The man behind the mouth
In this way, whether willing and delighted to help, or just afflicted by an uneasy conscience, as a result of the efforts of "Provocateur" Chiu, the number of sponsors of Black and White has doubled from the original 15 in just a year and a half. According to the rules of "Dictator" Chiu, each contributor can only sponsor one section of the space. "You can only contribute NT$1000, to prevent any one from dominating." And that is far from the only diktat: "There are no sponsors' meetings, and there is no discussion-just deliver the money." "You want to meet? Then come to Black and White and that's meeting, right?" In addition, he tries his best to maintain diversity of social backgrounds among the sponsors, "This is the best way to rope in even more new friends."
Just as behind every great persuader there is always a capable, hard-working pillar of support, Chiu, who modestly says of himself that he's just "an ideas guy," ascribes most of the real driving force behind this arts revolution to "Xiaoyu" (Tsai Chih Hsien).
Xiaoyu is a versatile artist, working in photography, fashion design, metal sculpture, interior design, and furniture making. He had originally been located in the Tunghai Arts Street, but three years ago, because of rising rents and the noise of the crowds, decided to move his women's fashion shop Rainhoe to the Zhongxin Market. "After moving here I discovered that this place is just a blast. It's a virtual wilderness in an otherwise very up-market neighborhood. A lot of people don't even realize its there, while others are afraid to come in. In fact the residents here are very friendly, and the fortress shape makes it very safe."
When given a space that he can renovate freely, Xiaoyu is said, in the words of Kamuo, to be "so excited he trembles from head to foot." First, with the financial backing of Roy Chiu, he spent three days and over NT$100,000 to complete Black and White. Then, less than half a year later, they opened Z Space. For the latter, Xiaoyu spent more than a month injecting life into the old structure. Besides continuing the bright, unadorned style established in Black and White, there are delightful surprises around every corner.
For instance, the bathroom on the second floor is itself a work of installation art. The entrance is a doorway so narrow that only a single person can pass through at a time, but the space then opens out, with elegant window grillwork and bookshelves as your companions. There is even a small monitor in front of the toilet, and you can call up a poem and read it to pass the time.
Tsai Chih Hsien, a multi-talented artist with a powerful sense of commitment to alternative spaces, single-handedly did the original spatial layout, furnishings, door and window metalwork, signs, and lighting design for the alternative spaces "Black and White" (I and II) and "Z Space." He even offers free advice to others moving in to the Zhongxin Market area.