Interactive art takes on a whole new meaning this weekend, as Taipei hosts only its second ever Taiwanese Tattoo Convention, in the Xinyi district near the Warner Village complex, outside New York New York department store.
Activities start tomorrow around 10am with a break-dancing competition. During regular intervals in the competition, the crowd will be treated to a cat-walk show of tattooed models. Expect to see quality work by local artists and, in particular, full-body tattoos of Daoist mythological gods and demons perfectly sculpted around muscles that in their movements make legendary battles seem vividly alive. "Life is art," the adage goes and there can be no better way to express such an ideal and to celebrate the human form.
For the rest of the day, until 8pm, the buzz of the tattoo gun will fill the air as a team of a dozen tattoo masters will be offering their services to anyone who decides to get inked. The convention will undoubtedly draw a larger crowd on Sunday and proceedings are set to start at 10am again with a similar line up to the day before.
PHOTO NICK WHEELER, TAIPEI TIMES
Since dynastic China, tattoos have been seen as the badge of criminal fraternities, so there is no surprise that in modern Taiwan, as in Japan, people with tattoos are still viewed in a negative light by a large segment of society. One of the principle organizers of the event Tsai Jong-da (
Two weeks ago in his studio, Tsai explained the importance of the quality of the inks used by tattooists. He uses either British or US products and, in the unlikely event that the colors should fade after only a few years, free touch-ups are provided. He then continued by saying a full back piece would cost a few hundred thousand NT$, as heavily shaded work demands a greater degree of attention and is extremely time consuming, not to mention energy draining for both customer and artist.
Books full of various images will be available at the convention for those unable to come up with an original design, but most people that choose to be tattooed spend time tailor-making something that is meaningful to them. All tattoo artists present will be more than happy to discuss ideas with the initiated and first-timer alike.
Foreign tattoo enthusiast Andrew Braddock says, "If you are going to be marked forever, you have to think very seriously about something that represents you in a timeless sense." He also said that art should be as alive as possible and should always be fluid, ever-changing and never stagnant, just like the human body; hence he thought of tattooing as one of the highest forms of art. He concluded his interesting theory by drawing a comparison between tattooed people and martial artists: "Martial artists have overcome their emotions and their actions are solely based upon a philosophy. In much the same way, someone who wants to get tattooed has to overcome his emotions and, presuming he has chosen a design that reflects his own beliefs, must then live up to it."
There won't be another chance, at least not for another year, to see the transformation of the normal into the colorful and extraordinary with tattoo art.
Climate change, political headwinds and diverging market dynamics around the world have pushed coffee prices to fresh records, jacking up the cost of your everyday brew or a barista’s signature macchiato. While the current hot streak may calm down in the coming months, experts and industry insiders expect volatility will remain the watchword, giving little visibility for producers — two-thirds of whom farm parcels of less than one hectare. METEORIC RISE The price of arabica beans listed in New York surged by 90 percent last year, smashing on Dec. 10 a record dating from 1977 — US$3.48 per pound. Robusta prices have
The resignation of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) co-founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) as party chair on Jan. 1 has led to an interesting battle between two leading party figures, Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) and Tsai Pi-ru (蔡壁如). For years the party has been a one-man show, but with Ko being held incommunicado while on trial for corruption, the new chair’s leadership could be make or break for the young party. Not only are the two very different in style, their backgrounds are very different. Tsai is a co-founder of the TPP and has been with Ko from the very beginning. Huang has
A few years ago, getting a visa to visit China was a “ball ache,” says Kate Murray. The Australian was going for a four-day trade show, but the visa required a formal invitation from the organizers and what felt like “a thousand forms.” “They wanted so many details about your life and personal life,” she tells the Guardian. “The paperwork was bonkers.” But were she to go back again now, Murray could just jump on the plane. Australians are among citizens of almost 40 countries for which China now waives visas for business, tourism or family visits for up to four weeks. It’s
A dozen excited 10-year-olds are bouncing in their chairs. The small classroom’s walls are lined with racks of wetsuits and water equipment, and decorated with posters of turtles. But the students’ eyes are trained on their teacher, Tseng Ching-ming, describing the currents and sea conditions at nearby Banana Bay, where they’ll soon be going. “Today you have one mission: to take off your equipment and float in the water,” he says. Some of the kids grin, nervously. They don’t know it, but the students from Kenting-Eluan elementary school on Taiwan’s southernmost point, are rare among their peers and predecessors. Despite most of
RSS