A Good day to Have Blue Hair

    Since our last blog post, we have finally met the National Cheng Kung University (NKCU) students, and I felt like we all immediately connected. It was a wonderful experience working with the ShiChen University (SCU) students, however, I think because the NCKU students are all industrial design majors, we have more in common. I also learned through talking with one of the students, that we have similar campus quirks and cultures. For example, there is a small pond on the campus I was told people jump into sometimes, much like how students on our campus in Seattle jump into Drumheller Fountain. Additionally, we took a look at some of their studios, and I can proudly say: that the level of dust, mess, and random pieces of foam lying around is a universal experience! We all presented our intro slides and got into the groups that we would work with until the end of the program. I have to say, the NCKU students put a lot of effort into their personal introduction slides, and you could see their personalities so clearly. They all had collage-style slideshows that were suited to their interests, and most of them included hand-drawn doodles and pictures. As a member of the assignment group (who helps make the intro slides), we could have stepped up our UW slideshow game for sure, but nothing helps you get to know a person more than just talking to them, so it's all good! A few of us struggled to do some laundry in the hotel, and then we were off to get some beef soup. Post beef soup, we all found ourselves in a 'listening bar' called A Room. We had to take our shoes off, which I would not, and will absolutely never do in a bar in the U.S., but it was actually really nice? A DJ was playing some jazz, there was lots of giggling and a really comfy couch. 

The next day was our off day. Ned Kalin and I wanted to explore some of the nearby coffee shops I saw one of the NCKU students recommended on her food-diary Instagram account. We decided to go to Cafe Cave, a little coffee shop down a narrow alleyway, behind some thick plants, with one school desk out front. Going to local coffee shops is one of my favorite activities. I really like the taste of coffee and trying to see how each shop makes its own. This was by far, one of the most curated coffee shops I have been to. However, maybe I am a little biased because bats are my favorite animal, and the shop's logo was a bat. The furniture, decorations, and art inside all complimented each other despite looking like they came from different decades, an elementary school, and random flea markets. At one table they had cups with some markers for people to draw. We decided to sit and doodle for a while while all trying each other's drinks. The three of us talked about how we hadn't had the chance to draw without making a cube first in a while and it felt rusty, and almost like moving a sore muscle to draw something more imaginative. Inspired by the marker colors and our surroundings, we eventually filled up the pages. I can't say how important I think having moments to draw without constraints and create freely really benefits how you think about design, and experience the world around you. Oh and also, my drink was really tasty. 

I've had some variation of blue in my hair for almost 3 years now. It's a fun way to express myself, and I'm making up for all the years I couldn't have dyed hair because I went to a catholic school. Sometimes I feel silly being the only person in my cohort with brightly colored hair, but on Tuesday however, I felt like I fit right in. We traveled to Jonathan Bookstore to partake in traditional indigo dying. We listened to the indigo-dying craftsman explain the indigo dye-making process, starting at the plant growing in the sunny fields, to the processed dye being preserved in sake. To prove that this was all natural and and organic, the wise woman teaching us dipped her finger in the dye bottle and tasted it, like she was tasking a cake batter. We did not speak the same language, but it was obvious she was knowledgeable, cared about this process, and seemed like she had a curt sense of humor. We were shown six different methods or designs we could try to recreate with our fabric. I attempted the 'tofu' method, though I think my tofu may have been silken and dissolved mid-process. Huddling around the pot of indigo giggling and hopeful our designs turned out interesting was really fun. Such a cool experience to get the chance to celebrate this process so authentically. 

Finally, today, we had another lecture on sustainability and reuse in design to better promote a circular economy. As we talk about this, I sometimes feel lucky to be living in this time right now, I feel like we are just at the cusp of creating incredible new ways of living that will (hopefully) benefit our future, and the future for generations to come. While I would like to see what the state of design as a whole looks like in 100 years, I am so excited to be here now and know that I will contribute to the foundations of these next 100 years. Kind of hard to explain. We officially officially began our project today, but I won't spoil anything... yet. Mostly because we have just kicked off our brainstorming and are still finding our way in a promising direction. Until the next blog!