Encounter with modern design
Chang Yun-fann and Shane Liu first came to Makotaay with Tung Fang-wu, an associate professor at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST). For many years now, there have been a number of arts subsidy programs to rediscover the culture and handicrafts of indigenous communities. But this revival often comes to a halt when the program terminates, without any way being found for the resources that have been identified to be used sustainably. “A lot of culture and stories have been rediscovered, but then comes the problem of how to commercialize them,” says Chang. This is the issue that their team is trying to resolve.
Tipus Hafay was born in another Amis community, Nataoran. After completing her studies at the Graduate Institute of Building and Planning at National Taiwan University, she worked in Taipei for over five years until she finally got a chance to return home to work, to assist in mentoring traditional industry firms in Hualien and Taitung.
Thanks to an introduction from Tipus, the team from NTUST cooperated with Sumi to use the umbrella sedge strips that she had developed. Sumi states: “Umbrella sedge is vulnerable to moisture, but lamps produce both light and heat, so turning umbrella sedge into lamps is the best way to ensure it doesn’t go moldy.”
The project team started learning from scratch, and they personally learned from Sumi how to process and weave umbrella sedge, so they could understand the time required for weaving and the adaptations they could develop.
Shane Liu says: “Living in the indigenous community, seeing the mountains and ocean every day, you unwittingly make shapes that resemble ocean waves. [In the Riyar Light] every angle is different, just like the swelling of ocean waves, bringing a sense of rhythm.” The Riyar Light is constructed around a rhombus and two semicircles, simple geometric shapes that give it an uncomplicated and modern feel. The umbrella sedge, which has absorbed the sunlight of Hualien, is twisted into a wave shape, incorporating the natural setting of Eastern Taiwan into the lamp’s design.
In order to highlight the craft of weaving while also meeting the needs of future large-scale production, the designers cleverly placed the handwoven element in the most eye-catching position on the lamp, while using standardized components for the remainder of the product in order to reduce costs.
As the Riyar Light progressed from concept to prototyping and gradually matured, they felt that they could test the market for a series of umbrella-sedge products. So they put a number of products onto the crowdfunding website “zeczec” under the Kamaro’an brand.
When they started out they set their fundraising target at NT$200,000, little expecting that they would reach this goal in 12 days.
Sumi revived the planting of umbrella sedge and rediscovered traditional weaving techniques of the Amis indigenous people. (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)