Creating in an old house: 2in Studio
There is another century-old house next to the Smalleye Backpacker hostel, where a husband-and-wife team of artists live: woodworking master Chen Chun Wei and plant-based dye expert Pan Chiung Hui.
After moving in, the couple gave the house the Chinese name of “Lianglu Studio” (though its English name is “2in Studio”). Liang literally means “beam” and conjures up an image of a large tree, while lu means “dew” and connotes a gift bestowed by a higher power. Chen and Pan hoped to be like a seed that turns into a magnificent tree by absorbing the gifts of nature, offering a profusion of color in return. When you walk into the house, on one side you will see an exhibition space and on the other a workshop. Going farther in, you come upon a room for the worship of the Holy Emperor Guan, which is also the place where guests are normally hosted. Finally, all the way at the back, in a world all its own, there is a three-sided compound, a venue for creative work which Chen had long dreamed of having.
As we look around the old house with the couple, their faces light up with proud smiles when they talk about the history of each corner: “Come look at this pillar, it’s at least 100 years old! Actually we’ve thought about replacing it with a new one, but current construction materials may not be as solid as the originals.” Chen feels that many people do not appreciate the value of historic heritage, and every time he sees discarded pillars left casually on the ground during temple renovations, he feels sad. So he took old window frames that had been torn out of the walls and turned them into a small wooden table, allowing the old materials to take on a new form.
When I ask Chen what influence Lukang has had on his work, he points to the deity’s altar and says: “In the past I felt that the woodwork in Lukang was too complex and old-fashioned, but now I’ve discovered that there’s meaning behind every line.” Working in the quiet atmosphere of this old town, he has incorporated his wife’s expertise in plant-based dyes into his work, creating “azure dyed stools” for which they won a Red Dot Design Award from Germany. Meanwhile, Pan Chiung Hui has made woolen felt seat cushions based on mung bean cakes, a product for which Lukang is famous. With a smile she says: “In the past, we came up with creative ideas just for their own sake, but now we get our inspiration from the environment we live in.”
Woodworker Chen Chun Wei has also taken part in a project to renovate an old house in Nantou.