future designs!