Taiwan Today

Tucked away on a busy street in downtown Taipei is a museum dedicated to paper. Its director Rita LiChen told “Taiwan Today” in an Oct. 5 interview that the museum was founded in part to honor the memory of her father, who made a living out of making handmade paper. But the museum also has another, more difficult-to-define purpose that reminds one of the ambitions of an artist. "I don’t really have a specific agenda in terms of what I want to achieve with the museum," LiChen said. "All I want to do is to explore the different aspects of paper that are yet to be discovered, to challenge the limitations associate with this product." Occupying only 537 square meters, the Suho Memorial Paper Museum is small in size, but its tranquil atmosphere offers a refuge for those who want to escape temporarily from the noisy activity of city life. More importantly, the museum provides a fascinating education into a product seemingly so ordinary and commonplace that it escapes the attention of most. Growing up in a family that specialized in handmade paper, the soft-spoken LiChen was more drawn to the artistic side of paper than to its technical aspects. "Paper is a part of my life. However, I wouldn’t have gotten involved in my current position if it weren’t because of what happened to my father," she said. Her father, Chen Su-ho, had been traveling along with her mother on an airplane over Guangdong Province in mainland China when the plane was hijacked by terrorists. It subsequently crashed, killing all passengers on board. When he was alive, Chen had often spoken of his dream of founding a museum that would preserve the paper-making tradition handed down from one generation to another—a tradition he felt was dying out in the modern world. The tragedy had taken her father’s life, but LiChen and her siblings were determined that it would not rob him of his dreams as well. They would found a museum to honor his memory. "Soon after losing both my parents in the 1990 accident, my siblings and I decided to forge ahead with the plan to build the museum. The land was already available, and we thought at first that we would have the museum ready in two years," LiChen recalled. "But after the two years had passed, as I looked at the hundreds of items gathered from around the world, something didn’t feel right." "I did not feel moved at all by what I saw, and I asked myself: If even I am not touched by all this, how can I expect the museum to move the hearts of others?" Gradually LiChen came to understand that the vitality of a museum depends on its interaction with visitors, rather than the mere display of a collection of still objects. With this new knowledge, she went to work on her museum again and, after another three years, the museum finally opened to the public in 1995. In line with what LiChen had learned, the museum now contains not only lively exhibits and educational activities, it also encourages visitors to participate in the making of handmade paper—all with the aim of fully realizing the museum's mission of educating and enlightening the public on the world of paper. Visitors to this museum are constantly surprised to learn how closely daily life is intertwined with paper, and how interesting something that they had taken for granted really is. The museum wants to offer its visitors a chance to get to know the original form of paper, and to understand how paper can become art and a part of a shared living space. On the day of the interview, the rainy weather under the influence of Typhoon Parma kept a handful of visitors inside the museum. "It is difficult for a small-sized private museum to attract a big crowd daily, partly because with our limited space we cannot accommodate a large number of visitors." "However, Suho has turned into a popular destination for foreign visitors," she said. Laurence Dellis, along with husband Jean-Philippe Dellis, 13-year-old daughter Marine and 11-year-old son Titouan, said they had a very good time at the museum. "My son wanted to learn how to make a book and we found the paper museum on a tourist map, so here we are." The Dellis family enjoyed their visit to Suho and especially appreciated its quiet tranquil atmosphere. The family, originally from Rennes, France, has relocated to Peugeot Citroen’s branch office in Wuhan City of China’s Hubei Province. Three 25-year-old Polish youngsters were enjoying their visit to the museum at the same time. Kasia Krolok and Michal Bekas, both currently working for an architecture company in Shanghai, were in town to visit their mutual friend Maria Nawrocik, currently a student at Taipei’s National Normal University. They liked the museum for its size and also because they enjoy making things with their own hands. As part of its desire to give something back to society, Suho constantly works with local schools by designing courses that cater to their individual needs. A Suho employee will show students how to make handmade paper by using trees in their own neighborhood, thus helping them to appreciate the environment more and to cultivate their creativity. To shoulder the social responsibility of enhancing people’s knowledge about paper, LiChen has also been working with artists in various fields, from both at home and abroad, hoping to break down the stereotypical images of paper and give it new life. "Several years ago I was approached by Taiwan’s internationally renowned choreographer and founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre Lin Hwai-min, who was looking for a special type of paper that could both absorb large quantities of ink and allow high voltage stage lights to shine through," LiChen said with excitement. The museum’s collaboration with Cloud Gate was a resounding success. "Wild Cursive," as the choreography piece came to be known, debuted in November 2005 to critical acclaim. "We went through many experiments trying to create the paper that would meet the requirements. It felt great that we didn’t let Mr. Lin down," she reminisced. During the performance of "Wild Cursive," black ink trickles down on rice paper designed by Suho. It is a stunning scene, enhanced by the lighting design that illuminates the transparent rice paper. Against and between the layers of rice paper, the fluid movements of the dancers seem to engage in a conversation with the liquid movement of the ink. The paper holds without breaking for 20 minutes while ink slowly flows down under 1,500 watt lighting. Another significant collaboration Suho had was with the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute in Caotun Township, Nantou County in April 2008. "Zhi-Dao: Environment, Tranquility, Reverence" showcased the work of nine Taiwanese and international artists chosen by LiChen. "With this show, I wanted to destroy the inherent concept of what 'paper' is," LiChen explained. "Only by destroying existing concepts can artists find new ways to express themselves." As she considers her museum, LiChen is philosophical. “If my father were still alive, he probably would have told me to quit, because it is very hard to manage a private museum with insufficient funding. "I cannot guarantee this museum will stay open for another 20 or 30 years, but I will do my best to meet the challenges as it is a way of continuing my father’s life," she said with determination. A special exhibition, which will run until Jan. 4, 2010, is currently being held at the museum. It features a video by award-winning designer Gong Wei-de, in which Gong interviews eight people and asks them to share heartfelt stories about one special token in their lives. Visitors are encouraged to write down their thoughts afterwards and create a handmade book of their own. For more information about the museum, please visit http://www.suhopaper.org.tw/english/. Write to Lishan Chang at lishan@mail.gio.gov.tw