TWDW taiwan designers’ week 2013

TWDW taiwan designers’ week 2013

ben chiu is executive director of taiwan designers’ week. he states that ‘taiwan’s design is the meeting point of the centuries-old chinese culture (with a japanese influence) and that of western civilization’.

the TWDW taiwan designers’ week aims to educate the public within its relatively small population and to promote the local talent overseas. the emerging design festival TWDW has had a significant growth in the last five years, and ben has an increasingly difficult role in curating the many events and exhibitions involved. ‘the nation has a relatively small market for its design industry to develop within and if you ask me what my dream is, I can tell you that I want to be an agent of taiwanese designers. I wish to collaborate with them on special projects and to act like a bridge between designers and the outside world,’ he said.

straw stool by gina hsu of dhh (see her lace bowl)
images © designboom

stimulate more various cooperation mechanism in Taiwan design industry, including cooperated developments, fundraising for the development or attracting more sell channels. – See more at: http://www.designdaysdubai.ae/news/design-alliance/2013/09/taiwan-designers-week/#sthash.dTGzFLxs.dpuf

taiwan’s industrial design sector had been developing for over 40 years’, ben adds, ‘and yet there had been no exhibition specifically providing a stage for taiwanese designers to showcase their talents. we do not have government resources or money to hold this event. I thought I was just going to be volunteer for the 2009 edition, for a week. somehow, five years later, here I am still working for the TWDW.’

‘ching chair no.2’, bamboo stool by lin, da jhih and sie, yi fan
images © designboom

many taiwanese designers are working in big corporations (most of them in the tech industry) and when a small group of them wished to express themselves with their own creations (as individual designers) they volunteered for an united design event and started enrolling their companies to become sponsors for the first edition of the taiwan designers week, held in a 330-square meter showroom of the eslite bookstore xinyi branch. now we are holding the 2013 TWDW at the 5,900-square meter taipei expo with 250 taiwanese designers, 90 companies, and international designers attending.

ben wants to encourage other creative people to do events around the TWDW. his plan is to show more international exhibitors, and to partner with institutions such as the taiwan design centre, TATE taipei and the red dot mueum in taipei, which has just opened recently.

‘bubble’ easy chair by kevin yu jui chou for HAN gallery (see also the ‘bubble’ sofa)
image © designboom

taiwanese designers often lack confidence and the necessary communication skills, both in english and mandarin, to promote their products to local and foreign clients. the TWDW is not yet a trade show, but more and more taiwanese designers are showing their work at the furniture fair in milan, participating in designboom marts in trade fairs in new york, stockholm and tokyo, at the 100% design fair in london and in the maison & objet fair in paris.

designboom is media partner of the event and has been invited to participate as foreign speakers in the talk series ‘let’s talk design‘, together with the dutch designer gijs bakker.

bamboo lattice-work is a traditional architectural feature of taiwanese homes, see the new collection by scope design
image © designboom

this is a light design that refers to the bird keeping activity dating back to the ching dynasty, design by li, shih-yao and tang, ching-wen
image © designboom

paper made new old light by kimu design, the collection of pendant lamps combine a simple wooden shade with a traditional paper lantern, commonly found in the asian cultures

detective notebook by kimu design

‘boogie’ bike by gearlab
image © designboom

‘bike and bite and more’ accessories by gearlab
image © designboom

‘tap dance’ touch lamp by pega design
image © designboom

‘lucky fruits’, pili wu re-interpretes traditional chinese paper (pineapple-shaped-ball) lanterns, usually seen at opening ceremonies
images © designboom

‘plastic plastic’, limited edition of 99 chairs in solid wood with lacquer for HAN gallery, design by pili wu

the bitplay ARCHI Classic series brings the facades of xinhua old street, located in southern taiwan, right to your desk, design by hsunli huang

‘bendboo’ bamboo lamp by camo lin of drii design

bye pei’s fabric vase is decorated with traditional oriental floral embroidery designs that would more commonly be seen on a ‘cheongsam’ or ‘qipiao’, the traditional tight-fitting dress
image © designboom

the silhouettes of mountains, depicted in traditional chinese paintings, are re-interpreted as wire structures to create a range of vases and bowls, design by move the mountain
image © designboom