Taiwan

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Design

A Photographer Captures a Dwindling Herd of Elephant Slides Across Taiwan

Wander into a playground in Taiwan, and you might stumble upon an elephant in the midst of basketball courts and swingsets. Vintage slides shaped like the lumbering animal were once popular in the country, and although the equipment is generally out of use because it doesn’t match current regulations, the eclectic designs remain a fixture in both abandoned and thriving playgrounds. Photographer Pi Cheng Hsiu documents these quirky creations by the hundreds—in addition to similarly shaped animals like seahorses and giraffes—and you can find a vast array of colors and styles on Instagram. You also might enjoy these elephants squeezed into tight spots. (via Present & Correct)

 

Amazing Art

Rainbow Village: An Entire Community in Taiwan Hand-Painted by a Single Man

When Huang Yung-Fu learned that the village where he had lived for decades was slated for demolition, the Taiwan resident decided to showcase the continued vibrancy of his home. Huang was the last remaining resident of the community that had once housed 1,200 households, mostly Chinese Nationalist veterans like Huang, who had been defeated by Mao Zedong’s Communist regime. By the mid-2000’s, real estate developers had bought out many residents to be able to raze the area, with Huang as the last holdout. Left on his own, the elderly veteran, who also has a strong creative streak, started painting every available surface of his surroundings. Walls, rooflines, and pathways became canvases for multi-colored Chinese characters and figurative motifs.

Since beginning the open-ended project about ten years ago, Huang’s community has become known as Rainbow Village and he, the Rainbow Grandpa. In 2010 a local university student came across Huang’s vibrant paintings and helped raise awareness for the Rainbow Village. Over a million tourists visit each year and the Taiwanese government has since pledged to keep the village intact. (via My Modern Met)

Art Photography

Multiverse: Hiroshi Kondo’s Dizzying Documentation of Taiwan’s Busy Streets

Tokyo-based filmmaker Hiroshi Kondo captures the endless movement of urban environments in his fast-moving short films. Kondo often homes in on one specific element of city living, like street lights—or, in his new short film, scooter commuters. Multiverse follows riders as they move in swarms, their density highlighted through time-lapse. At certain moments, Kondo focuses on an individual rider, which emphasizes unique journeys within the teaming repetition. Multiverse’s music and sound design is by Himuro Yoshiteru. You can watch more of Kondo’s dizzying films on Vimeo. (via Colossal Submissions)

Design Food

Polluted Water Popsicles: Faux Frozen Treats Highlight Taiwan’s Water Pollution Problem

Focused on environmental change rather than flavor, art students Hung I-chen, Guo Yi-hui, and Cheng Yu-ti from the National Taiwan University of the Arts concocted a line of “frozen treats” titled Polluted Water Popsicles. The group collected polluted water from 100 locations in Taiwan, first freezing the collected sewage samples and then preserving their creations in polyester resin.

At first glance the visually pleasing treats seem to imitate the aesthetic of recent craft and artisanal food trends. However on closed inspection you can identify the trash contained within each mold—bits of plastic, bottle caps, and wrappers lying within the popsicles’ murky waters.

The project is intended to spread awareness about water pollution and its deep effect on our world’s population. The 100 pieces, which also included designed wrappers, was nominated for the Young Pin Design Award and featured in the New Generation of Design Exhibition this May at the Taipei World Trade Center. You can view more of the creatively designed inedible works in the video below. More information about the project can be found on the group’s Facebook. (via Mashable and Quartz)

Art

Florentijn Hofman’s Latest Work is a Gigantic Bunny Gazing Up at the Moon in Taiwan

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, known for his large scale installations of animal characters, recently unveiled his latest work. Located at the Dayuan Town Naval Base in Taiwan, “Moon Rabbit” is an enormous yet adorable bunny that’s propped up against a grassy military bunker gazing up at the moon. To create the large-scale work, which is based on the East Asian folklore about a rabbit that lives on the moon, Hofman first created a wood and Styrofoam frame. And to achieve the fluffiness but also keep it weather-resistant the artist used over 12,000 sheets of Tyvek paper, a material normally reserved for home builders. Unfortunately, the bunny caught fire earlier today as workers were trying to disassemble it. But its counterpart can still be seen on the moon, or at least that’s how the story goes. (via Street Art News)

Art

Cars Swallowed by Grass at CMP Block in Taiwan

Forget hover cars, when do we get our compostable ones? I love these buried vehicles being reclaimed by nature at CMP Block in Taiwan that seeks to merge “art, aesthetics, and nature”. Reminds me of the Mossy Beetle at Belladrum last year. (via toni wang, and tao)