Through the Lens of GLASSPEDIA: Looking at Hsinchu as the City of Glass
Hsinchu city hosts its 13th edition of the Glass Art & Design Festival, which looks at the city's past, present and future through the lens of GLASSPEDIA.
13th Edition of the Glass Art & Design Festival in Hsinchu city, Taiwan
HSINCHU, Taiwan — Thanks to typhoon Muifa that left earlier than what was expected from the weather forecast, the city of Hsinchu — just over an hour’s ride by train from the capital — was kissed by sunlight on the day of my visit.
Hsinchu city is known for many things, from its steamed meatball dumping (ba wan) to rice vermicelli (mi fen) to pork balls (gong wan). In addition to these traditional dishes, however, Hsinchu is celebrated as the City of Glass where, for a few decades in the mid-20th century, glass production became its economic pulse.
During the Colonial Period, a great wealth of silica sand and natural gas — both of which are essential in glass manufacture — was discovered in Hsinchu. In 1939, Taiwan Advanced Glass Industry Co. Ltd. was established, and it was the only company in Taiwan that produced high-quality glass products. The ease of obtaining raw materials for glass production, coupled with the savoir-faire of trade experts, transformed the city into a hub for glass industry.
In the late 1950s, glass factories sprang up throughout the city as a response to increasing domestic demands, particularly from pharmaceutical and fluorescent lamp industries. Over the next two decades, manufacturers turned to exportation of gifts, objet d’art, lightings, vases and Christmas decorations — all made of glass. In its heyday, Hsinchu was ranked first in the world, accounting for more than 70% of the global export market.
Today, glass is designated a local industry in Hsinchu, and taps into the cultural community through museum and international festivals. Looking back at over 100 years of history associated with glass, the city hosts its 13th edition of Glass Art & Design Festival (a biannual event that first started in 1995), shedding light on this inconspicuous yet indispensable material that we rely heavily upon in everyday life.
GLASSPEDIA is an Encyclopedia of Glass
This year, the festival’s main exhibition, GLASSPEDIA, is held inside the Live House Wind located at Hsinchu Park.
At its entrance, visitor is welcomed by a giant screen. Unlike any other screen I’ve seen in the past, this particular screen has a thermal sensor that captures the silhouette of its beholder. When standing in front of the display board, visitors would see their own apparition formed by an intricate network of dots in fluorescent blue colour.
On the festival’s poster, similar dots — a representation of SiO2, also known as silica — are used to construct various glass objects. By drawing a parallel between the dots used to create silhouettes of its beholders and that of the smallest unit used in glass manufacture, GLASSPEDIA prompts its visitors to contemplate and rediscover the “transparency that are present in our life”.
Transparency is a common thread throughout the exhibition. According to the curatorial statement, “Greatness Born Amid Transparency” emphasises how glass came to face its biggest turning point after it became transparent; it was widely applied in our daily life, and has, since then, become humanity’s “greatest revolutionary material”.
The exhibition is divided into six sections, with each of its theme akin to a chemical formula:
Transparency + Essence
Transparency + Application
Transparency + Form
Transparency + Splendour
Transparency + Steadiness
Transparency + Examination
The writer’s silhouette is traced out in the centre of the screen
As soon as you walk into GLASSPEDIA, I was taken away by its poetic and ethereal ambience, mostly created by the use of semi-transparent screens throughout the exhibition, which serves as description panel, as well as space division. The screens are layered — one behind another — with only a tiny gap in between — this not only mimics the transparency of glass, but hints at the accumulation of hard work overtime that gave birth to this City of Glass.
GLASSPEDIA has invited both local and international glass companies, manufacturers and artists, exhibiting nearly 100 objects and works of art. In each section, a video interview of industry leader is seen sharing their thoughts and experiences about a chosen theme.
The exhibition highlight is none other than a display of glass products encircling an imposing mountain in the centre. This remarkable mountain is in fact made of more than 20 tons of recycled glass grinded into powders.
“CHAPTER 01: Transparency + Essence” at GLASSPEDIA
The products on display include optic fibre, glasses, feeding bottle, wine glass, pickle jar, vase, oil diffuser, quartz watch, telescope, Eames Fiberglass Chair, and many more. Among them is the nostalgic codd-neck bottle used to contain carbonated soft drink — a popular drink that is loved for its special mechanism, which magically seals the bottle’s mouth with a glass marble. Each object on display is accompanied by a code for viewers to look up the object through LINE app.
It’s fascinating to see how these exhibits have been specially arranged to cover a wide spectrum of objects, from optics to chemistry, daily life to quality-change, form to architecture. These objects are also placed in such a way so that a notable transition from transparent to the colour is presented.
In a sense, this spectrum encourages its beholder to reflect on the various aspects of life, and the roles that glass plays in it. By juxtaposing glass powders and the so-called end products, it urges the viewers to imagine the process that took place when transforming silica sand to the glass products as we know it, reinforcing our connection with this transparent substance.
A spectrum of glass products encircles the Glass Mountain at GLASSPEDIA
City of Glass: its Past, Present, and Perhaps Future
A few steps away from Live House Wind is the Hsinchu City Glass Museum, where a special exhibition has been organised in conjunction with the 13th edition of the Glass Art & Design Festival.
Glory & Glass Era in Hsinchu City Glass Museum
On the way to see this special exhibition located at the far end of the museum, I walk past Glory & Glass Era, a poetic installation that contemplates on the past glory of Hsinchu city whose glass industry once thrived. Organic and almost crystal-like glass sculptures are placed on an extremely long trail filled with silica sand; the crystals — well-lit even in broad daylight — are like retroreflective guide signs for nighttime drivers that show the path ahead.
Following these lights, I arrive at this room dedicated to Golden Glass Award, a competition organised in conjunction with the festival that strives to discover and encourage glass artists and designers. If not told, I would not have guessed that all the works on display are made of glass.
Left: Sounds of Wind, Liao Wen-Jing | Right: Embryo (VII), Zheng An-Fan
Among a myriad of creation, three of them caught my attention. First, the Gold Medal Award-winning Sounds of Wind by Liao Wen-Jing, which consists of a series of 6 mbiras (a type of finger-plucking musical instrument) inspired by the wind chimes whose crispy and clear sounds remind the artist of the wind in Hsinchu. I’ve never thought that glass could be used to make musical instrument, and I can’t help but wonder what this delicate instrument would sound like when played.
Embryo (VII), which has won the Merit Award, is a multi-sensorial installation created by Zheng An-Fan; the work includes a total of seven embryos made of blown glass, each containing a different type of fragrance oil. The scent is diffused in the air through a cotton thread that hangs from above, freshening up the space with a curious mixture of scents.
What the Heart Wants, Yang Zi-Xian
Young-Talent Award winner Yang Zi-Xian is the creator of What the Heart Wants, a fascinating sculpture in the form of an opened book. In the eye of the artist, when an idea emerges in our mind, it’s both blurry and clear at the same time — this is akin to the characteristic of glass that has form yet looks transparent.
I particularly like how Yang inserted tiny glass figurines in between these extremely delicate pages. I spot one man chilling under the sun, while another one — probably driven by curiosity — climbs to the edge of the page. There are also two sumo-wrestlers placed near the bottom-right corner of the page. Who would’ve guessed that this world of wonder was created using four glass-processing techniques?
Besides this special exhibition, I’d encourage you to take a look at the museum’s permanent exhibitions. One exhibition traces the city’s role in glass production over the past century, whereas another digs into the various glass-processing techniques that have been divided into two categories: cold-worked and hot-worked.
In addition to the exhibition GLASSPEDIA and the Golden Glass Awards, the festival has also placed a unique installation at Hsinchu Park. Titled Glass Garden, this installation consists of 300 mouth-blown glass lamps. The lamps have been arranged to form a spiral, symbolising the windy climate that Hsinchu is known for. What’s special is that, between 5pm to 8 pm, visitors can scan the QR code and blow into the virtual glass on their mobile screen; once finished, they can they make their wish, and the glass lamp would lit up accordingly.
Left: Glass Garden Installation | Right: Close-up of the blown-glass lamp
Courtesy of Hsinchu City Government
A weekday visit to GLASSPEDIA ensures an enhanced viewing experience. But for those who can only make it on the weekend, don’t miss out the Transparent Market in Hsinchu park, which gathers a wide selection of craft and design brands, as well as eateries. In the market, there’s even recycled glass container available for rent. Isn’t that cool?
Earlier this year, the United Nations has also proclaimed 2022 as the International Year of Glass, in the hope of raising the public’s awareness to the importance of glass in daily life. 2022 Hsinchu City Glass Art & Design Festival succeeds in doing so by reconnecting the public with glass, and urges the visitors to look into the essential role that glass has and will continue to have in the society that’s not limited to Hsinchu city or other parts of Taiwan, but the rest of the world.
2022 Hsinchu City Glass Art & Design Festival is held at Hsinchu park and runs through September 25, 2022. GLASSPEDIA is on view inside the Live House Wind, whereas nearby Hsinchu City Glass Museum showcases works nominated by the Golden Glass Award.