1.
Through your work, what identity do you want to express?
So as I said, I am doing something about Taiwanese culture piece, window grille, and the reason to do this is that I find that contemporary apartments are not using the traditional window grille anymore, they rather use stain still as their material, because the price is chipper and also save working hours.
This change also means that the traditional iron window culture is about to disappear, and it also means that the iron window craft is about to disappeared aswell. In the presentation last week, I also mentioned that this iron window skill takes three years and four months to learn.
So, although I can't spend a long time learning this skill, I want to use some of the features of the window grille I have observed to express this culture is still alive.
2.
In the trend of globalization, why is the identity you want to express in your work important？
To me, culture is a very important thing, because it represents a unique feature. When everyone is attracted by modern things and ignores the preservation of culture, then these characteristics will become history.
For me, observing the appearance of the building can understand the living habits of local residents. For example, the shelter of building in Taiwan is a design that can make it easier for people to walk because it often rains in Taiwan.
and because this design is very practical, it has been preserved. However, windows grille are gradually eliminated because they are not conducive to escape while in danger. Fortunately, some stores, such as Cafe, collect old-style windows grille as decorations. This is also a way to let more people know about Taiwanese iron windows.
3
For audiences from different cultural backgrounds, can your work resonate with them?
I think it is possible, because, in fact, there are many designs for window grilles in different countries, but I know that the original intention of this thing is to keep away from the thief, but these things will gradually disappear when the crime rate gets low. But I like Taiwanese crafts the most because every piece of iron is hand-made by workers, rather than all stain steel is now machine-cut and assembled. This makes me think that iron windows are a good creation and worthy to keep.
4
How are the patterns of these shapes determined? In the creative process, what is the logic like?
At first, I simply wanted to simply record the places I went to take pictures, but later I discovered that these places can be connected together to become my unique design. This process refers to some elements that I have observed, such as abstraction, repetition, etc., and then through different permutations and combinations, it becomes my current personal design.