Launched by the former Democratic Progressive Party administration in 2003, the eight-year program to bolster the cultural and creative sector in Taiwan was partly inspired by a 2001 report, which identified these industries in the United Kingdom as generating around US$216.8 billion in revenue and employing 1.3 million people. The findings were supported by a UNESCO document published in 2003 that studied the rapid expansion of such enterprises in various countries, including Germany, Japan and the United States.
In Taiwan, the cultural and creative industries comprise of 13 sub-sectors, with the Council for Cultural Affairs, the Government Information Office, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior each responsible for developing several of these divisions.
The latest statistics compiled by the Industrial Development Bureau under the MOEA showed that these highly innovative businesses generated revenues of US$19.5 billion in 2006, compared with US$14.6 billion in 2001. Meanwhile, the workforce in these fields has seen a slight increase from 196,000 in 2001 to 207,285 in 2006.
The CCA, which is responsible for cultivating four sub-sectors--visual arts, craft, music and the performing arts, cultural performance and exhibition infrastructure, outlined a flagship ceramic project in 2003, which focused on reforming the traditional styles of tableware and flower vases. One of the project's purposes was to inject new blood into craft manufacturing.
"We chose ceramics because among all craft industries, pottery contributed the highest production value. These factories have great potential and are places where creativity can be broadly applied," said Lin Show-juen, a section chief at the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute, which co-sponsored the CCA initiative. According to the IDB, the country had 245 commercial pottery kilns worth a combined production value of US$200 million in 2006.
"The government has always wanted the ceramics industry to produce more artistic works. Without these, the factories are only producers. But fine design can significantly boost the value of their products," Lin explained.
Therefore, to familiarize the island's kilns with the concept of design when launching its flagship program, the CCA commissioned Tai-hwa Pottery, one of the nation's leading ceramic factories founded in 1983, and five world-renowned local designers to create a tableware line that featured Taiwanese culture.
This first venture to give Taiwan's ceramics a new face yielded promising results. The tableware, round in shape with an inner square and accordingly named "Square Earth, Round Sky," won the 2005 Design for Asia Award and another eight international prizes. Today, sales of this collection are still going strong, said Lu Chao-hsin, president of Tai-hwa Pottery. "Over 10,000 sets have been sold and we expect them to remain popular for the next two decades. Their buyers include those from Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore," he said.
The 48-piece tableware set for a family of six has five different series respectively designated "Tastes of Our Origins," "Beauty Through the Years," "Playful Dreams of Life," "Austronesian Light" and "Bamboo." Around the rims of the "Tastes of Our Origins" pieces are the traditional Mandarin symbols for 23 Taiwanese towns. Each seal conveys a tale of a place and its people.
"The other four series employ Chinese calligraphy, characters from traditional Chinese opera, folk art patterns used by Austronesian people and bamboo images as their themes," explained Lu. On the CCA's recommendation, these outstanding pieces have been used during state banquets held at the Taipei Guest House since 2004.
Lu, whose company was also selected by the Grand Hyatt Taipei to make the hotel's tableware, said it is "essential" the government take the lead in bringing the elements of design into his trade. "Taiwan's pottery holds a considerable share of the international outsourced manufacturing market for ceramics. Our techniques are very good, but the issue of design is a weak point," added Lu.
Rarely cooperating with professionals from other fields in the past, Lu said CCA's flagship project introduced his factory to a number of the country's celebrated designers such as Chen Jun-liang--winner of the top prize at 2004's international poster exhibition in Paris--Chinese calligrapher Tong Yang-tze and architect Ray Chen.
"We worked hard together, and each of the nine international awards and this line of tableware mean a lot to us," Lu said. "Design and cross-industry alliance are really important. From our perspective, the project is highly successful and will have lasting impact on the design of the country's ceramics."
Though his company's works have earned the appreciation of state dignitaries and high-end hotel guests, Lu believed the key point is to ensure that this initiative is rolled out across the industry. "We will not become complacent just because high-ranking officials or a famous hotel use our products," he said. "It is not enough for a line of tableware to be in demand. We hope the whole ceramic industry can experience the same success."
In addition to creative talent, the other factor necessary for the nation's kilns to prosper and carve out a place in the global marketplace is confidence in Taiwan's ability to invent and design, Lu said. "Our kilns should not blindly copy the styles of other countries and think foreign works are superior to ours," he said. "A man should never despise his own child and say the kid is ugly."
Designer Chen Jun-liang, who has maintained partnership with Lu since the CCA program, echoed the potter's view that local artists should learn to draw inspiration from the island's unique culture.
"For example, Chinese calligraphy would be a good place to start. Though this form of art is practiced in a number of Asian countries, Taiwan's calligraphers have developed unique ways of writing that are distinct from the old schools," Chen explained. "Their strokes and lines are rich ingredients worthy of being fused into ceramics."
An uninitiated potter prior to joining CCA's flagship scheme in 2003, Chen said good design could not be applied on a commercial scale unless it is adopted industrywide. "I am very willing to share my experience working on the council's project with other traditional craft manufacturers," he said.
While many accomplished designers also share Chen's enthusiasm, time and the cost of traveling make it difficult for them to do so by using their own resources. The government could help remove this obstacle by providing financial assistance, Chen advised.
Responding to this suggestion, Yu Jan-chi, director of Taipei County's Yingge Ceramics Museum--a government institution that also participated in the CCA initiative--said offering grants or transportation allowances to designers so they can meet with craft manufactures or teach seminars is a feasible idea. "We can plan workshops targeting different audiences or production units," she said.
YCM has endeavored to strengthen incentives for cross-industry alliances. By holding the biennial Taiwan Ceramics Golden Award, the museum gives kilns access to prize-winning designs. "We started this award in 2001, with the 3rd and 4th competitions focusing on dining utensils only. In 2005, artists designed tableware for 'small eats' and, in 2007, for wedding banquets," Yu said. "Ceramic factories can choose the patterns they like in these contests and use them on their products."
To involve more designers in craft manufacturing, the NTCRI recently began a program inviting artists to base themselves in a village in central Taiwan's Nantou County, where the research body is located, to create works that meet the industry's demands. "The institute has devoted a great deal of energy to marketing this initiative," Lin said. "And last month we opened a gallery in Taichung's Eslite Bookstore displaying and selling creations by ceramic designers."
According to Lin, expansion of the craft market has to begin on the domestic front. "If our people don't care about the aesthetics of dining, they would not have a need for fine utensils," she said. "The export of such products will only grow after the demand at home has increased."
Write to Melody Chen at melodychen@mail.gio.gov.tw