Beginning Days in Taipei!

 

So far as I am writing this, I have taken over 16,000 steps today, or almost seven miles. Within those seven miles, I have met new friends at Shi Chen University, tried more new foods today than in the past few months, and reapplied sunscreen countless times. Before today, on August 31, I traveled 6,000 miles (not walking) to Taipei to begin our UW Design in Taiwan Study abroad program! Since the beginning of our program on the 1st of September, our schedules have been densely packed with activities to experience Taipei, Taiwan through a design lens. Although not every student is a design major at the University of Washington, or in a different discipline, we each bring our own unique point of view, skills, and experiences into this program which I am greatly looking forward to learning more as we spend more time together. 

The two days we have spent in Taipei so far have been impactful and full of new experiences. I have explored the Taiwan Design Research Institute (located in an old, repurposed tobacco factory), the National Palace Museum, the students and Campus at Shi Chen University, the historical Dadeocheng district known for its influence on fashion in the 1920s, the Shilin Night Market, and the Shuanglian Night Market. Although the time we get to spend outside of our program schedule exploring the area is wonderfully fun, our scheduled activities and workshops have been invaluable and just as enjoyable. It is such an indescribable expansion of perspective to experience how people in your career or area of interest contribute and interact with the field. Everyone's unique background, environment, and even personality all play a role in how we design. The inspiration gained from conversing with the members of TDRI, the Shi Chen Students, or even walking down the street is infectious. 

One of the things I have cherished most so far in my three days was visiting the Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI) and getting the chance to speak with the Vice Director Shyhnan Liou. His presentation on what TDRI does, and aims to do, was very grounding. I believe at times, especially in design, it is easy to get distracted by the aesthetics and the novelty of an object, rather than the actual impact it has on the spaces it's used in. I was thinking about this as Shikai Tseng, a multi-disciplinary Taiwanese designer based in Taipei, presented to us at Shi Chen University. His presentation focused on his background, but also his experiences connecting with the people in his community, so he could better learn the methods of craft. Through this, he was also able to connect with his background as well, all adding to his agency as a designer. 

As the day ended with a walking tour of Dadeocheng, we explored an expansive fabric market, a cozy book store with an awesome collection, and tried lots of different foods at Shuanglian Night Market. These first few days have already been so thought-inspiring and I can't wait for more.  

P.S I saw the world's second grumpiest cat today!