Fashion. Art that you can wear?? Yes, please.
Due to the heat and sheer laziness, I have adopted a uniform of old T shirts and oversized, droopy shorts since moving to Taiwan. So, when I came across this exhibit, ‘From Ink to Apparel II: A Crossover between Calligraphy Art and Fashion Design,” at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (松山文創園區), I thought it might do me some good to have a little fashion infusion. Philip and Jules opted to play football instead, so I brought along my medical assistant, Xiao, visiting from NY. Yay, a visitor from home!
The last fashion exhibit I saw was ‘Manus x Machina’ at the Met a year ago, so I was looking forward to getting a glimpse into the world of fashion design here in Taipei, a city designated by Icsid (International Council of Societies of Industrial Design) last year as ‘World Design Capital.’
What struck me when I walked into the exhibit was the stunning calligraphy on display. The calligraphy seemed so fresh, modern and lively, especially in contrast to the classical styles I had seen at museums on our recent trip to China. I actually found myself swaying a bit while standing in front of the paintings. Who is creating all this movement?? Her name is Tong Yang-Tze, a 75 year old Taiwanese artist who has popularized the art of calligraphy in Taiwan to the point where her artwork, a blend of modern graphic design and traditional Chinese calligraphy, is seen on the Taiwan arrival/departure stamps in passports and where her paintings have inspired works of music, dance and fashion.
After passing through the first room of calligraphy paintings, I entered a room containing the designs of fashion students and designers who translated Ms. Tong’s calligraphy into their own sartorial interpretation. Some creations were more literal than others, where digital and textile technology allowed calligraphy artwork to be printed onto fabric. Others were more avant-garde, such as a feathered dress flapping against the mannequin’s chest as if there were a bird trapped inside.
I have to admit that the fashion didn’t inspire me quite as much as the calligraphy did. Nevertheless, it was refreshing to see Chinese fashion as something other than the stereotypical cheongsam, or qipao, dress (think Maggie Cheung in ‘In the Mood for Love,’ or Nicole Kidman’s Galliano cheongsam-inspired dress at the ’97 Oscars). As with the ‘Manus x Machina’ exhibit in NY, I appreciated the mix of the old and new, fusing an old art done by hand with new technology created by machines.
