Fiber Art Masters Explore Taiwan’s Natural Colors

TaiwanPlus News

Two fiber artists in Nantou have been unearthing the natural colors of Taiwan for decades, exploring the hues created from the country’s natural dyes.

Transcript

00:00Trimming leaves off a tree, chopping them into pieces, and boiling these natural materials all to explore the natural colors of Taiwan.

00:18Sixty-nine-year-old fiber artist Chen Jingling has been researching and exploring Taiwan's varied colors for decades.

00:25He finds his dyes in nature, including from animals, plants, and natural fuels.

00:51Though Taiwan has an abundance of natural materials,

00:54the traditional dyeing technique Chen uses once disappeared.

00:59During the Industrial Revolution, synthetic dyes replaced natural ones in the local textile sector.

01:06To revive this lost technique and culture, Chen and his wife, Mai Ruixou, have discovered more than 2,000 shades unique to Taiwan.

01:15This process has not been easy.

01:17Even the tiniest variation in dye production can alter the final product.

01:24Some of them have no difference in the last year.

01:30But some of the plants, its light, its water, its nutrients, will affect its color.

01:37It's the most charming.

01:38It's a very warm color when it's growing.

01:39When it's growing the color, the color is the most beautiful.

01:40Yes, since its plant果 is growing, the color is also the most beautiful.

01:45But at the end of the year, its life can be turned to the tree and flower.

01:46It wouldn't be very beautiful.

01:47But once it releases its plant果, the Collections own Presence was running away from the leaf.

01:49among all the colors the most commonly seen in taiwan is blue or indigo this is the very color

02:05chen used to create his most challenging work currently on display at a cultural exhibition

02:10in osaka titled mother river of taiwan the piece took chen more than a thousand hours to complete

02:19it reflects not only his mastery of his art but also his profound bond with the land

02:25我的童年的生活跟佐水溪就离不开关系

02:31那我们知道台湾佐水溪是台湾最长的一条河流

02:36产生了台湾最重要的蓬莱米的文化

02:40这一条河流孕育了台湾的农作的生长

02:45to protect many people of Taiwan.

02:49After decades of exploring Taiwan's natural colours,

02:53this journey has taught Chen and Ma about more than just the past

02:57and this dyeing technique, but also life lessons for nature.

03:01Sometimes, we will find out that

03:05we need to make our own lives

03:11with the light of the light.

03:15Like we are now looking at the middle-aged years of life.

03:19We also hope that in this stage

03:23we can do some傳承,

03:27just like the fall of the earth.

03:31We can also learn with them.

03:35While they've discovered over 2,000 natural shades already, Chen and Ma

03:39say their job is still far from done.

03:41The couple will continue to unearth the true colours of Taiwan.

03:45Hang Xu, Devon Tsai and Sanichi for Taiwan Plus.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended