Taiwan color — roingchen

roing chen

About me

email: contactroing@gmail.com

Instagram

Taiwan Cultural Palette Collection

Type: Virtual Reality
Client: National Taiwan Craft Research Institute
Year: 2023

On this not-so-large island, within the span of just a few hundred years, a blending of diverse ethnic groups has given rise to a rich tapestry of religious beliefs—from Eastern and Western faiths to the indigenous beliefs native to Taiwan. People’s belief in the animacy of all things is partly reflected in the colors expressed through deities’ dwellings, attire, and handicrafts. For instance, the vibrant hues adorning temples are not solely for aesthetic purposes; their brilliant displays and rarity, combined with symbolic meanings of piety and reverence, have shaped the high saturation we associate with Taiwanese temple art. The colors and motifs on the attire of deities are defined by the deity’s image, the corresponding element of the Five Elements, mythological narratives, associative imagery, and forms of nature worship. For the Atayal people, red signifies vitality and a forward-looking spirit; blue represents the boundlessness of the sky, while diamond-shaped patterns symbolize the eyes of ancestral spirits. By imbuing color with specific meanings, people forge connections between hues and life itself, ensuring that colors are not merely codes, but rather a vibrant spectrum of imaginative worlds.

Over different periods and under varying circumstances, the meanings and impressions conveyed by color also shift. Today, we endeavor to locate and define “the color of Taiwanese craftsmanship” by analyzing its distribution and structure through various methods. We continually seek and debate the notion of “how to define Taiwanese craft colors,” attempting to arrive at some form of answer through our exploration.

It is a series that involves the collection and compilation of various elements from traditional cultural crafts, providing a glimpse into
Taiwanese life and landscapes. These elements are then reimagined and recreated as a virtual reality artwork showcasing a unique palette of colors exclusive to Taiwan.

Taiwanese Embroidery
Xu Chenchun is a national treasure-level embroidery master in Taiwan. This work recreates a colorful virtual embroidery world by translating traditional embroidery works, giving traditional crafts a new way to experience.

From a first-person perspective, the viewer stands in darkness, surrounded by a faint, elusive glow slowly emerging around them.

Starlight gradually connects point by point into lines. As these delicate threads begin to swirl and encircle the space, they interweave into a universe of rainbow-colored strands. As the vibrant embroidered threads gradually form surfaces, the patterns become clearer: peonies unfurling from buds, vines winding upward, and a profusion of natural flora—grasses, flowers, fruits—layered with golden accents, stacking to create the dazzling, three-dimensional textures of embroidered craftsmanship. As this woven forest of all living things comes to life, the viewpoint pulls further back into the distance. Suddenly, something seems to stir deep within the forest.

Next, a mighty dragon soars upward from below, trailing numerous fine golden threads. Other mythical creatures appear from within the forest, taking flight toward the sky—phoenixes, qilins, cranes, and more. Traditional cloud motifs drift across the heavens, dancing alongside these divine beasts, creating a scene that feels like auspicious blessings descending from the sky.

Art Director: Chun-Ching Yeh
Project Management: Pei-Chi Huang
Project Consultant: Pei-Chi Huang, Roing Chen
3D Motion: Roing Chen, Pei-Chi Huang