Jonathan Biddle – Made in Taiwan

Tag: Built Environment

  • Workmen

    I awoke to the sounds of diggers in the street this morning. This is not an especially strange occurence here in Taipei, but I was still rather surprised to see that they had dug up the entire street, with zero warning and no pedestrian access to the street! My door is third on the left.


    I looks like the boys just tied the cable onto the digger and pull backwards, peeling the cable out of the ground!

    Even more surprising was returning a few hours later to discover they had glued it all back together again!


    Am I on the same street? (about 10 hours later)

    I also had a marvellous day enjoying the chilly, sunny weather – two weather types that are not commonly seen together here. I cruised through MOCA, and onto meet Jade at DiHua St. festive market – the equivalent of a Christmas market back in Europe. The street was totally packed and defined the word ‘RiNao’, which is the Chinese appreciation of busy, bustling places with lots of shouting, music, food and flashing things. My particular favourites were the ever more improbable piles of shredded squid and nuts with the sellers up on stools shouting at people to buy them.


    “Get your lovely shredded squid here!”

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • We Come in Peace

    OK – one for Thomas in Berlin at Stylewalker, following up the last Grafitti Taipei post …

    Not sure about the quality, but for once there is certainly a political message and I am pleased to see an Asian theme. To fill everyone in, last year the Chinese government offered Taiwan their most precious of gifts – the gift of the great big cute Panda. Taiwan did not accept it, which is just as well really. Taipei Zoo is not a good place for… well… anything.

    BBC News


    WE COME IN PEACE


    Bunny wabbits

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Wikimapia

    Geoblogging really getting much easier … just stumbled across Wikimapia which is an amalgamation of Googlemaps and Wikipedia … exceptionally easy to add GIS information to your web page.


    I live here

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • New Year’s Resolution

    Usually when I return to Taiwan after a period away I take picture of the exactly the same things. This usually comprises the industrial-scale freeways, traffic and the professional quality lighting that Taipei occasionally seems to conjur up.


    The motorways never fail to impress me – more like transportation cathederals. Mark my words, if Taipei is ever hit by a meteor these will be the only things left standing.


    Tom – an old friend of Rich’s comes back to Taiwan and enjoys the widescreen view from Toby’s rooftop


    New Year’s Resolution, provided by Sony Bravia (I couldn’t resist this joke)

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Mathematical Graffiti

    I spotted these calculations outside a building site in the south of Taipei. Obviously, some brickies needed some quick sums doing on their construction work, so they picked the panel on the gate to the site, leaving a great photo op’ for me.

    And spot also the sprayed-on warning sign in Chinese. If only all tags were this attractive!


    Graffiti exams

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Lonely God

    Some rather intreresting packaging:


    Lonely God – Potato Twists

    And while we are at it, a new shop has opened downstairs from us … simply, ‘LED’.


    LED


    LED – Light Emitting Diode – It must be a trend

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Urban Underground

    Some pics from the weekend…


    A walk in the park – Rich and I have a beer in Sun Yat Sen


    A pretty cool street art exhibition in Shilin Night Market – very nice to see, since the guys here have a shop, exhibition space and dance studio over three levels. I have been waiting for an underground movement to begin to claim these places as their own … and it is a theme that continues.


    Rich, Nick and I rocking it up at Luxy – our first night out together in ages, since we have all been jet setting off around Asia for the last couple of months.


    Campo – this is really developing as a very nice design / art / music conglomeration. I was delighted to see they were using the HuaShan arts district – Taipei’s old cigarettes and alcohol factory. The design style is very Taiwanese and over-cute, but it is developing … but the most pleasing thing to see is the way they are renovating the buildings, but without completely polishing it.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • We’re Night Clubbing

    I had a pretty great night out last night – went to VT Art Salon to see live electric geetars twinned with fiendish techno beats. Exceptionally cool, and rather nice to meet several people again that are fast becoming good friends here in Taipei. They took their time!

    I took some photos on the way home – a rather sinister looking entranceway to a super gangsterish night club, a street corner, and me in a lift watching the doors close.


    Stay on target


    Intersection


    Sliding Doors

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Assorted Photos

    Some assorted photos over the last week or so in Taipei.


    Nelson looking pretty in PS Cafe while hanging out pretending to study Chinese


    Messing around with the RAW settings on my camera while downtown at night in Taipei


    Mister Donuts is a Japanese confectionary chain in Taiwan. The quality is poor poor poor, but every time a new one opens expect a line up around the building and down the block. People like donuts here in Taiwan.


    Markus and I out for some quiet (mid-week) beers at Underworld on ShiDa road. The place shut down a few months ago and we were happy to see it humming again (and our heads the next day).


    A night time street vendor is either stopping or starting work for the day


    Rich and I head north as I make my first trip on scooter in about five weeks. We stop to admire the paddy fields.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Grafitti in Taipei

    For me, Grafitti is not simply defacement of public property, but an intrisic part of urban culture – a reflection of the city, and a barometer for its political climate, sense of humour, tolerance and a thousand other things that people feel the need to express when paint hits wall.

    One of the things that I miss in Taipei is having this barometer. The kids simply do not seem to want to express themselves in the ways I am used to. However, it seems the times they are a-changing, and quality artwork is appearing on the streets. Moreover, it seems to have a style not completely borrowed from New York, London, Berlin or Melbourne – and is developing in a subtly Asian way.

    The highest quality work has been, without a doubt, the stencil work. Though not up to the standards of Banksy, it is pleasant, and infinitely preferable to visual pollution in the form of adverts, neon and the further commercial hijacking of our environment.


    Tree frogs appearing to brighten up the concrete


    Rather nice flowers – definitely asian style.

    Also, one of the things I really love, is the municipal stencil work – I just spent a few minutes looking for some photos – but these will have to wait for next time.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…