Remodeling the Sunrise Driftwood Workshop Project
This remodeling plan aims to provide an additional leisure destination spot for tourists after their visit to the Duoliang train station; it also hopes to activate tourism among the local tribes.
As much as daily lives, arts and culture became an important source for creativity, driftwood has also become part of the local scene in Taidong in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot. In the hope of preserving both the traditional cultural elements while keeping a sense of modern design, Alliance invited Mr. Wei-Bin Hsu, a driftwood and multimedia artist to conduct the first driftwood furniture workshop in January 2011. Mr. Hsu specializes in using multimedia in his creations, not only has he been receiving numerous awards, he has also been working and participating in various exhibitions abroad, he is fond of aboriginal cultures and he hopes that through the workshop, combining theory and on-site application, he can share his own expertise with those who are interested in driftwood creation and thus injects a sense of innovation to the local carpenters and in turn, upgrades both the creativity and practicality of Taidong driftwood furniture.
The main theme of the January 2011 workshop is how to use driftwood and metallic materials seamlessly, through actual demonstrations and experience sharing, Mr. and Mrs. Hsu upgrades the skill level and craftsmanship of local carpenters, the workshop also demonstrates the sense of beauty and artistic talents of the aboriginal tribes. In February 2012, Alliance invited the couple back and this time around, the theme is about space remodeling and sustainable development. It is aimed at developing a blueprint for the Sunrise Driftwood Workshop and turns it into a tourist destination spot.
Sunrise Driftwood Workshop (Originally known as Duoliang Wood Workshop) is located at southern part of Duoliang tribe of Taimali Township in Taidong. Once an abandoned school for years, the Duoliang branch school is at Dashi Elementary School. The school faces the Pacific Ocean and it is just above the Duoliang Train Station. Dubbed as the most beautiful train station in Taiwan, although the Duoliang Train Station has been abandoned for years, the train station still attracts many railway fans and backpackers to stop by and enjoy the amazing scenery there. In the past, tourists just come and go without staying for long; therefore, the remodeling of the Sunrise Driftwood Workshop also takes on the mission of boosting tourism in the neighborhood.
During the month-long remodeling, Teacher Hsu led a group of artisans who were formerly making furniture and started remodeling the school. Not only did they successfully use driftwood to create two classrooms, a showroom and a coffee shop, the new space is also imbued with an ambience of carpentry. With teamwork, they created new ergonomic tables, chairs, coffee tables, wash basins, cup holders etc.
Besides, in order to boost sales, Teacher Hsu and Teacher Zao (Mrs. Hsu) created molds for a series of household items such as wooden trays, candle stands, clocks, mirrors. In doing so, they inspired the local workshop artisans to use their own creativity and turn abandoned materials and driftwood into various items with practical use and local characteristics.
In the past, although Duoliang had a beautiful train station but very few visitors stayed over. Now, after visiting the train station, visitors have the option of staying behind and experience the Duoliang tribal arts and culture. We hope that through the upgrade of the Sunrise Driftwood Workshop, the local tribes can be revitalized and tourism among the tribes will become popular, we hope that through tourism, visitors have the opportunity to visit the tribes, better understand the local cultures and in turn, create more job opportunities locally. In the future, we hope that Duoliang will be home for producing driftwood furniture, put in place a production line that includes product design and development and eventually, it will evolve into a sales platform for local industries.
The main theme of the January 2011 workshop is how to use driftwood and metallic materials seamlessly, through actual demonstrations and experience sharing, Mr. and Mrs. Hsu upgrades the skill level and craftsmanship of local carpenters, the workshop also demonstrates the sense of beauty and artistic talents of the aboriginal tribes. In February 2012, Alliance invited the couple back and this time around, the theme is about space remodeling and sustainable development. It is aimed at developing a blueprint for the Sunrise Driftwood Workshop and turns it into a tourist destination spot.
Sunrise Driftwood Workshop (Originally known as Duoliang Wood Workshop) is located at southern part of Duoliang tribe of Taimali Township in Taidong. Once an abandoned school for years, the Duoliang branch school is at Dashi Elementary School. The school faces the Pacific Ocean and it is just above the Duoliang Train Station. Dubbed as the most beautiful train station in Taiwan, although the Duoliang Train Station has been abandoned for years, the train station still attracts many railway fans and backpackers to stop by and enjoy the amazing scenery there. In the past, tourists just come and go without staying for long; therefore, the remodeling of the Sunrise Driftwood Workshop also takes on the mission of boosting tourism in the neighborhood.
During the month-long remodeling, Teacher Hsu led a group of artisans who were formerly making furniture and started remodeling the school. Not only did they successfully use driftwood to create two classrooms, a showroom and a coffee shop, the new space is also imbued with an ambience of carpentry. With teamwork, they created new ergonomic tables, chairs, coffee tables, wash basins, cup holders etc.
Besides, in order to boost sales, Teacher Hsu and Teacher Zao (Mrs. Hsu) created molds for a series of household items such as wooden trays, candle stands, clocks, mirrors. In doing so, they inspired the local workshop artisans to use their own creativity and turn abandoned materials and driftwood into various items with practical use and local characteristics.
In the past, although Duoliang had a beautiful train station but very few visitors stayed over. Now, after visiting the train station, visitors have the option of staying behind and experience the Duoliang tribal arts and culture. We hope that through the upgrade of the Sunrise Driftwood Workshop, the local tribes can be revitalized and tourism among the tribes will become popular, we hope that through tourism, visitors have the opportunity to visit the tribes, better understand the local cultures and in turn, create more job opportunities locally. In the future, we hope that Duoliang will be home for producing driftwood furniture, put in place a production line that includes product design and development and eventually, it will evolve into a sales platform for local industries.
