Taipei Fantasy House Workshop

Taipei Fantasy House Workshop

The Dream Community is now open for proposals for design ideas that can be implemented in a living space.  This is an opportunity to collaborate and build incredibly experimental concepts for a set of luxury lofts in the mountainous outskirts of Taipei.  This is a grand experiment with the intention of bringing together artists and sets of artists from all over the globe to exchange ideas and develop new forms of inter-disciplinary work.  We are looking for builders, tinkerers, craftspeople, painters, mosaic artists, metal artists, carpenters and glass artists who would like to try actualize pieces of conceptual and functional art for these spaces and who are interested in a skill exchange. 

Artists usually come for periods from 4 weeks to 3 months.  Most artists’ proposals for this building are centered on creating new lighting designs, passageways, murals, mosaic or sculptural pieces for the courtyard and large metal sculptures.  The art can exist within a home, it can transform a home, it can exist outside or in the courtyard or it can cover an entryway.  If a wood worker would like to create something with a glass artist, we can play matchmaker and set up collaborations for specific pieces.   If a team of artists would like to come together and transform an entire space, proposals are welcome.

The foundation is also interested in creating sessions in winter, fall, spring and summer for artists to visit in large groups and to have the opportunity to create cross over pieces or group atmospheres. 

Specifically, we are looking for collaborations that would lead to a new invention or a new style that we could use to completely transform a space.  In Xizhih, which is a suburb of Taipei, wild man Gordon Tsai runs a large art and parade collective, which is funded in part by his condominiums.  This year he had decided that the ultimate statement for Taiwan would be to create a kind of artists’ paradise using an industrial looking luxury condo high-rise as the palate.

General Work Conditions

We usually work 6 days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m..  The Dream Community provides airfare, a nice apartment, studio space, all supply costs, delicious Vietnamese meals twice a day, special adventure trips to all of the island’s crazy natural and city attractions and a stipend of $200 a week.   The idea is, if you have something that you are driven to do and you want to try it out, this is a great place to experiment. 

We invite interested artists to submit:

     *One artist bio

     *A one page description of the proposed activity

     *6 images of work which highlight artistic merit of past projects

     *1 or 2 sketches of proposed idea

email proposals to: daydreamfantasyhouse@gmail.com

      

CHAPTER 3: EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Taiwan is infinitely more fascinating than I ever could have imagined.  Previously, I knew it for it's computer parts and as the origin of plastic witch noses.  There is a myriad of adventures that one can take part in on off days and vacation.

Aside from being a parade collective, The Dream Community has frequent parties to pass the time.

They often encourage artists to design their own party.

These lanterns were made for the annual boat festival in Keelung.  

Keelung also has one of the most interesting night markets.  Food and night markets will be covered in Chapter 4.

At night, all sorts of little shops open.

Hair Salon/Meat Market

The hot cold springs in Taiwan are incredible.  They smell like the inner workings of the earth.  Fed by sulfur caverns, the hot and cold baths coat the mountainside in bright yellow and blue clay.  You can move from hot to cold, equalize your chi and spend all day bathing in waterfalls.

For more local swimming, there is a swim spot right down the road from the dream community in a mountain-fed river.  

There is also an ocean surrounding the island.

Taroko Gorge National Park

This Ghost Boat Festival happens in Keelung. People make gigantic paper houses to burn for their ancestors.  They put them in the water where they are set aflame and float out to sea under a sky of fireworks.

I would not highly recommend the night clubs for dancing "impressively".  But they are interesting spots to see youth culture and get dressed up with your companions.

There used to be a really awesome club called "The Underground", which closed down in 2012 but the same owners are opening a new live music venue this year.  There are also some sweet tiny live music venues in Taipei like "Revolver".  We went and caught some friends from Brooklyn there earlier this month.

Also if you find a good "ok" bar, you have a chance that it might actually be amazing and not just for prostitutes, like Seamen Bar in Keelung.  A deaf lady of the evening bought me a birthday cake and we did some sweet kareok and hung out with sailors.  

Also, most of Taiwan is impassible mountains, previously inhabited solely by aboriginals.  Now there are many hiking trails that you can access for a day hike.

There is even a trail within walking distance of the Dream Community.

Mountain Tea Shop

Taipei Zoo

The baby giant panda will finally make an appearance winter 2013.

There are little pockets of art in Taiwan.  There is a large commune south of Hualien and Taipei has a thriving contemporary art scene.  

In November there is a digital art expo:
http://digitalartfestival.tw/daf12/artist_en.html
This year will feature Philip Beesley and his work "Protocell Cloud".

 For your free time convenience, you can take a train anywhere in Taiwan.  The island is only a 5 hour drive from top to bottom so the hotshot train can take you anywhere with very little hassle.  

Next Chapter: Food and Night Markets

CHAPTER 2:THE PROJECTS

The Dream Community consists of many different projects:

1. Dream Parade

2. Story Festival

3. Aboriginal Parades and Puppets

4. The Day Dream Project

     a. Metal

     b. Glass

     c. Mosaic

     d. Paint

     e. Installation

5. Travel Kitchen

6. Performing Arts

7. Festivals

8. Drumming

1. Dream Parade

The Dream Parade is now in its 13th year.  Every year, a different group of artists from a different country has been invited to come design and construct the Dream Parade.  The Team Arrives sometime in August and builds until the Dream Parade, which happens mid-October.  The team is also responsible for creating costumes to go along with their float and teaching college students how to replicate and create dozens of these costumes I have only been present for 3 but here are a few examples:

Brazil 2009

New Orleans 2012

France 2013

(photos courtesy of Ian Chen)

2. Story Festival

Story festival happens in mid-November.  It is an opportunity for visiting artists to share their storytelling traditions with Taiwanese storytellers.   Usually there are a lot of children.  This year the storytellers are hailing from Japan.  Last year the guest artists were Annemiek Funneman and Christian Bloem from Holland.  They were absolutely magical and adorable.  

3. Aboriginal Parades and Puppets Travel Projects

Working on parades with the aboriginal communities is the best way to get to know Taiwan, see the most beautiful secret spots and pick up some Chinese.  When Pandora Gastelum and I began touring the island in 2008, the Dream Community would literally drop us off with people we had never met deep in the mountains with some bamboo, rice glue and a couple of cans of paint.  Times have changed.  Now they usually leave you with an assistant from the Dream Community, but I actually think that this hinders the full immersion experience even though it may keep you from sleeping in an elementary school's janitor closet (which we did for about 2 weeks).  

photo courtesy of Ian Chen

4. The Daydream Project

This is the project which I am currently curating and the project which it is hardest to articulate.  The Dream Community added a few new buildings this year.  Two of these buildings are luxury apartment high rises with studio space for artists, a cafe and restaurant, gym, rooftop and courtyard.  The third building is a float den with all of the tools for building carnival floats and large parade art.  Gordon's dream is to open up these buildings as an artists' playground and let all sorts of experimental artists decorate the facade of the buildings as well as open up all of the interior and exterior spaces for studio and sculpture.  They began construction before realizing this vision so the buildings themselves feel industrial and bland, which will be an interesting juxtaposition to the art taking place here.  

The Daydream project is broken down into 5 sub-categories; metal, glass, mosaic, paint and installation.  The buildings have space that is completely open for addition.  The entryways to the parking garage, float den, restaurant and main lobby are all open for addition.  The courtyard and elevator rooms are empty.  Right now, the only thing that really is functioning while the building is being constructed are the metal and glass stuios.  

There will be a courtyard with tons of space for plants, sculpture and mosaic.  Gordon has begun to install foundations and canvasses which can be broken down, planted into or built onto.  It's a beginning template intended to change.  The intention is to add large, ambitious sculptural works.

5. Travel Kitchen

Travel Kitchen is the life passion of Amy Tsai, Gordon's wonderful and fascinating younger sister.  Her mission is to share life and culture by inviting and visiting people who love to cook.  They come to Taiwan from all over the world and cook for locals and Taiwanese foodies and aboriginal tribes.  Amy travels all over the world to find these kindred spirits and sets up parties.  It's a pretty fabulous gig for the modern lady.  Amy will also set up a permanent location for the Travel Kitchen's Restaurant in the new Daydream Project.  See more about Travel Kitchen here: http://travelkitchen.org

6. Performing Arts

The Dream Community has a rolling deadline for applicants to come and do works of performing art.  This can be a theater performance, the debut of a large piece of art, an interactive installation.  As long an event which draws an audience, it is considered a performance.

The Dream Community also has a huge black box theater.

7. Festivals

The Dream Community hosts various cultural festivals, including the "beer festival", "Oktoberfest", "The Capoeira Festival" and the "Bollywood Festival" for the enjoyment of the community.

8. Drumming

Two or more drummers come every year to teach aboriginal kids and community groups how to be a drum core for parades.  Typically, it has been Brazilian guys because they are the most charming.

photo courtesy of Ian Chen