Jonathan Biddle – Made in Taiwan

Tag: Taiwan

  • Factories

    I have visited dozens of factories in my time, but I never lose my enthusiasm for seeing new ones. We were visiting a client’s supplier to ascertain their capabilities, and I was just fascinated by the machinery. I never knew how fabric tubes were made before, but I do now – anything from about 10mm wide, up to over a metre wide … though I am not quite sure what for.


    Squared circle

    The machinery was a funny mix of new kit and apparently reconditioned Japanese aparatus. There were alarmingly few safety barriers or guards, and for a gangly Westerner this proved to be quite hazardous – especially when dealing with rows of spinning needles and winding fabric.


    In-house temple


    Ta Ting Tumbler


    I really liked their storage system, which reminded me a bit of some libraries that store books on mobile shelves. And their colour scheme was rad!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly in … Taiwan

    It has been raining non stop for about one and a half weeks now. Not ‘shower’. None of your English ‘drizzles’. And ‘precipitation’ seems a bit polite for what we are getting here. No, this is angry rain that seems to bounce when it hits the ground ensuring that everything gets wet, no matter what you wear. It’s depressing, and wearing constantly damp clothes really gets you down.

    Still, when the sun does eventually come out we can be sure that the humidity will go through the roof and I will begin complaining about the inability to breathe instead. Luckily, I suppose, there is little chance of that problem next week – just check the seven-day forecast!


    Michael Fish would be proud…

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Marks & Sparks

    Marks & Spencer comes to Taiwan!

    I was surprised to see the advertising panels covering what used to be Armani Exchange on Zhongxiao East Rd. They are moving in between Diesel, Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, so they are clearly targeting a premium market in clothing, though sadly I do not expect any of the sandwiches or ready meals this time round.

    I am really interested to see how they do, not least because buying ‘normal’ clothes here is such a pain. It’s all either night market rags or Louis Vuitton riches, with not a whole lot in between. Those times you just need a nice shirt, or some trousers.. forget it.


    Marks & Sparks

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • KMT Tablets

    What better for your Taiwanese political stomach problems?!


    “If you have troubles stomaching Taiwanese politics, perhaps you should try KMT tablets!”

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Three Years in Taiwan

    Tomorrow is my third year anniversary in Taiwan, which is simply insane. Three years!

    One year was ‘experience’, two years was ‘proving a point’… but what does three mean? Maybe I am just a glutton for punishment.

    Still, coming to this stage, it does allow me to pause and reflect on what I have achieved and what is possible in the future. I have certainly seen and done some pretty amazing things. Just looking at my first blog posting from the first day fills me with a feeling of vertigo.

    I think I need a beer.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Scooter Justice

    Rich is back in town, and he has not ridden a scooter since December. It is such a fantastic reminder of just how much fun piloting these things is – especially when the daily routine of getting to work in the rain takes its toll.

    A great weekend was certainly had by all – road trip, big night out and long exhaustive conversations well into the night with earth-shakingly important conclusions – if you could just rememember what the question was.


    Steve at speed


    Top Gun

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Rich – The Return

    It’s old news, but the flip side to this international lifestyle or galavanting off to Korea and Japan for the weekend is that friends tend to do the same and galavant off for good. I have had several close friends do this, but when Rich left at Christmas it really left rather a big hole.

    It was with this in mind that I was particularly looking forward to him coming back to wrap up his life before heading off for pastures bright and shiny. I took the day off on Friday and we planned (well, I say, plan – it mostly involved just waking up) and rode off around the north of the island and chilling at the beach, shooting several months of breeze that had been lacking.


    At the peak of Yangming Shan


    Camera around my neck… and on timer for some fun results


    Sign of the times


    An amazing hour spent on the beach trapped between the mountains, the Pacific Ocean and a sunset to melt any ice cap


    The boys are back in town


    Speed demon


    Helmet cam


    Look ma’ no hands! – riding into the sunset

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Taiwanese Health & Safety

    Coming home from a blast on the bikes, I needed to pop into Sean’s bike shop after shredding another rear tyre. I am, indeed, that extreme.

    Sean’s, apparently, does the best business in Taipei. As such, he is having a nice refit with a shiny new frontage. Many of the workers in Taiwan don’t stop for Sunday, so it was no surprise to see them hard at work. What was surprising was to see them drilling through a water pipe several times, and then leave the drill perilously close to the stream of water.

    A danger to passers by and to any potential user of the drill, all anyone could do was laugh an embarrassed guffaw when i started snapping away with my camera-phone.


    You are now entering a work area

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Wulai Road Trip

    Grabbed a few guys for my birthday, and we blasted out of Taipei to enjoy the waterfall in Wulai…


    The don


    Chaney gives turns on the charm


    Reflecting upon things.


    Like a bat out of hell

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Windows on Taiwan

    Growing up in the West, there are many things that you assume to be universally acknowledged as a Good Thing, but this is not always the case. Windows are a nice example; in the West, they add greatly to a living environment and raise the value of property by allowing light in and a view to be presented to the lucky inhabitant.

    Here, they seem to be a necessary evil, added as an orifice for the air conditioning units. If the small size of the windows was not enough, very often a layer of dark plastic is applied over the top to stop too much natural light in, and bars are then drilled into the fabric of the building. People have explained these bars in various ways – for security, to stop babies falling out, and so on – but I am positive it is much more culturally ingrained than that. I am just sure that the link between the inside and outside world is much less obvious here.

    In general, people seem to place much less emphasis on the outward appearance of a dwelling, focusing instead on the interior decoration. This is not always the case, as there are too many stylized European villas and castles to explain it that way, but there is something different going on with the relationship.


    Enjoy the view

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…