Taiwan Today

In this age of material abundance and substantial incomes, most of our material needs can be easily purchased; but our machine-made items are usually cold and lifeless. They don't have the vitality and human warmth of hand-made products which, as one studies and works with them, become endlessly expressive.

With scientific progress and industrial development, man pursues efficiency and results-and forgets feeling. The result is, often enough, emotional paralysis and nervous tension fueled by stifling contradictions and stereotyped thought. Man becomes cold and expressionless; his life lacks purpose.

Man cannot live without art. No matter how things change over time, objects with feeling will always be admired. Even if old and worn, objects which express man's ideas, feelings and effort can always touch his heart.

A man's most important place is his home because it is also his refuge. The use of ingenuity and imagination to beautify a home has become one of the re­sponsibilities of the modern couple. But, though many people are eager to deco­ rate their homes-and sow the seeds of art-some become pessimistic and dejected at the prospect because they (mistakenly) feel that, "If you don't have money, you can't really achieve art.

"Tsai pointed out a seemingly petrified fish skeleton. He said that it was actually made of left-over fish bones and plaster.

Tsai Er-ping, a graduate of the department of applied arts of the National Arts College specializes in design and handicrafts. And he believes art is available to everyone: every house has left­ over materials which we may feel are a pity to throwaway, but bothersome to keep. By adding the beauty of design, such material can be transformed into decorative items for your own use-or for gifts. By applying artistry to everyday objects, gifted hands can transform im­pressions of life into harmonious, balanced design. You can reveal your intelli­gence and personality and give your fellow man, in his busy life, the pleasure of artistic enjoyment. And, not least, you can beautify your own home, says Tsai.

Tsai Er-ping's own home, which also incorporates his office, is an exciting ex­perience in home decoration. In the living room, except for the bookcase, everything is antique: the furniture, cop­perware, bamboo ware and the jade objects. But it also abounds with his own hand-made creations. Wall hangings are the special characteristic of his collection-but modern or old, everything is hand-made.

On a wall, two fish seen from a distance look real. They are, and he explains that after they were caught in the sea, they were salted to preserve them for art. He then smoked them. Wind-drying is an acceptable substitute. However, fatty fish cannot be used, for after treatment, the original appearance is lost.

He explains how to proceed: first, moisten a cloth with soapy water and smoothly wipe any filmy material off the treated fish's scales. Use fresh water to wash the fish clean, then dry it with a cloth. Place the fish on a piece of cured wood just larger than it. Spread the top fin and fasten it with a pin through the back so that it flattens out. Then, in the same fashion, fasten center and tail fins. Use large-headed pins to fasten them to the board. Because the front of the fin is soft and fragile, be sure to press it flat slowly. When the fish is firmly attached to the board leave it in a cool place in the shade, where breezes can help it dry out. It is important that it is never rained on. If the fish is thick or has hard scales, hang it mouth-down after it has been fastened, to let moisture gradually drip out. After the fish is dry, display it by letting it hang freely or by using white glue to fasten it to a framed board.

When choosing a fish, be sure not to use poisonous sea fish. The fish must be fresh. When it is pulled out of the water, care should be taken to avoid scraping and damaging the body and fins. If bugs appear on the fish, they can be eliminated with insecticide.

Tsai pointed out a seemingly petrified fish skeleton. He said that it was actually made of left-over fish bones and plaster. Although the materials are cheap, it looked very rare and expensive. To make one, go to a building materials store and buy some plaster. Dissolve the plaster in a plastic basin filled with cool water, using a stick to mix it evenly-but do not stir up too many bubbles. Too much plaster will cause the mixture to harden too soon; too little will harden too slowly. When the plaster solution is half dry, lay the fish bone lightly on it. If the impression is not exactly what you want, use a small knife to carefully cut and incise the plaster. When the plaster has hardened, the fish bone will seem encased in rock. The bones, of course, should be complete and clean. If you want the appearance of a fossil impres­sion, press the skeleton into the plaster and then take it out, leaving the imprint.

Tsai once obtained some withered plants. He felt that they had been sacri­ficed to environmental pollution. Glancing at a large white styrofoam board in the corner of the room, it suddenly oc­curred to him that styrofoam is one of the modern scientific materials to which the dried plants had been sacrificed. He thought it appropriate to join the styrofoam and the dried plants in a decorative wall hanging.

He first positioned the styrofoam and the dried plant roots in a wooden frame, paying attention to rhythm, balance and theme-and the potential location, When his design was final, he prepared to apply background color. He did not want complicated colors: because the styrofoam did not appear thick, he used advertising paint to, first, color it black, and other deep colors to make it appear thicker, When the paint dried he glued the styrofoam to a plywood frame and, finally, attached the dried roots to it.

Tsai used inlaid wood, the art of marquetry, to create a fetching owl which hung on his porch.

Tsai's owl utilized used simple wood-peelings, which can be made from wood scraps, He said he selects light and dark colored wood with veins that are either compacted or well-spaced. He says the contrast between dark and light, as well as the spacing of the veins and other characteristics of the wood, is the basic element for the design.

For the owl, he first selected a brown wood peeling and glued it to a thin piece of plywood. Then, with a slightly warm electric iron, he applied three layers of newspaper to the top of it. He took the thin wood peelings required to make the feathers, painted them with while glue (on the back) and all ached them to the newspaper. In this way he created a "skin" which was easy to cut and apply, creating the owl.

As evening approaches, we occasionally wish to forget the real world; it helps then to light a candle for poetic effect. In Tsai's home there is an attractive candle holder in the shape of a doll which, on informed inspection, is revealed to be a soda bottle and old newspapers. Tsai explains how to make one: first, clean the bottle and then paste a single layer of newspaper to the glass surface. Then, fill a container with water, add torn pieces of newspaper and continue to stir them until they break down into pulp. Squeeze the water from the pulp, add paste and mix evenly. The mixture can then be applied to the bottle to make head, feet and hands. If you want a smoother finish, add another sheet of paper to the pulp· surface. When the pulp and paper are dried and hard, use paint and advertising pigments to make clothes and features. Woolen yarn can be used for hair, printed cloth for clothing.

The doll bottle reminded me of a friend who was entrusted by a Japanese client to purchase cloth puppets. However, manufacturers and trade associations said they were no longer made. The old puppets were made of wood scraps, resin and cloth, but looked like they were made of mud. They had a very "country" feeling and were a unique folk art in Taiwan, Modern puppets are made of plastic and their mystique is much inferior to the old ones.

Puppets make people happy; their expressiveness is as varied as man's. To make them you need old cloth, woolen yarn, sewing thread and needles, and buttons to make the eyes. For the doll's head use wood scraps, clay or resin, but papier-mache may be used as in the making of the candlestick holder. For hair, use black woolen yarn or thread glued on the head in layers, Use water colors or non-transparent advertising pigments to sketch the face, and buttons to make the eyes.

After the head, then the clothes: draw the pattern you want, cut out and combine the pieces and sew them. Stuff with cotton, and you have a puppet.

When I asked Tsai for the time, he pointed to a unique wall clock. It was made of old wood, fruit, a peacock feather and a battery timepiece. Rather than a boring, monotonous time-pusher, the clock was a rhythmical, harmonious piece of art. Tsai said, "A timepiece should be a decoration as well as an instrument.

To make the clock you need a piece of scrap wood, twelve fruit seeds, a long peacock feather, a battery clock (which can be bought in many electronic stores) and an empty wooden box. Strong glue, some dark shoe polish, some fine sandpa­per and a chain complete the materials. For tools you need only a jigsaw and a drill.

Cut the wood to the shape you want and sand it down. Polish it with shoe polish until the veins stand out. Cut a hole in the wooden box and fit the clock into it. Glue the box to the piece of wood and then add the fruit seeds in the ap­propriate places to indicate the hours. Decorate with the peacock feather and the small chain. Many materials can be used in making decorative clocks: boxes, bamboo, dried branches, peach seeds, tennis racquets, sawdust, clay, plaster and the like. All you need is a desire to work with your hands and you can make yourself a clock which, in addition to the time, will give you a' warm, intimate feeling.

The Tsai home "museum" is full of many special objects. Bull horns and skulls were picked up by Tsai for use in designing his own creations. In Tsai's living room are many old Taiwanese tables, chairs, beds and dressing tables. The workmanship is elegant and delicate, seeming to bring ancient thought to our daily life.

When I left Tsai's house, he com­mented: "The artistic creations of our people, their fine handicrafts, fuse the classic with the modern, the East with the West." The ideal of art alive, and thriving, should be decoratively evident in our daily lives.-By Wang Sheng-chang, "Woman" magazine/Translated by Frank Allen