Knowing a place anew
New ways of seeing things also imply the possibility of coming to know a place anew.
In 2018, Liu attended Daxi District’s birthday celebration for the god Guan Yu, which the Taoyuan community holds each year on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month. Local clubs (“shetou”) that participate in the deity processions elevate the festivities into something that residents regard as almost a second Lunar New Year, and celebrate enthusiastically.
“Nowadays, most of Taiwan’s deity processions are handled by shetou associated with trade or professional groups. The amazing thing about Daxi is that it still has 31 local shetou participating in its processions. The whole community mobilizes for the celebrations.” This well-established shetou culture showed Liu the value of “culture” and stirred an ambition to turn it into an exportable Taiwanese festival “brand.”
Liu’s re-envisioning of the festival joined traditional and modern elements, renamed it “Daxi Daxi” (the first Daxi being the name of the district, meaning “Big River,” and the second meaning “great happiness”), and extended the original two-day procession into a three-week event that attracted people from outside the community who wanted to experience “making the rounds” with the gods for themselves.
Liu says, “I didn’t just want to preserve tradition, I wanted to bring it to life.” To that end, she invited designers and artists from multiple fields to work with the shetou to turn the festival into an attraction.
The festival’s “Gods’ Dance Night” event at the historic Li Tengfang residential compound combined an old building, lights and electronic rock music into an evening of contemporary and modern design. Liu’s efforts have made Daxi Daxi into an urban festival that extends contemporary design and folk beliefs in a way that enables locals to find pride and self-confidence in their culture.
Traditional festivals aren’t the only ones needing a makeover. Local industries do too.
Hsinchu has maintained a glassmaking industry for more than 90 years, but do Hsinchu residents take pride in it? That was the question Pang Wang asked himself when he took over the Hsinchu International Glass Art Festival in 2018. Choosing “Light Driving” as that year’s theme, Wang designed the festival to make it as clear as glass and as interactive as a show. Using visitor participation and elements drawn from the arts and design, he forged links between the festival and city life. “When locals take part in the festival, they become proud of Hsinchu’s glassmaking,” says Wang. “Public participation makes for good social design.”
Curation has been slowly transforming from its roots in the arts, offering the public breathtaking experiences and spurring their imagination. The photo shows the exhibition space for the 2017 “Cultural Explosion” themed Creative Expo Taiwan. (photo by Wang Te-fan, courtesy of InFormat Design Curating)