The “Okinawa・Taiwan Design Collaboration Exhibition” jointly organized by TDRI and Okinawa Industry Promotion Public Corporation will run from January 12 to January 24, 2022, at Okinawa Prefectural Library; shortly after the exhibition opened, “Taiwan Contemporary Design Trends Seminar”, a borderless virtual event, was held at Taiwan time 1 o’clock in the afternoon on January 14.
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The societies in Taiwan and Japan have long shared friendly ties, and during this turbulent time, Taiwan and Japan have developed a stronger and deeper bond and concrete aids like vaccines and oximeters. In the area of design, design communities and industries in both countries have maintained close exchange and interaction in diverse areas. Last year, 2021, was the Year of Taiwan-Japan Friendship, and TDRI organized the “Taiwan House” Japan Tour that made stops in Tokyo and Kyoto, displaying the blossoming and splendid contemporary design spirit of Taiwan through the image of flowers. Through the one-month exhibition tour and six exchange seminars, Japanese design community was stunned by Taiwan’s cultural spirit and creative energy.
There have also been diverse design collaborations between Taiwan and Okinawa: in 2014, Taiwan Design Expo invited product and packaging brands from Okinawa; in 2017 and 2018, Ryubo Department Store was invited to participate in Creative Expo Taiwan in two consecutive years; in 2019, Taiwan and Okinawa co-hosted the Okinawa SMEs Design Workshop. All these prove the close ties in design between Taiwan and Okinawa.
The “Okinawa・Taiwan Design Collaboration Exhibition” finely selects 10 topics that can best reflect the current situation of contemporary design in Taiwan and are the most concerned by Taiwan’s design industry, as well as innovative cases most relatable by Japanese people and industries, including “Designed in Taiwan, Finely Made in Japan” Taiwan-Japan Design/Crafts Collaborations, Fu Wan Chocolate Taiwan-Japan Agricultural Re-Branding Project, and T22 Yingge Ceramics Industry Local Revitalization Project; through posters and videos, the exhibition introduces to the people and industries in Okinawa these cases in areas ranging from “product and brand innovation,” “sustainable development of the service industry,” “revitalization of local industries,” “enhancement of quality of education,” to “cities’ introduction of aesthetics.”
Moreover, “Taiwan Contemporary Design Trends Seminar” has also been held after the exhibition opened on January 12. The event invited Taiwanese designers, Director Lin Ching-ke of Gridesign Studio, Creative Director Jennifer Tsai of Proad Identity, and Founder Shikai Tseng of Studio Shikai, to share own professional experience from the angles of merchandising, branding, and circular sustainability. Through the exhibition and seminar, it is hoped that local industries of Okinawa can gain deeper understanding on the Taiwanese market from the sharing of Taiwan’s professional design experience, as well as inspiration and assistance to enter the Taiwanese market; on the other hand, the exhibition and seminar also hope to bring Taiwanese designers overseas orders and facilitate more close bilateral collaborations in the future, displaying the coprosperity brought about by the synergistic friendship between Taiwan and japan.
Source: Taiwan Design Research Institute(Press release)
