Taiwan National Center for Traditional Arts

I'm a terrible blogger. Not only are these pictures at least six months old but, well they are six months old. At any rate, one of our stops while in Taiwan was the National Center for Traditional Arts.

Home to a Wu Ching sculptural commission which our friends said we could not miss. It was called “Country Sentiment” (Endless Proliferation) and while no photos were allowed, I had to share this artists magnificent work, crafted entirely of gold. I suggest you look at the artist's website to really appreciate the detail.

Now for my own photos from around the National Center for Traditional Arts.The main area is full of shops selling traditional crafts and snacks. The architecture is made to look like a Taiwanese street during the Victorian period. I loved the paved street with brick insets.

 One of the exhibition buildings. On the other side of the railing was a sunken koi pond. I just thought it would make a beautiful house of all things!

 Interior display of reproduced traditional painting for a temple.

 So this is actually the food court... but again, just admiring the architecture and integrated garden courtyard.

Traditional candy-making - it was so fun to watch!

photos by me, please credit if you borrow, thanks!

Cypress Furniture

Sorry for such an absence. I was organizing my photos this afternoon and I found quite a bit that I wanted to share. While we were in Taipei, Taiwan last fall we visited a friend of a friend (follow that?) who collects cypress.

The horizontal trunk in the background is actually hollowed six feet in the center.

This piece was on a rotating podium - just beautiful! I am told the knots are from the tree weathering storms, housing nests and growing precariously on a cliff side. Often the ones that have the "easy life" in the forest are smooth while these knotted ones are cherished for their unique markings. 

 Sorry for the rough photos, I just had a point and shoot with me for the trip. The "sculpture" below was my favorite piece.
 

He had several stories of furniture, trunks, statues, etc. Often time he makes or preserves these pieces himself. Some are even made of trunks that are hundreds of years old, or so he tells me! The trees have all fallen naturally as such ancient forests are preserved by the government. He was telling me that Taiwan is very strict in their preservation. He has traveled to Japan frequently because the Japanese government is even more strict in their attempts to preserve virgin forest lands. His personal obsession has grown so much that Taiwan just awarded him "museum" status to preserve his collection so he can open it to the public.

photos by me, please credit if you borrow, thanks!