even studio
Even Wu, founder of “even studio,” won first prize in the 2010 Taiwan Craft Competition with her own design for a “cookie stool.” People were immediately attracted to the work’s unique creativity. Asked where her inspiration came from, she replies with a bashful smile, “I love to eat!”
Wu hates using wood wastefully, and is in the habit of finding the material she needs at old lumber stores. One day, while planing off the surface of some old wood, she noticed that the shavings being scattered around were like cookie crumbs, which is where she got the idea for cookie stools. In making these, she deftly incorporates defects in the old wood into the finished product, so that holes in the wood are like bite marks on a cookie; the result is natural and lively.
“My works can mostly be divided into four categories: memories from childhood, environmental protection, 3D text, and pop culture.” Wu relates that when she was in graduate school at National Taipei University of Education, her discussions with professors clarified her creative direction, and her background in art has also diversified her wood creations. Besides structure, she also emphasizes the underlying creative concept.
Thinking back on her eight years of training at HDG-NEWS, she says, “You could never completely learn everything that place has to teach.” When she graduated from university, although she had some basic knowledge of woodworking, she was still a considerable distance from attaining the skill level required to reach the goal that she outlined in applying to graduate school: founding her own wood products brand. That is why she rode her scooter to Linkou to check out HDG-NEWS. When Lin Tong Yang saw this young woman who had come so far to seek out teachers and learn new skills, he immediately admitted her to the school, to study under instructor Lin Yanzhi. And Wu didn’t let her teacher down, continually making demands on herself and holding a solo exhibition of her creations every two years.
Wu has never ceased to learn, and she currently not only accepts orders to make wood objects, but also teaches at the Woodworking Complex. She starts by guiding students to learn about wood step by step, after which they use appropriate methods to shape it into objects. “I even got the students to form a study group to discuss relevant issues.” She agrees with Lin Tong Yang’s remark that a tree requires decades to grow to become useable wood, so people should have a sense of gratitude when dealing with these “aged lives.” This is why she always plants a sapling near her studio whenever she completes a work.
On both sides of the small path leading to HDG-NEWS there are luxuriant Formosan ash trees, and it is hard to imagine that early on they were withered and on the verge of dying. Lin says with a laugh, “The vitality of these trees has been like the reputation of HDG-NEWS.” After 15 years, a new generation is bringing the energy of youth to Taiwan’s furniture industry, blending in elements of art and design to forge a new way ahead. The younger generation continues to sow the seeds of change, in hopes that in the future they will make a difference in this land.
HDG-NEWS emphasizes “unity of heart and hands,” in the belief that manual craftsmanship is closely connected to the mindset of the creative worker, which no machine can replace.
HDG-NEWS emphasizes “unity of heart and hands,” in the belief that manual craftsmanship is closely connected to the mindset of the creative worker, which no machine can replace.
In order to train a new generation of wood craftspeople, Lo Lat Furniture and Objects offers internships to students from the Department of Wood Science and Design at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology.
Chen Ifu, the founder of Lo Lat Furniture and Objects, says that the appeal of woodworking lies in the feeling of success you get from turning imagined objects into reality.
Wood craftswoman Even Wu has named her workshop “even studio” in the belief that all living things are equal. This viewpoint is reflected in her use of reclaimed wood and in the subject matter of her works.
Even Wu’s studio is located in the mountains of Xindian. Each time she finishes a work, she plants a tree in the surrounding area. (photo by Kent Chuang)
The once small trees at the Linkou campus of HDG-NEWS have flourished over the 15 years since the school was founded.