NOMADIC DESIGN: 莊卉家的設計漫遊

the ingredients for a fun new year eve

2012-01-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

Preparation time: 2.5 hour 

Cooking time: 3.5 hours

Total time: 6 hours 

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
Interesting people with good appetite

A flower bouquet and some pots of green plants for decoration

Ambient light setting (candlelight is the key)

A few bottles of Masumi Sake, Sauternes, Moet Chandon, and G.H. Mumm

Home-made froie gais, a gift from a lovely guest

3 plates of Temaki Sushi (手巻き寿司) to share

Ginger pears paired with meringue

A good play list of music to dine and dance

Nice neighbors with high tolerance to noise

a starting point 起點

2011-12-31T03:18:00.000-08:00

While taking a stroll along the wall of Confucius Temple in Beijing, I was intrigued by the chalk writing on the red wall. "起点" literally means a starting point in Chinese.

" A staring point" reminds me that for everything comes from it and everything must return to it. I've learned so much and also enjoyed every aspect of life in 2011 and I'll certainly make this the starting point for a very interesting 2012.

Dear friends, let's take a look and have a listen to this.

和調香師 Yann Vasnier 探索詩中的香水 Exploring the Perfume in a Poem with Yann Vasnier

2011-11-15T00:42:00.001-08:00

前段情境 TOP NOTES
新鮮清綠的挪威森林的氛圍。
Experience: the ambiance of the refreshing, crisp Norwegian wood air.

中段情境 MIDDLE NOTES
輕灑著溫柔細語的白花花、濕潤潤的花叢。
Experience: white forest flowers covered in mist and drizzled with whispers of
soft, soothing, purifying sensation.

後段情境 BASE NOTES
神密詳和的森林奇境中所流連徘徊的美麗與浪漫。
Experience: Beauty and romance lingers in a mystical, calming forces of woody nature.

“香水記事”的背後花絮 (二)

此次展覽，我很榮幸有機會能和調香師 Yann Vasnier 合作。Yann 多變性的感受力創作了諸如 Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Donna Karan, Comme Des Garçons 和 Tommy Hilfiger 品牌的香水。

對我來說，詩應該是最能貼切生動地表達香水的意境。也因此我寫了一首詩, 讓人一探 Fifi W 耐人尋味的世界，也希望藉由它點燃 Yann 在嗅覺上的想像力。這是一個由白色的童話般的感官元素所組成的詩，它編織 Fifi W 的性格，並且娓娓道出了一個香水的故事。

Yann 讀透, 解碼, 再將這首詩化為一種無形的, 美麗的, 飄逸出氤氤香氣的森林。這首詩是這樣寫的:

如果是在破曉時分，它像是抹上一層淡藍光澤的銀色。

如果是在幽暗的月光下，它閃爍著珍珠白的光茫。

如果用我的指尖輕輕碰，它有羽毛的觸感。

如果把它放在我的手掌中，它輕盈地想脫逃。

如果我用舌尖品嚐它，它的口感柔潤。

如果我把它放在嘴裡，它清新怡人。

如果它是樂器，那就是鋼琴。

如果我仔細聆聽，耳邊響起陳綺貞的裊裊歌聲。

如果我聞一聞，挪威森林的味道翩然而至。

如果它是一朵花，聞起來像是蘊涵著百合花香的露珠，而不是艷陽底下的紅玫瑰。

透過了Fifi 的感官世界，希望你會明白外放的感官之美–––––––他們給你一張心靈的圖片。

The Scenes Behind “The Story of a Perfume” (II)

In this exhibition, I was glad to have the chance to collaborate with Mr. Yann Vasnier, the perfumer at Givaudan who has brought a versatile sensibility to perfumes for Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Donna Karan, Comme Des Garçons and Tommy Hilfiger.

To me, poetry might seems to be the best way to describe a perfume. I wrote a poem that offers an intriguing glimpse into the world of Fifi W, and used it to ignite Yann’s olfactory imagination. Composed of sensory elements of a white fairytale, the poem weaves the story of a perfume that speaks softly to Fifi’s character.

Yann decoded the poem and illustrated it as an invisible, beautiful way perfume travels in the forest. The poem goes like this:

If I saw it in the dawn, it would be silver with layers of light blue.

If I saw it under the dim moonlight, it would be pearl white.

If I touched it with the tip of a finger, it would feel like feather.

If I took it into my palm, it would escape.

If I tasted it, its texture would be soft.

If I took it between my lips, it refreshes my mouth.

If it were a musical instrument, it would be a piano.

I hope through the sensory world of Fifi, you would understand the beauty of opening up the senses -–– they give your MIND a picture.

“香水記事”的背後花絮 (一) The Scenes Behind “The Story of a Perfume” (I)

2011-10-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

An Asian girl called Fifi W.

Fifi says: I love nature.

Fifi says: My bare essentials.

Fifi says: I love Cheer Chen.

塗鴉, 系列之一

塗鴉點燃了我們內在的創造力。它不但是一個溝通的工具，也是一個藝術的成型。雖然我通常運用電腦來完成我的設計，但是我必需承認的是, 對於無法傳達冒險與即興創意的電腦繪圖，我是有些許的失望的。

塗鴉讓我逃離現實，讓我心靈自由。它也同時給予我一種溫軟，舒適的感覺。無論是悲傷或是想喘口氣休息，我喜歡看看我年少在學校課本空白處塗畫的漂亮公主和可愛的小白兔，好讓他們引領我穿梭時光找回那些天真，甜美，和快樂的記憶。

為了吻合這次2011世界設計大會展覽所要表現的童話氛圍，我因此用了塗鴉為媒介來訴說 Fifi W.的故事–––一個住在亞洲，喜歡旅行，也是音樂人陳綺貞的粉絲的女孩。

"和調香師 Yann Vasnier 探索詩中的香水"將是系列之二, 請拭目以待...

Doodling, the first in the series.

Doodling ignites our inner creativity. It is not just a communication device but also an art form. Although I do most of my design on computer, I confess that much computer-generated illustration disappoints me for its lack of risk and immediacy.

Doodling allows me to escape from the real world and let my mind run free. It also creates a warm, comfy sensation. Whenever I feel down and need a break, I like to look at the drawings of fancy princesses and cute bunnies in the margin of my old school books, and let them bring me back to the innocent, sweet, and happy memories.

To match the fairy-tale ambience of the perfume for my exhibit “The Story of a Perfume” at IDA Congress 2011, I decided to use doodling as a medium to tell the fable of Fifi W.–––An Asian girl who loves travel and is a big fan of Cheer Chen (陳綺貞).

"Exploring the Perfume in a Poem with Yann Vasnier" will be the second. Please stay tuned...

IDA Congress: Della Chuang + Yann Vasnier + 陳綺貞＝香水記事

2011-10-16T02:53:00.000-07:00

left: Della Chuang, center: Yann Vasnier, right: Cheer Chen

當紐約的設計師莊卉家，巴黎的調香師 Yann Vasnier，台北的音樂人陳綺貞，這三位來自不同領域的創作人聚在一塊的時後，台北的空氣會散發出什麽樣的創意氣息呢？

我們在台北世界設計大會展示一場知覺設計的展覽–––香水記事：或看、或聞、或聽。歡迎您前來一探究竟。

日期: 10／22 ––– 10／30, 2011 (10 am –– 6 pm)
地點: 台北世貿展覽館一館D區
主辦單位: 經濟部；台北市政府
執行單位: 台灣設計創意中心
贊助者: 瑞士Givaudan香水香精公司；台北添翼創越工作室；台東原愛工坊

When designer Della Chuang, perfumer Yann Vasnier and musician Cheer Chen meet and make magic together, Taipei is a place where imagination and creativity become engaged...

"The Story of a Perfume", my design exhibition collaborated with Mr. Vasnier and Ms. Chen, will be presented at 2011 IDA Congress in Taipei from 10/22 to 10/31. We appreciated the great support from Givaudan, Teamear Music, and Taidong Yuan-Ai Crafts.

"The Story of a Perfume" at 2011 IDA Congress 世界設計大會展覽–––香水記事

2011-10-10T05:01:00.000-07:00

Sketched in the studio

十月份除了參與 Sephora 和 Firmenich 在紐約所舉辦香水知覺設計聯展外，我也榮幸地能夠回台共襄2011世界國際設計大會 (International Design Alliance) 的展覽盛舉。

刻意避開閃亮晶瑩的香水瓶及攝人魂魄的廣告陳列，此次展覽將以”說故事” 的方式來介紹香水設計的醞釀過程。在芬芳的氛圍中，訪客將從香水瓶設計草圖與創意槪念看板中體驗出視覺、嗅覺和聽覺之間的創意聯想。

香水的藝術創意向來令人推崇，但卻也像是撲了一層薄紗般讓人難以捉摸。此次展覽，我希望以自在、傳神、不矯情的表達方式，讓普羅大眾了解並進而欣賞設計的醞釀過程。

人人皆是造物者。如果我們學會發揮個人的想像力並設身處地地去了解每件事物背後的“創造想法”及“過程”，那麽我們的生活將會更美好。至少，我是這麽想的...

Apart from Sensorium exhibition by Sephora and Firmenich in New York, I’ll participate in the design expo at International Design Alliance (IDA) World Congress, the most authoritative international design event of the world. Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, is appointed as the host of IDA Congress in 2011.

Eschewing polished perfume bottles and slick advertisements, my exhibition showcases the creative process of perfume design through a story of an Asian girl. The audience will experience the creative connections between the themes of "visual", "scent", and "music", and how they fuse into a set of perfume bottle sketches and concept boards.

The creativity of perfumes is a quality that is highly valued, but not always well understood. Using more spontaneous, expressive, and less inhibited ways to present a perfume idea, I hope the audience would appreciate the beauty of the creative process of all design principles.

Everything is created by somebody. If one could learn to imagine, in any given thing, the “creator’s thoughts” and the “process”, it might lead to a better life. At least, that’s what I think...

Sensorium by Sephora and Firmenich 紐約下城知覺設計聯展

2011-09-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

image provided by Firmenich

photo by Arty Westphal

I'm honored to participate in Sensorium, a sensory exhibition presented by the cosmetics retailer Sephora and the well-established perfumes & flavors company Firmenich. I hope, through the lucid dreams from the sensory world, you'll understand how my KyotEau perfume project was conceived and constructed.

Will touching the KyotEau perfume bottle bring back the emotions Kyoto evokes in you? Please come and visit us in downtown New York.

我很榮幸能夠參與 Sensorium 知覺設計的聯覽。此次聯覽是由在美妝零售業界執牛耳的Sephora和知名的瑞士香水香精公司 Firmenich 所贊助。倘佯在感性卻清晰的展示空間裡, 希望您逐步了解我的香水設計––– KyotEau:京都之水 的發想過程及建構組合。

當您的眼睛觸摸了KyotEau:京都之水 的香水瓶，您的京都之情是否因此冉冉而生呢？我們邀請您前來紐約下城親身體驗。

Worthwhileness 值得的寶貝

2011-09-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Walking in the Swiss Alps

It rained and the sun came back out. I kept walking until I saw the splendid rainbows across the misty sky.

Often, worthwhileness must be justified by persistence.

太陽玩躲貓貓的下雨天裡，我就這樣走著走著等到薄霧藍天終於出現了兩道彩虹。

值得等待的寶貝通常是需要時間和耐力的堅持，我這樣對著自己說。

The Elegiac Sound of Cicadas 哀傷的蟬聲

2011-09-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Cicadas don’t sing on a cold day, but today I heard them chirping out in my backyard. They sounded like an elegy for September 11, 2001.

蟬不會在冷天氣裡獻聲。今天聽到在後院裡彼起彼落的蟬聲像是一首哀悼紐約九一一悲劇的挽歌。

Inspired by Inrō

2011-09-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

An inro collection from British Museum

I enjoy contemplating the beauty of inrō (Japanese:印籠) for their high art and immense craftsmanship. I love the feel, the smoothness, the detailed incisions that give them life and expression. Made of a variety of materials, including wood, ivory, bone, and lacquer, they provide me invaluable inspiration while designing a fine object, especially a perfume bottle.

An inrō is a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects, such as medicines, identity seals, tobacco and pipes. The stack of boxes is held together by a cord that runs through cord runners down one side, under the bottom, and up the opposite side. The ends of the cord are secured to a netsuke (Japanese: 根付), a toggle that is passed between the sash and pants and then hooked over the top of the sash to suspend the inrō. The making of an inro is a highly-skilled process, as each compartment has to fit smoothly into the next. They figured importantly as signs of status in the upper-class male wardrobe in Edo Period.

As an advocate of high-art aesthetics, I was pleased to see some marvelous inro at “A Sensibility to the Seasons: Summer and Autumn in Japanese Art “, an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Exquisite and elegant, they were filled with pools of light shining through inviting you to appreciate–––the artistry within Edo society of the time.

Serene Before Irene... 暴風雨前的寧靜...

2011-08-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

Last meal at Megu before Irene, to calm the nerves...

Watch People Watching 觀看觀眾

2011-08-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

I am standing somewhere in the stuffy “Talk To Me” exhibition room in MoMA. Too tired to focus my attention on nearly 200 objects, all centered on interaction, and emphasized how the need to share information and have a dialogue with audiences in contemporary design... I am turning my head a little so that I get an elusive overview of the works of art surrounding me.

As the room gets louder as it gets latter, my head feels in a dubious state; I feel like leaving the museum and yet wish to stay to watch people watching. I guess I am not one of the hardcore art connoisseurs who sit on this bench to discuss with their partner about the abstract form of William de Kooning’s Woman. To me, an engaged audience can be as interesting as the work of art itself.

中文讀者們, 因為最近忙著公事無法挪出時間將此篇文章翻譯成中文, 對不起了...

104˚F, New York

2011-07-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

In summers, my spirit usually lifts when someone suggests “let’s eat outdoors”. Imagine this: a long wooden table with some chairs set up under the trees, in a pavilion, or on the grass, laden with pressed polk–dot napkins, vibrant salads, bottles of Chianti, fresh bread that tears easily, and platefuls of cantaloups at the stage between ripe and ruin...

But when it’s 104˚ F outside, I’d prefer forgo dining al fresco.

While I’m sitting at my desk typing these words, I can only try to lose myself for a while in my memories of the icy Finland. Cool...

在夏天裡，每次聽到有人建議來個戶外聚餐時，我總是神采飛揚、高興得像個小黃蜂。讀者們, 請這樣想像著：在樹蔭下, 在小亭子裡, 或是在绿草上, 被幾張椅子圈圍的長木桌上擺了折好的小圓點圖案的紙巾、多采多樣的沙拉、意大利 Chianti 紅酒、新鮮柔軟的麵包, 和滿滿一盤有點過度熟透的蜜瓜...

可是外面是華氏104˚ 的天氣, 我寧可放棄戶外用餐的閒情意致。

此時正在敲打鍵盤寫這篇短文的我, 只能嚐試將自己帶入芬蘭的冰涼回憶裡。嗯, 真清爽！

Ladybugs for the Summer 夏日裡的瓢蟲

2011-07-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

No time for holidaying this summer, sadly; I have to get an interesting design project going and prepare for my two exhibitions in September and October.

But if I can manage to take a short break, I would like to lying on a lavender-scented blanket having a deep coma; reading a bit; back to coma. I don’t like to think too much in the summer so, in terms of my idea of a summer getaway, maybe observing ladybugs in the garden and enjoying the sensation when it tickles me between my fingers.

Aren’t ladybugs the best?
嗚乎哀哉，今年暑假泡湯了。我必須盡早進行一項有趣的設計工作並專注即將在九月和十月的開幕的兩個展覽。

可是如果我能夠偷個浮生半日閒，我喜歡躺在撒遍紫丁香香味的涼毯上打個熟頓；翻幾頁書；再睡個回籠覺。在夏日裡我並不太思考人生大事。對我來說，今年理想的暑假可能就是在花園裡觀賞著瓢蟲，享受它在我指間爬行搔癢的奇妙感覺。

瓢蟲最棒了, 不是嗎？

The Scent of Summer in Lausanne, Switzerland

2011-07-01T01:28:00.000-07:00

Linden trees, the lake breeze of Bar-B-Que, and "Sunday Afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat.

What makes me feel happy? 什麽是讓我快樂的事情？

2011-06-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Outside, the swirling clouds on the top of the Alps were clearing away. Inside the study, I finally finished the design project from hell.

To clear up my tired mind and to release the tension held in my neck and shoulders, I’d try some tips to have my endorphin fix –––

1.Take a long walk in a green park.

2. Enjoy a cup of Taiwanese tea while listening to Bach’s music.

3. Take a lavender relaxing bath.

4. Sniff some citrus (fresh lemons and limes from the kitchen).

5. Have a good laugh from watching my favorite cartoons, i.e, Chibi Maruko-chan (櫻桃小丸子, ちびまる子ちゃん）and The Simpsons.

But what works the best for me is to enjoy a creative, full-flavored meal with fresh ingredients.

I like food. When I eat I feel happy.

外頭，阿爾卑斯山山頂打旋的烏雲已漸漸地消失。裡面，在書房的我終於剛好完成那好似被打下地獄，永遠不得超生的設計案子。

為了清理我疲乏腦袋的思絡、解脫我的脖子和肩膀上暫掛的緊張，我會試著用不同的方式來調理我的身心靈 –––

一、在公園裡走上一段長長的路。

二、一邊傾聽巴哈的音樂，一邊喝茶品茗。

三、泡著有薰衣草味道的鬆弛浴。

四、聞聞柑橘科類的植物（如廚房裡的新鮮檸檬）

五、看著最喜歡的卡通影集–––辛普森家庭和櫻桃小丸子而開懷大笑。

不過話說回來，對我最有用的偏方卻是享用一頓帶有創意、風味十足的新鮮膳食。

我就是愛吃。當祭著我的五臟廟時，我覺得快樂似神仙呢。

Would you stop tickling me? 可不可以停止搔癢呢？

2011-06-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

The sweet scent of peonies coiled with the fresh breeze coming from the Lake of Geneva, dancing around in and out of the garden. With the full hum life of bees in the background, I was in the garden and observed insects and plants–––one of my favorite things to do in the lazy Saturday afternoons. Again, I was in the mood to compose a Haiku, a Japanese poem...

Would you stop tickling me?

I am thirsty too,

This spring afternoon.

我在蜜蜂嗡嗡作響的花園裡觀察著昆蟲和植物，這可是我每逢懶散的星期六下午最喜歡做的事情之一。牡丹花甜美的香氣夾帶著來自瑞士日內瓦湖的清新微風在花園裡舞進舞出，這時又想再做上一首日本俳句…

可不可以停止搔癢呢？

我也口渴呀，

在這春天的下午。

A Drinker’s Haiku 飲酒人的俳句

2011-06-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

While walking through the vineyards in Burgundy, I spontaneously composed a Haiku for fun:

Even in Burgundy,

how I long for Burgundy

when the Pinot Noir grapes drop.

漫遊法國博根地的葡萄酒園，我突然興致大發地作起一首日本俳句：

即使身在博根地，

仍然心繫博根地，

當那葡萄成熟時。

Lomo Me

2011-05-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

by Zone Hou

The photographs of Henry Cartier Bresson inspired me to take up street photography. I often carry my Canon 5D around the world with only one lens and without flash. I like to observe and click life on the street, and share the beauty of everyday moments.

Although I fall in love with photography that depicts a scene realistically, I appreciate others’ applications of art to photography. I’m here to show you some photos taken by my very charismatic girlfriend Zone Hou during our visit to Xin Tian Di, Shanghai. Judging by the photos with oversaturated colors, fisheye lens and some other special effects, she is definitely a passionate advocate for lomography.

是法國攝影師 Henry Cartier Bresson 的作品讓我開始涉足街頭攝影。不用閃光、只固定用一個鏡頭，我時常帶著我的佳能5D照像機繞著地球跑。只因為我喜歡透過鏡頭觀察街頭人生, 並且與人分享美麗生命的時時刻刻、點點滴滴。

我熱愛純粹的寫實攝影，但我也欣賞運用另類藝術技術的攝影作品。在此和你們分享我知性迷人的女友 Zone Hou 所拍的作品，那時我們正在上海的新天地蕩遊。從照片上過度飽和的色彩、魚眼鏡頭及其它特殊效果來判斷，她可是不折不扣的 lomography擁護者。

The Most Beautiful Things 最美麗的事物

2011-05-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

Traditional shoes I found in the old district in Shanghai

They are for stories
about things of long ago.

They are for giving you
nice memories to keep...

But most importantly of all,
they’re the most beautiful things all on their own.

他們讓你敘古。

他們讓你談舊。

但最重要的, 他們的真誠不做作才是最美麗的事物。

In Cheng Huang Miao, the City God Temple of Shanghai 在上海城皇廟裡

2011-05-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

I saw this man in an ancient Chinese costume–––
I was thinking about what he was thinking about.

我的好奇心被這位身著中國古裝的男士挑起–––
我–在–想–他–在–想–什–麽。

Tian Zi Fang, the fragrance to the stage 田子坊，粉墨登場的明星味。

2011-05-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

What pulled me into the labyrinth-like Tian Zi Fang at night wasn’t the stylish fashion boutiques or the modern art galleries, but the smell that I can relate to the women who've waxed nostalgic over the fragrance's reference to the stage, having been an actress in my childhood.

夜訪迷宮似地田子坊。吸引我注意的不是流行精品小店也不是現代藝廊，而是一層抹上懷舊氛圍的氣味，讓我聯想起孩提時代的女演員在粉墨登場時所散發的明星味。

Smell of the Past in Shanghai 老上海的味道

2011-05-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

JinXian Road (進賢路）

While strolling around the alleys of Lu Pu district, Puxi, just west of Shanghai, I was confronted by what nostrils register as an odor of the past, for it is a rare thing these days to encounter the hanging clotheslines with a trail of detergent smell in public spaces.

上海浦西盧浦區的巷弄裡處處可見掛滿帶著一絲絲洗衣粉氣味的衣服。這樣在今日城市少見的景象倒讓我的鼻子聞出了一種上海老日子的味道。

My First Impression of Shanghai 與上海的第一次接觸

2011-04-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Shanghai is blanketed with a thin layer of tissue–––
the greyish air, the powdery flavor.

上海像是蓋了一層的薄紗–––
灰灰的空氣, 粉粉的味道。

How to Get to Know Taiwan in Five Days 如何在五天之內認識台灣

2011-04-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

traditional market in Jiali, Tainan

traditional market in JiaLi, Tainan

AnXi night market in Jiali, Tainan

AnXi night market in JiaLi, Tainan

In my humble opinion, the best way to understand the vernacular culture of Taiwan is to visit traditional markets and night markets.

Well, the tip actually applies to any places in the world.

依我個人的淺見, 如何在短短的五天內認識台灣本土的風格是–––逛市場和遊夜市。

嗯, 我實際上就是用這個撇步遊走世界的。

The Smell of China 中國的味道

2011-04-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

The chrysanthemum, is one of the four symbolic seasonal flowers in China (the others are being the orchid for spring, the bamboo for summer, and the plum blossom for winter.) It’s the symbolic of nobility and was first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC.

I use a big yellow or white incurved chrysanthemum to bring the fall season home. Either alone or pairing with similarly colored flowers, its result can often be exquisitely visual, and its woodsy fresh scent always reminds me of the English author R H Blyth’s Haiku, "Infinity grasped in the hand, before the eyes, the hammering of a nail, the touch of cold water, the smell of chrysanthemums, the smell of this chrysanthemum."

And the smell of China.

Confucius Temple Red 孔廟紅

2011-03-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

In western cultures, red color symbolizes sexual energy, youth, vivacity and stimulation. Red is power, hence the red power ties for business people and the red carpet for celebrities.

But red has its more serious side in Chinese culture. Chinese red denotes happiness and prosperity and may be used to attract good luck. Red flag, red lantern, red wedding, red Spring festival couplets... Red is the living color of China!

The Chinese red can be red like vermillion, brick, or the national flag. I personally prefer the red with earth tone highlights, an elegant color like the red wall of Confucius temple in Tainan, Taiwan. The Confucius temple red sumptuously indicates richness, power, and noble and is used to honor the great Chinese thinker and social philosopher Confucius (551- 479BC).

The Art on the Swallow Tail Roof 燕尾脊屋頂上的藝術品

2011-03-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

My favorite street in Tamsui, Zhen Li street (淡水真理街)

Green with the drip of dew and rain,

the moss address itself like art on the roof

with curved swallow tail ridge ends.

飽含露水和雨滴的苔蘚,

綠茸茸地將自己襯脫得

像是燕尾脊屋頂上的一件藝術品。

Pray for Japan 替日本祈福

2011-03-16T02:57:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, while we're worry about should the Japanese radioactive fallout reach our shores, let's pray for the survivors of the tsunami and the people who are threatened by the ongoing nuclear crisis.

How to help:
American Red Cross
Japanese Red Cross Society
The Red Cross of The Republic of China
Red Cross Society of China
The Salvationarymyusa.org
Care

在擔心日本的輻射塵是否會飄流到我們的國家之餘，讓我們替這些海嘯的倖存者和在核能危機之下生存的人們祈福。

如何幫助：
日本紅十字會
中華民國紅十字總會
中国红十字会
美國紅十字會

Tamsui in Rain 雨中的淡水

2011-03-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

Tamsui without rain

is like something without...

something else

沒有雨的淡水

就好像缺了...

什麽的什麽

It Can Be Cold in Taipei. 台北是可以很冷的。

2011-03-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

cold in Mandarin

I almost forgot how cold it can be in Taipei...

Regardless of the occasional drizzle and misty wind, I set out to rediscover the city where I used to live. Like a little curious child, my eyes moved from banyan fig to colorful signage to gardenia to roasted sweet potato to temple to Taipei 101 building to incense to coffee shop to osmanthus. I kept walking and searching for the the familiar smell until the sound of school kids' voices filled the late afternoon air on Tun-Wha North Road.

I stepped into Eslite Bookstore and was happy to find my favorite Japanese musician Sakamoto Ryuichi's book "Musik macht frei'. Suddenly I forgot it can be cold in Taipei...

幾乎忘記台北的冬天是可以很冷的...

為了重新認識這個我曾居住的城市, 就暫時不管那才下又停的綿綿細雨和濕答答的寒風。像個好奇的小孩，我的眼睛悠遊在榕樹, 多彩的看板, 栀子花, 烤蕃藷, 寺廟, 台北一零一大樓, 香火，咖啡館, 桂花樹。我行行復行行地尋找那熟悉的味道, 直到孩童放學的嬉鬧聲填滿了敦化北路。

走進誠品書局，居然讓我發現了坂本龍一的書“音樂使人自由”。開懷之下，就這樣忘了台北是可以很冷的...

Lecturing at Xue Xue 在學學開課

2011-03-02T06:23:00.000-08:00

I look forward to sharing my story of Taiwan with you once I finish my lectures at Xue Xue Institute, a "Learning Platform" for creativity and culture in Taipei, Taiwan.

Talk with you later, my friends.

朋友們, 我目前正在學學開課, 就等課程結束後再和你們聊聊我的台灣故事了。

Falling in Love with Marie Galante 戀上瑪麗加蘭

2011-02-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

A bakery with colorful interior, Grand-Bourg.

An outdoor painting that depicts Caribbean living.

The local farmers still use oxen to plough a field.

The rhum processing factory ruin in Habitation Murat.

An open fish market where people shop for freshly-caught fish, Grand-Bourg.

The colorful chat (cat in French) has a delicious, delicate flavor. Yum...

Lunch at the fine beach in Folle Anse.

The local fruits always taste better...

Tropical flowers in the medical garden at Habitation Murat.

Falling in love with a place, seems to be largely a question of timing. In this scenario, I was extremely lucky to have the chance to discover the unpretentious simplicity of Marie Galante, during my first sailing trip to the French Caribbeans.

As soon as I set foot in Marie Galante, I was enveloped by the fragrance of coconut and rhum. And its timeless-quality of idyllic scenery made my heart singing Zouk–––the sweet, West-African-influenced, electronicised music of the Antilles (Guadeloupe in French.)

Listen to this.

戀上一個地方, 時間絕對是個主要因素。因此, 第一次出航法屬加勒比海便能及時體驗出瑪麗加蘭小島的純樸簡潔, 讓我覺得幸運無比。

一踏進這個小島, 椰子和萊姆的清香立即撲鼻而來。永永遠遠的田園風光讓我心頭低聲吟唱著容克–––這個受到西非音樂影響的甜美法屬瓜露普電子音樂。

聽聽這個吧。

The Cabin Woven by Hand, with Heart 用心編織的小木屋

2011-02-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

The cabin, was woven simply by craftsmen, stick by stick like the rhythm of a heartbeat. As a designer, I understand that it's impossible to replicate the special quality that comes from something made by hand, with heart.

We spent a great deal of time walking around admiring this woven cabin in Habitation Murat, the largest sugar cane plantation in Guadeloupe in 1839 and now an eco-museum of arts and traditions in Marie Galante.

The Blessing 祝福

2011-02-03T04:19:00.000-08:00

剛從歐洲抵達大雪茫茫的紐約，便隨即登門造訪位在中國城的推拿師父。師父喜氣洋洋地和我道聲“恭禧發財”，我才恍然大悟原來中國新年也已來訪。

中文的讀者們，在此獻上我的“祝福”。

Right after arriving in the snow-blanked New York city from Europe, I went to see my Chinese Tui Na therapist in Chinatown. Only after she cheerfully opened the door to greet me "Gong Xi Fa Cai", I realized that Chinese Lunar New Year is here TOO ...

A sincere blessing (祝福) from me for the Chinese readers.

Dream to be a Skipper

2011-01-30T05:03:00.000-08:00

Due to my having two left hands with mechanics, I was assigned to be in charge of cooking and cleaning, the easiest and least challenging duty on boat. But when our boat was anchored and had no moored boats near us, I liked to "play" with the locked steering wheel imaging myself as the French sailing legend, Eric Tabarly, sailing through the big blue ocean.

I don't take life too seriously and I sometimes behave childishly and goofily...

My Luck of Being Seasick

2011-01-20T07:42:00.000-08:00

While sailing from Les Saintes to Antiqua, I was feeling nauseous with the violent waves pounding the boat, some slamming up against the side and over and into the cockpit. To reduce the chances of succumbing to seasickness, I followed our skipper's tips–––drank a lot of water, avoided empty stomach, and lay down on deck.

It was a long trip, and I needed to find some fun to keep busy instead of lying immobile and feeling sick and useless. I started to take random pictures, from an unusual angle, to the beautiful sky, the drifting clouds, the birds flying by, the busy crew members, etc.

Some of the photos turned out to be unexpected and interesting. And I was extremely happy to catch the moment while our reliable skipper was checking the sails. This photo was surely my luck of being seasick.

Inspired by The Sea Urchin

2011-01-17T04:58:00.000-08:00

One day we anchored in Nonsuch Bay to the South-West of Green Island, an uninhabited island just off the east coast of Antigua. We drove our dinghy over to this beautiful island to explore. I was all over the moon as soon as I set foot in it, and discovered piles of sea urchin shells (tests) lying on the pristine white sand secluded beaches.

The sea urchin, so dangerous yet beautiful, so odd and interesting, serves as an explicit message of paradox and surprise.

As a designer, I admire its alluring form presenting aspects of sharp and smooth for tactile and aesthetic experiences. Many of my designer fellows have came up with witty design objects inspired by the sea urchin such as the interior accessories, jewelry, perfume bottles, etc.

As a food lover, I love the sea urchin's buttery texture, rich and briny with a sweet, mildly fruity finish, and I like to eat it raw with lemon, or soy sauce and wasabi. In the hot summer time in New York, I often treat myself a cool, delicious Uni Soba (sea urchin buckwheat noodles in Japanese) at Soba-Ya.

Just before leaving Green Island, I bent down and picked up a few sea urchin shells, which I can display on the bookshelf of my home to remind myself of the sensation of the Caribbeans.

Celebrate the Sunset with Rhum

2011-01-12T05:19:00.000-08:00

Ti'Punch, mixed with Rhum, can sugar, and lime juice, may be the most well-known drink in the French-speaking Caribbean states.

After an exhausting yet enthralling sailing day, we often celebrated the sunset with a few glasses of Ti'Punch on our boat. All crew members agreed that, substituting passion fruit juice for lime juice, emphasizes more the exotic, tropical flavor of Rhum, a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by products such as molasses and sugarcane juice.

In perfumery, Rhum can be explored to interpret the festive mood and the influence of masculine. To name a few of fragrances with rhum in: Guerlain Homme, Locoste Pour Homme, Lolita Lempicka Au Musculin, Hugo Man, and Lubin Indole Du Lubin.

I have no preference for the fragrances, but I'm in favor of the packaging design of Hugo Man: crisp clean and undeniable masculine, just like a slick and beautiful Monohull sailboat.

The Island of Calm in the Caribbeans

2011-01-11T05:27:00.000-08:00

As the year of 2010 was approaching to its end, I decided to take a truly luxurious break---be mysterious, unavailable, and unapproachable to the world for a while. Therefore, I joined my sail-loving friends and rented a monohull sailboat in Guadeloupe, the first overseas region of France. Sailing from here to its sisters Les Saintes, and Marie Galante, and then to the English-speaking country Antiqua, we bathed under the Caribbean sun and breathed in the smells of big blue ocean.

Imagined the sailboat Moonlight as my own island of calm, I indulged my senses, and experienced the wonder of the Caribbean islands. And of course, I also managed to preserve a healthy tan to get through the snowy winter in New York and Europe.

In the next few days, please expect to read the articles about my travel highlights in the Caribbeans.

Good-Bye to My Summer Provence (III)

2010-11-17T14:31:00.000-08:00

Mons, Provence

Fayence, Provence

Sketch for typical Provencal chimneys

Sketch for typical Provencal roofs

French Provencal Architecture

In Provence I liked to go outside and walk a bit, long enough to forget my worries in New York, long enough to exercise my eyes and mind as I explored in the French Provencal villages, fascinated by the old buildings with their tranquility and sense of timelessness.

To retain the best of the old French Provencal country lifestyle, Architect de France imposes an architectural guideline for rehabilitation and new construction in these historic villages like Flayosc, Tourtour, Mons, etc. The shape, color, height, width, materials and location of the architectural elements, such as chimneys, roofs, columns, windows, and doors, are intended to create a vibrant homogeneous Provencal village, with enough variation to allow individuality and expression of personal taste.

While the number of Beijing hutongs (北京胡同) has dropped dramatically as they are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings, I feel blessed to be able to enjoy the best-kept Provencal surroundings––the land painted by Paul Cezanne and Vincent Van Gogh.

Good-bye to My Summer Provence (II)

2010-11-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

The Sun-kissed clothes
In Provence, any small village like Mouans-Sartoux, clothes hanging is a work of art. With the colorful walls as background, it can be associated with the vivid mobile art by the American artist Alexander Calder.
Clothes hanging takes on a life on its own. Towels flap and snap. Pants dance. Shirts shudder. And under the bright and cheerful sun, it is filled with the relaxing scent of slow and eco-friendly lifestyle.

Good-Bye to My Summer Provence 跟夏日的普羅旺斯說一聲再見

2010-11-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

My summer memories of Provence (普羅旺斯), like the falling leave in the autumn air, flutter to my mind. I come to realize that a fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer waves good-bye.

I still remember––the sun-kissed Côte d'Azur (蔚藍海岸), the warm color palette of architecture, the fig trees, the Pastis and Rosé wine, the herbs, the scent of lavender in the air, the olive tree groves, the wine-fuelled meals, the pine-scented sun, and the occasional naps after reading few pages of a fat book by José Saragamo in a shady balcony...

My friends, please stay tuned for the episodes of my summer Provence.

Singing the Blue Under the Mediterranean Sun 在地中海陽光底下吟唱藍調

2010-10-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

In this day and age, blue has been one of the most popular colors

in design. So I'm not surprised when I read the article from Osmoz.com, a fragrance education website by the perfume house Firmenich, suggesting that blue again is the main color for fragrance bottles in fall-winter 2010.

As blue is often considered pleasant and can suggest cleanliness, it is widely used by many designers, such as yours truly, for the design of fashion, beauty, industry and brand identity. Although blue is not as obtrusive as colors like red, it is an ideal color for me to interpret the breathtaking beauty of nature, and the attitude to life, culture, art, and spirituality.

There are various shades of blue in my color palette, and my most favorite one is azur (蔚藍). Azur, a bright hue sits between blue and cyan, is an enchanting and soothing color. It often brings back my last memories of brightly shinning summer days at Provence Côte d'Azur (普羅旺斯的蔚藍海岸), which is bathed in azure––the blue color of sky and sea under the Mediterranean Sun.

Elegant Things 優雅情事

2010-10-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Translucent purple petals lit from the late afternoon light.

The unique patterns and textures on quail eggs.

The elongated sculptures by the Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966).

The sound of corks popping out from bottles of Burgundy wine.

An encounter with long-lost friends at museums.

An old grandma's innocent smile of tranquillity and happiness.

A pretty fragrance lingering in the fall evening air.

Like the Mischievous Smile of Stan March 像Stan March的頑皮笑容

2010-10-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

It was around 2:30 am.

My hurrying footsteps were echoing around the empty platform, as I was making my way out of the subway station at SoHo stop. The air smelled like the breath of a drunkard–––sour, humid, and bitter. The unpleasant odor alerted me, and all of sudden I felt a bit uneasy. After all, the New York City subway is often naked in its danger, bewilderment, agitation.

The sound of my soles was absorbed by my increasing fear until I climbed up the stairs and saw the green subway lamp on Prince Street. Like Stan March in the cartoon South Park, it gave me a bright mischievous smile, and made me surprise into laugher.

At the instant moment, the fear was gone with the fresh, cool autumn breeze...

Things That Arouse a Fond Memory of the Past 喚起我美好回憶的事物

2010-10-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

The fragrant blotter cards.
My old Moleskine sketchbooks.
The moon in a clear night.
The tofu cuisine in Kyoto.
The yellow ginko leave that have been pressed in the pages of a book.
The photo of a little red farm storage shed in Norwegian Lapland.

The Raindrops 雨滴

2010-10-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

Rain poured down on the entire day, only in the late afternoon it decided to take a break. I left my Mac and books behind a closed door and went for a walk to the garden in the East Village.

I remember my last visit here when the late spring sun bore through the gorgeous clouds. The pink sakura petals were falling...And now all the colors were being carried away by the fall wind.

On the bamboo fences and criss-cross hedges I saw tatters of spider webs; and where the threads were broken the raindrops hung on them like strings of white pearls. I was also delighted by watching the raindrops rolling down of their own accord from the plants where they had lain so heavily.

There was something so enchanting in the sound and smell of the raindrops–––an invisible beauty with the lingering scent of true nature. What most impressed me was that they were not at all impressed.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

2010-10-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

My Mac tells me that it'll be sunny tomorrow, and I tell my Mac that I'm going to make the best out of it.

I'll whistle the song Always look on the bright side of life by Monty Python, while smelling the sunlight from leafy vegetables and plants in the Union Square farmer's market.

The Kaleidoscopic Smell on Number Six Train 六號地下鐵的氣味萬花筒

2010-09-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

The late morning ride, on number Six train in Manhattan, is often in silence; except for the occasional chatter amongst a few riders. In a rainy day, when the air smells of wet, I like grouping passengers into olfactory categories; there are the incense, the floral, the citrus, the vanilla, the patchouli, the sandalwood, the aqua, and occasionally, the homeless.

Smelling Khublai Khan in New York 聞出忽必烈, 在紐約。

2010-09-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Portrait of Khublai 忽必烈 by Chinese court artist Liu Guandao(刘贯道), c. 1280

Painting of Kublai Khan on a hunting expedition, by Chinese court artist Liu Guandao(刘贯道)
The hunter in red hat and white fur robe on a black horse is Kublai Khan

I wondered for a while in the night, without knowing where I was. I listened to the wind, and felt the grass on my feet. Here and there, I smelled of a herbaceous scent, and realized that I was on a green prairie.

Suddenly I heard a thundering sound. The area I stood was swirling in wind so intense that it hid the stars from view. Before me it was a Mongolian horseman, with a peregrine falcon perched on his left shoulder, sitting astride an enormous black horse.

He wore a white fur robe and his familiar round face exuded a powerful yet friendly manner. His smile, glittered in the soft light of the stars, mingled with the scent of prairie... And all of sudden I recognized him––Khublai, the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (1260-1294) and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...

Of course my sensory encounter with Khublai is just a dream. It reflects my personal experiences of the images, sounds, scents, and emotion from my visit to The World of Khublai Khan忽必烈的時代 at Metropolitan Museum of Art last night. If you happen to be in New York, don't miss out the opportunity to create your own sensory experience with the art during the great time of Khublai Khan.

KyotEau: Bottled Memories by Mix Magazine

2010-09-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

"...Would the fragrance smell the same if it wasn't for the narrative?" –– Mix Magazine

It's nice to see KyotEau: Bottled Memories got a great coverage by Mix Magazine, a tasteful British publication about color, trend, and design.

I hope you enjoy reading it.

The Festive Smell of Little Italy, New York 紐約小義大利區的節慶風味

2010-09-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

In Little Italy the air is warm and rich with the festive scent of San Genarro. The festival comes in the wake of September wind, and it smells of amusement park; of tourists; of grilled meats and steamed seafood and frying batter.

At this moment, I'm at home with the silence of a book, and with the sound of traffic and music, interminable, outside.

Tender is the Helsinki Summer Night 赫爾新基的溫柔夏夜

2010-09-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

10:15 P.M.

10:45 P.M.

11:35 P.M.

1:10 A.M.

In Helsinki summer, the sun starts moving out of the back door around 10:30 P.M. and waiting at the front around 3:30 A.M. The night sky is often quintessential, a mutable blue between easy-moving clouds, and a breeze blowing in street corners.

On a tender night like this, I like to take a stroll on the streets, feeling the breeze in my hair, smelling the sap and ozone and birch, seeing the streetlights shinning serenely on Fredrikinkatu. I'd keep walking until my hair and shoulders are furred with droplets from the mist, on a tender night like this.

My Summer Porvoo, Finland 我在芬蘭普佛的夏天

2010-09-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

In summer Porvoo, the colorful painted wooden walls are the main attraction to me. I like to stroll down the cobblestoned alleys, capturing the tangible scent of history from the cracked and washed-out paintwork on the walls. And when the river breeze blows into the town, I could even smell something tantalizing, which might be grilled salmons topped with fresh dills...

I'm at home in New York, and I still can smell the idyllic scent of Porvoo coming in the September wind. Who knows, maybe I'll visit it again even though I've been there three times this year already.

My Visionary Noises of "Fashion's Night Out" in SoHo

2010-09-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

It was the night for the "Fashion's Night Out" shopping event in New York. A cool September wind laded with the scents of cologne and parfum and cigar smoke and alcohol and cupcakes and hotdogs and powdery-sweet peanuts cooked on the hotplate by the sidewalks in SoHo.

I was walking carefully through the beautiful, exhilarating crowds which were lining up to get into the fashion and beauty boutiques. For the moment, the febrile excitement in the crowds enhanced my sense of vision: I saw, I saw the noises.

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The True Blue Enzian #8 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––自我忠實的藍色安堇花 #8

2010-09-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

The True Blue Enzian
Enzian* is true blue in itself,
emphatic in pure daylight of the Alps
with the scent of love and hope.

*Enzian is called Gentian Flower in English.

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Suicidal Yodels in Ernen #7 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––恩能音樂村的自殺式嶽得爾歌 #7

2010-09-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Suicidal Yodels in Ernen

Suicidal Yodels?

I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but I had in my mind's eye a vision of some Yodeling singers singing the folk ballads in a manner that suggested eccentric, whimsical, and fun. So I went to the concert, with a little wave of curiosity.

The singer Erika Stucky's voice was as clear as air in the Alps, a vibrant, strong, and untrained soprano. But her stage performance, interspersed with multi-media effects such as video, stand-up comedy, and acting, wasn't flattering her vocal chords. After all, the title suicidal yodels is referred as "music concert", not "musical show".

In fact, Stucky's voice is anything but suicidal. I look forward to seeing her purely vocal performance in Ernen, the music village in Wallis, known for its impressive architecture and finest music.

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Raccards #6 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––瑞士穀倉 #6

2010-09-04T04:45:00.000-07:00

The Raccards

These traditional granaries, laden with the moist scent of old wood, threshed grains, and rustic farm tools, add a fairy vignette to the landscape of the Swiss Alps.

The circular stone slabs, intercalated between the stilts and the granary, is a creative design solution for the local farmers to keep the stored food from the desperately hungry mice.

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Nothingness of the Aletsch Glacier #5 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––阿雷汿冰河的虛無 #5

2010-09-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

The Aletsch Glacier
While I looked down this serene glacier, I smelt of something.

Something like nothingness.

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Walliser Platte #4 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––阿爾卑斯山的瑞士冷盤 #4

2010-09-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Walliser Platte
After a seven-hour exhausting hike from Eggishorn to Flestch,

a platter of a Swiss local dish *Walliser Platte is as good as a course of Kyoto Shojin Ryori, whether in its visual presentation or its taste of satisfaction.

*An assortment of very thinly sliced cold cuts, bergkäse, locally produced country cheese, pickles, pickled onions, a pat of butter and crusty bread.

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Walliser Candyfloss #3 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––阿爾卑斯山的棉花糖 #3

2010-08-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Walliser Candyfloss
The fur of the Walliser Blacknose
is like a candyfloss
tangle in the wind.
瑞士阿爾卑斯山黑鼻羊的毛皮，
像是纏結在風中的
棉花糖。

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Floral Inspiration #2 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––阿爾卑斯山的花漾靈感 #2

2010-08-31T02:59:00.000-07:00

The Floral Inspiration
On the botanical trails in Simplon, there was always something startling in flower,
regardless of–––

its texture,

its shape,

its smell,

its color.

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland：The Alpine Air #1 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇: 阿爾卑斯山的氣息 #1

2010-08-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Alpine Air

When I took a deep breath of the dry, invigorating Alpine air, I had a feeling of Utopia–––

Almost

too

much

Utopia.

My Alpine Summer in Goms, Switzerland 我在瑞士阿爾卑斯山Goms的夏日

2010-08-16T03:32:00.000-07:00

If you, like me, have a thirst for creativity and an appetite for hiking, the Alps in summer are an ideal playground.

Summer in the Alps is even more alluring than winter. Yes, the visual drama is almost equally striking, but on tope of that you've got the attractions of the wildlife, the colors, and––for me, the clincher––the intoxicating smell of the glaciers and forests.

Just one walk through the woods, accompanied by the sound of a gushing mountain stream or the melody of the ubiquitous cow, goat and sheep bell, is enough to convince me that I should share my sensory Alpine stories with you.

Please stay tuned for the coming episodes of my Alpine summer in Goms, Switzerland...

Fireworks–the Paintings in the Night Sky

2010-08-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

My fascination with fireworks goes back to my childhood on the Chinese Lunar New Year and Moon Festival. As a kid, I was triggered by the sound, light, and smell of the magic of gunpowder. I remember lighting my first firecracker, half excited and half scared, with my eyes wide open.

Today I feed my passion by watching fireworks. There is art to create a good fireworks display–colors, shapes, and sounds complement one another. A stunning fireworks design requires a wizard who masters and wields the fleeting art overhead. Mixing science, art and technology, the wizard paints on the big, open nighttime sky with his palettes–chemicals, compounds, and fire.

As much fun as they are to watch, fireworks are equally as challenging to photograph. Here are my shots when I watched Switzerland's Independence Day fireworks in Basel yesterday.

Hi from Helsinki

2010-07-23T03:41:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to drop a note and hi, I'm doing fine.

Listen to this.

The Fragrance Time with Pierre Negrin 香水相對論

2010-05-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

Pierre Negrin, the perfumer at Firmenich said,

Della, have you heard of any artist saying that they mixed Red-orange with Blue-violet, Green, Yellow-green, et cetera, et cetera, in order to deliver a sensual expression in their painting? No, not to my knowledge, Okay, my point is that, what makes the audience appreciate and understand an artwork is based on the artist's creative stories not the colors they use, you know, the same scenario applies to perfumery, Do you mean that a list of the fragrance ingredients does not necessarily correspond in how they communicate with the consumer? That's right, take Patchouli as an example, how many consumers can actually distinguish its smell from fragrance? Sheepishly I admit: It ain't easy for me, Voila, I don't blame you, a perfume story that focuses mainly on the ingredients makes the consumer draw a blank, Yes, I agree with you, it should be the creative thoughts of perfumers, not the inert materials that entice the audience to experience fragrances, but why does the industry still keep telling the same old ingredient story to connect with us?

Pierre Negrin, 紐約Firmenich的調香師說，

Della, 妳曾聽過任何畫家解釋他們是如何使用橘紅，藍紫，綠色，黃綠等等的顏色來完成一幅感性的畫作嗎？依本人拙見，還未曾聽說過，那麽我的重點是，其實點燃普羅大眾對創作熱情的重點在于畫家的創意故事而不是顏色的名字，你是說一份香水成分的名單不能全面反映出消費者對香水的了解，是嗎？是的，就以廣藿香為例，請問有多少人可以從香水中辨別出它的味道來？心虛得很，連我這個香水包裝設計師來說也不是一件容易的差事。嗯，情有可原，以“成分”故事來牽引香水消費者的心只能讓他們丈二金剛摸不著頭，是，同意你的看法，調香師的創意思維比那些毫無生命力的材料有意思多了，可是我就是不了解為什麽業界還是一意孤行，老調重談那些“香水成分”的故事呢？

Forget-Me-Not 勿忘我

2010-05-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Instead of doing what I was supposed to do, I took a long walk in the lovely garden on Bowery Street. Birds were singing; flowers were blooming; bees were humming. In the midst of such happiness, it was so easy not to think about all the sadness until I saw these fragile forget-me-not flowers under the shadow of plum trees.

In front of the blue sea of flowers, I found myself whispering: Forget me not, forget me not, forget me not.

According to some scientists say, the sense of smell is one of the first to fail as Alzheimer’s disease progresses. This Mother’s Day, I sincerely pray that my mom, who begins to show some early signs of memory problem, being able to smell the scent of her own daughter forever…

Please forget me not, mom.

The Flavor of Laziness on Sunday 星期天的慵懶味道

2010-05-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

It's good to make a change, if we were not careful, life can quickly become monotonous, predictable, a drag. So when the sunshine shone through the windows in this morning, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to vary things a bit, to break with routines.

Therefore, I decided to enjoy my coffee, fruit salad, and reading Sunday New York Times in my bed. The sweet taste of mangos and strawberries in my mouth, the sound of flipping through the newspaper, and the fresh smell of lemon, a sort of detergent odors, lingering on my bed sheet, exuded a lovely flavor of springtime laziness.

As the sunlight gradually sprinkled into my bed, the warm atmosphere in my room made me think: maybe the word "deadline" shouldn't appear in my dictionary for a while, especially on Sundays...

改變總是好的，因為只要一不小心，我們的日子可能一剎那就變得單調平凡，可預期，煩煩瑣瑣。因此當早上的陽光透過窗戶投射入屋，我不禁想著其實打破常規也不算是壞事一樁。

所以，就這樣決定賴在床上大喇喇地享受咖啡，水果沙拉，讀讀星期天的紐約時報。芒果和草苺的甜美滋味溶入口中，翻閱報紙的聲音聲聲入耳，再加上床單隱隱散發出那種帶有清潔劑味道的檸檬清香，空氣中自然地流露著一絲絲春天的慵懶味道。

當陽光悄悄地撒滿我的床單，一室的溫暖讓我開了竅：“截止日期”不需要時時刻刻出現在我的字典上，尤其在禮拜天…

The Art of Waiting 等待的藝術

2010-04-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Design is a PROCESS and so is waiting. Both of them take time and require strength, believe, and perseverance. Although I’m an untiring advocate of PROCESS, I admit that I rather spending time to get the exact color, appropriate shape, and perfect composition for my design work than twiddling my thumbs and waiting for the feedbacks from the design clients, the publishers, and the gallerists.

A silly thought: won’t it be nice to just “click” a button and get an immediate result?

These days, as my world goes faster and faster it becomes harder and harder to slow myself down and allow patience for processes that just take time. Alas, “The Art of Waiting” has been gradually lost on me.

Waiting can be a torture, but I must know, some things just take good “old-fashioned” time...

設計和等待是過程的一體兩面，同時需要時間，精力，信仰，以及堅持的考驗。雖然我是個過程的擁護著，但是我倒寧願花功夫在設計作品上以找出精準的顏色，適切的形狀，以及完美的構圖，而不是扭轉我的大姆指癡癡地等待設計客戶，出版社，或是畫廊業主的關注。

有個天真的想法：如果能夠敲個鍵盤就能立刻得到答案，那不知該有多美好啊。

這些日子以來，我的世界就像顆陀螺般越轉越快，同時卻也越來越沒有耐心去接受一些需要時間來蘊釀的世事。嗚呼哀哉，等待的藝術就這樣從我身上一點一滴地緩緩流失。

等待可以和折磨相同並論，但是我必須提醒自己，有些事情是真的需要紮實的時間來完成的…

Be Happy for Me Too 也替我高興一下

2010-04-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

I'm just happy to be interviewed by The Fragrance Foundation.
Please read it and be happy for me too.

很榮幸地接受美國香水協會的採訪。
敬請閱讀，也替我高興一下。

Shepard Fairey and His Wall 塗鴉藝術家Shepard Fairey和他的牆壁

2010-04-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

The afternoon storm was stopped, and NoLiTa was filled with the fragrance of the plum blossoms and the cheer of springtime again.

I saw Shepard Fairey, with a bucket of glue and a long-handled brush, working tranquilly to the wall with the eye of a graffiti artist.

As I nibbled an apple ––– paid no attention to the emergency sirens and horn beeps from the heavy traffic on East Houston street, I thought of Tom Sawyer, the naughty protagonist in The Adventures of Tom Swayer, written by the American author and humorist Mark Twain.

See my favorite cartoon.

午後雷陣雨停了，紐約下城NoLiTa再次瀰漫著梅樹的芬芳和春天的喜樂。

看見提了一桶漿糊及長柄刷子的Shepard Fairey，心神恬定地以一種塗鴉藝術家的眼光在牆壁上創作。

不在乎East Houston街口傳來繁忙的警鈴及喇吧聲，我小口小口地咬著一粒蘋果，腦海中浮現的竟是湯姆莎耶–––美國文壇幽默大師馬克吐溫的著作<湯姆歷險記>中的那個淘氣小男孩。

看我喜愛的卡通。

Awesome Things That Are Beyond Words 難以用筆墨來形容的美好事物

2010-04-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

There are awesome things that are beyond words:

True love;

The taste of fine dark chocolate;

The texture of velvet;

The smell of Sakaura blossoms lingering in the spring breeze.

Listen to this music…

有些美好的事物是難以用筆墨來形容的，像是：

真愛；

精緻細膩的黑巧克力；

絲絨的觸感；

日本櫻花徘徊在春天裡的氣息。

聽聽這段音樂…

The Tea Tastes Like a Volcanic Eruption 嚐起來像火山爆發味道的茶

2010-04-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

In this morning, while drinking a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea, a black tea from Wu-Yi region in China, its smoky, tobacco ash-like aroma and flavor reminded me of the the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull on Tuesday, April 13.

Volcanic gases and silicate ash has spread across much of Europe, bring air travel across the continent to a near standstill. My Finnish friends who've got stuck in Geneva for a few days, are considering taking a bus back to Helsinki. But how long is the journey going to take? Three whole days!

Being a frequent traveler, I have plenty of stories to tell about being stuck at the airport. The experiences are not pleasant but I use the time to catch up on my reading. Even so, I still prefer reading calmly in my cozy apartment while sipping on my hot volcano-flavored tea.

今天早上隨意喝著一杯來自中國武夷山區的拉普山小種紅茶，它那帶著一股濃熏雪茄煙灰的味道不禁讓我聯想起四月十三號在冰島發生的Eyjafjallajokull火山爆發。

火山的瓦斯味及灰墟已籠罩了大部分的歐洲，導致洲際航線幾乎癱瘓。我滯留在日內瓦多日歸心似箭的芬蘭朋友們，局然想要搭巴士返回赫然爾辛基。那可得足足花上三天的時間耶。

經常旅行的我，滯留機場對我來說已是家常變飯。雖然這樣的經驗不足以為道，可是我隨遇而安，恰好可以利用這段空檔來讀讀那些該讀但還沒時間閱讀的書。不過話雖如此，我還是寧可待在自己的小屋，一邊靜靜閱讀一邊細細品嚐那股帶勁的火山味的紅茶。

Lilacs With No Scent 沒有香氛的丁香

2010-04-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of blue today.

My tooth, after ten days of treatment, is still hurting me slightly.

I just found out that, from the outdated New York Times, I missed the concert of Atoms for Peace, a side project that is led by Radiohead's main singer Thom Yorke.

Moreover, the French lilacs that I bought two days ago are still too shy to release their fragrance.

Oh well, according to popular wisdom, you can't have everything, and there's a good deal of truth in that, the balance of human lives is constantly swinging back and forth between what's gained and what's lost.

Without the scent of lilacs, it's still nice to play Atoms for Peace's music and let Thom Yorke's beautiful voice fill my room.

今天有點憂鬱。

牙痛在將近十天療程之後還是隱隱作痛；

從過期的紐約時報中得知我竟然錯失了電台總司令的主唱Thom Yorke所領導的Atoms for Peace樂團的音樂會;

更可悲的事，兩天前買的法國丁香到現在還害羞的遲遲不肯綻放芬芳。

嗯，就這樣囉。“你不能擁有一切”的致理名言在某些程度上來說還是有它的道理：平衡的人生經常是在得失之間搖擺的。

Reading a Book by Smelling Its Ink 聞墨閱讀

2010-04-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Part of my happiness and imagine depends on books, so when I couldn't find The Double by the Portuguese novelist and journalist José Saramago from the piles of books scattered everywhere in my apartment, I came to realize that it was about time to do spring cleaning.

However, the magnitude of the task before me was quite simply overwhelming: about fifty books were piled up on a Chinese antique cabinet; thirty books were lying on a long fragile bamboo bench; six books I ordered from Amazon.com were still in the boxes; more stacks of books occupied in every corner of my apartment.

After my bookshelf is, more or less, tidy and exudes ink odour, a sort of intelligent smell, which one has to breath in for one's body to be purified and one's soul to be exalted, suddenly I feel so compulsed to read them all to assure that I'm illumined and not deluded.

Call me crazy, but for the sack of saving time and saving energy, won't it be nice if we can read a book by putting down our noses and smelling the ink between pages?

我的幸福和創意部分取掘於書本。因此當我再也無法在從散落四處的書籍中找出我想閱讀的葡萄牙作家José Saramago 的The Double，我不得不承認該是春季大掃除的時刻了。
說來容易，但是面眼前排山倒海的書本確是得花上好些時間及精力來整理：五十本晾在中式古董木箱上；三十本躺在搖搖欲晃的長竹凳；剛從訂購的六本書還乖乖的待在紙箱中；成批成批的文件脫序地散佈在我住處的個個角落。
當大功告成，書架漸漸的流露出印墨的味道–––那種帶有智慧氣息足以讓人清淨身體，提升靈性的香味，讓我突然有股想要及刻飽覽羣書的衝動來擔保我不傻，我還聰明。
算我是瘋人一個吧。如果能把鼻子湊在書頁中來聞墨閱讀，那到不失為一帖時間及能源節流的妙方，不是嗎？

A Reader from Australia

2010-04-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

From time to time, I receive e-mails from the readers who share their thoughts about my writing and design with me. They are from the continents in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Asia, Europe and North America. But a few days ago, I got a lovely e-mail from an Australian reader, who said he enjoyed reading my latest book KyotEau: Bottled Memories. I know this reader could be doing any number of other things, but he chose to spend his time with me. Just to think about this makes me feel so rewarding and honored.

After responding to his e-mail, I organized some time for myself to enjoy a soothing, beautiful Sunday afternoon in Liz Christy community garden on Bowery street. As I entered the garden, scents and colors welcomed me from every corner–––tulips, hyacinths, plums, cherries, crocus, snowdrops and Iris–––greens, purples, pinks, yellows, whites and reds. Suddenly a feeling of euphoria spread through me.

Indeed, gardening and writing has something in common. Either to enjoy the scents of flowers or catch the attention of a reader, it requires love, hard work and commitment.

Thank you for your lovely letter again, my dear Australian reader. KyotEau fragrance is on its way, I promise.

Obsession with Patterns

2010-04-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

While browsing through the photos that I took in Dublin, Ireland, my eyes fixed on a picture that shows a red scooter decorated with white polka dots. Again, it reminds me of Yayoi Kusama (草間彌生).

Kusama said about her painting Flower in 1945, "...a polka-dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm. Round, soft, colorful, senseless and unknowing. Polka-dots become movement...Polka dots are a way to infinity."

Kusama's obsession for polka-dot patterns is a force in the story of one of 20th-century art's most compelling and enigmatic protagonists. Her fascination with what she described as "infinite repetition" drove her to cover paintings and installations with polka dots. She orchestrated happenings such as painting naked models with polka dots on Brooklyn Bridge. Donald Judd and Frank Stella both bought her work; Claes Oldenberg, Andy Warhol, Rei Kawabuko (川久保玲, the founder of Comme des Garçons) were influenced by her.

I'm interested in the "process" of making patterns. I'm curious about what was in the scooter owner's thoughts when he applied the dots one by one to the body of his Vespa. It is impossible to tell if he is a fan of Kusama, but at least from the lovely white polka dots and the whimsical black types "Bottoms up!!" he created, he surely knows how to temper passion with color, polka dots, and Irish life.

Red Polka Dot

2010-03-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Alexander Calder's sculpture at King Storm Art Center, photo by Della Chuang

Scent triggers memory, so does color.

Red color reminds me of polka dot. So naturally, when I was looking through the cut-out circle of the American sculptor Alexander Calder's red sculpture in King Storm Art Center, I thought of the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama((草間彌生), who uses polka dots throughout much of her works.

Anti-Self-Portrait

2010-03-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

On a shinny early afternoon, I used light and exposure to acquire my almost anti-self-portrait, relating to my Nordic story more through "sketch style" than through my own physical identity.

This photo is not digitally altered in any way, and at certain degree, it reminds me of the work of the Chinese artist Liang Kai (梁楷, late 12th-early 13th centry), who was known as a mastery in evoking the subject or atmosphere with minimal use of detail.

Photo by Della, Finland

In the Mood for Indigo

2010-02-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

On the market in Sa Pa, Vietnam, I strolled down the narrow alleys among a crowd of indigenous women in different shades of blue.

Suddenly there were these Black H'mong girls in front of me. They seemed enchanted by the sky, gazing upon it solemnly, as if there was a god smiling at them.

When the rice-scented breeze rustled through their tribal garb to lap against their sun-kissed skin, I quietly took a picture of them and immersed myself in indigo melancholy.

photo by della, vietnam

In the Mood for White

2010-02-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

When it's snow all around,

you've just got to stay still

until you get used to the white.

Gradually,

You'd smell the scent of white

in your hair,

in your collar,

in your heart.

photo by della

To All My Loved Ones...

2010-02-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

To all my loved ones...

Have fun with "One Mighty Drop", a perfume campaign created by Fragrance Foundation.

Love to see your design too!

In the Mood for Night

2010-02-01T18:55:00.000-08:00

I woke up in the middle of night. All was silent except the occasional whine of truck tires in the distance. The street lamps lining the shopping street outside cast their artificial light into my room, out of the blue, I thought of J.D. Salinger, the author of The Catcher in the Rye ( 麥田捕手 in Chinese), who dies a few days ago.

"phony" and loneliness and rebellion and adolescent and drunkenness and enigma and idealist and New York and wanderer and stream of consciousness...

He is as dark as night, but smells like teen.

photo by Della Chuang

In the Mood for Rain

2010-01-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

The raindrops on the windows in my New York apartment were like strings of pearls. Eyeing them in a melancholic mood, I suddenly thought of the unusual, endless rain in California where I just visited last week.

The raindrops also reminded me of the rain in the cities where I have visited:

The rain in Kyoto.

The rain in Hanoi.

The rain in Paris.

The rain in Stockholm.

The rain in Taipei.

The rain in Lausanne.

The rain in Dublin.

The rain in Hong Kong.

The rain in Lisboa.

Et cetra, Et cetra.

To me, the rain of each city has its own tactile sensation. Take Lisboa as an example: it smells like green olive trees swaying in the breeze and the blue waves of the Pacific Ocean rolling in.

Photo by Della Chuang, Lisboa.

In the Mood for Light

2010-01-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

In Helsinki, light is the sensation of sea breezes and clear crystals, pure and crisp with a hint of birch dancing with violet, mandarin, and cardamom.

By the way, don't you think this image look like a window display by Van Cleef & Arpels, a French jewelry company renowned for its nature-inspired design?

Blink!

Photo by Della Chuang, Finland

Taste the Rainbow in the Alps

2010-01-04T04:52:00.000-08:00

After sipping a few glasses of white and red wine, Della's photos were getting blurry and blurry.

We had an unforgetful New Year Eve dinner at Gasthaus Speiserestaurant in the Swiss Alps.

The eight-course meal, created by the talented chef Friedrich Zemanek, resembled a GESAMTKUNSTWERK, addressed to all the senses and was served by all sorts of auxiliary arts relating to the flower arrangements, the dinnerware and the cutlery, and the visual presentation of the edible. As for the food itself, it completely aroused our appetite s through its colors, smell, consistency and even sound (e.g. crispy aliments).

Though it was a cold starry night, the taste of the food brought us joy --- like a warm and colorful rainbow in the blue sky.

I am passing the warmest regards to you from the chef Zemanek --- Happy New Year.

In the Mood for Red

2009-12-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

photo by della chuang

To the fashion designer Bill Bass, "Red is the ultimate cure for sadness." And to the painter Wassily Kandinsky, red is very living, lively and agitated, it posses an immense force, it is a movement in oneself.

As for me, red is like the winter sunshine on my face.

Red...

feels warm like velvet

tastes strong like vodka

smells spicy like apple cider with loads of cinnamon and clove

sounds merry like the Xmas jingle bells

Yes. Merry Xmas, my dear friends.

In the Mood for Blue

2009-12-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

photo by della chuang

Which country

looks blue

sounds blue

feels blue

tastes blue

smells blue?

Finland it is.

Fragrance of the Nordic Air

2009-12-18T00:53:00.000-08:00

Bliss --- today is my first day out for a walk after I twisted my right ankle while doing a head stand. My foot had sent up a white flag, and I was therefore like a bird in a cage for the past two weeks.

It was – 17 degree Celsius (1.4 degree Fahrenheit) in the morning. Stepping out with my winter boots, I took a deep inhale and allowed fragrance of the Nordic air to enter and penetrate my Being. I stuffed my gloved hands in my pockets, curled my head to my chest, and set foot into the woods.

The solid crunch of my winter boots against the white snow filled the crisp air with a relaxing and chanting sound, which scratched a primal itch that reminded me of a delicious smell --- the aroma of Swiss dark chocolate waffles.

I slowly and deeply took an inhale: mmmmh, w-a-f-f-l-e. Then I crunched loud and crunched merry deep into the white Finnish woods.

Design in Nature

2009-12-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

photo by della chuang

I am still suffering from a jet lag and a cold that I caught
in New York.

Not being able to tell anything meaningful, I would like to
show you something wonderful.

I always feel humbled by the design in nature, and I do not believe anything I can design can compare to the beauty of the natural world...

Hear a Ginkgo Leaf Falling 聽到飄零的銀杏葉

2009-10-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

I finished a design project. I had some time on my hands. I sat with my legs crossed, my eyes closed. I blocked out distractions, thoughts, and sensations. I concentrated on the sounds I heard. It was difficult to hear with focus at the first beginning. Gradually, I became aware of layers upon layers of overlapping noises.

The coo, hoot, twitter and chirp of birds from the back yard. The distant grind and groan of a car. The strident shouts, cries and chatter of children on the playground. The steady hum from the refrigerator in the kitchen. The pounding, heavy footsteps from the staircase in my walk-up apartment building. The unidentified snorts, laughter, bangs, honks, squeaks, creaks and whistles.

Twenty minutes latter, I opened my eyes. I stretched my body, and I heard a voice in my mind: more practice, and bigger ears, I could get to hear a ginkgo leaf falling on the sidewalk of Mott street in NoLiTa.

Perspective 觀點

2009-10-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

New York Downtown Style: Chinese version vs. Taiwanese version

The old Egyptians drew the head in profile but rendered the eye as if it were on a front view – the body is more recognizable from front than side. However, arms and legs are more clearly described from the side.

Cubism combined glances taken from different angles at different moments into a single composition. A picture that wasn’t meant to look like anything but itself.

My first book New York Downtown Style (bilingual), first introduced to the reader in 2006, is now released in China with a new design by the Hong Kong born graphic designer Lu Zhi-Chang (Simplified Chinese: 陆智昌). Looking back and forth between the first and second covers, I could sense the difference from each other in composition, temperament, and tempo. In Lu's work (the left image), forms are more solid, enigmatic, and cooler. And to Lou Hsin-Mei (Traditional Chinese: 羅心梅), her approaches are more joyful , funkier and sweeter.

Different cultures, different times, different designers – different points of view.

A Rose Is Not a Rose 不是玫瑰的玫瑰

2009-10-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

The American historian Alice Morse Earle wrote, "The fragrance of the sweetest rose is beyond an other flower scent, it is irresistible, enthralling; you cannot leave it. I have never doubted the rose has some compelling quality not shared by other flowers...". Seen in this light, the fragrance experts claim that the rose perfume creates a mysterious atmosphere and state of mind conducive to romance.

Although the words rose and fragrance go together like hand and glove, rose is my least favorite scent. I rather exclaim over color and beauty of a rose in a full bloom than smelling it from a perfume bottle. More than any other sense, smells keenly evoke memories and feelings for me.

A rose fragrance with gourmet touches makes me ill. Worn by a person who easily lost himself in the rage. It’s truly a horrible smell!

Last night, in a gallery opening on Broome Street in SoHo, I was having a drink and gazing at the artwork in the fashion crowd. A peculiar rose smell suddenly hit my nose and it was like a nasal déjà vu – I shivered, a chill rushed down my spine. I had to leave right away because the sickening smell permeated my nostrils.

To me, a rose doesn’t lose its color in the rain, but it does lose its fragrance in my olfactory memory.

Inspired by René François Ghislain Magritte, I conjured up an image of rose in a contradictive context : the rose is not a rose, because it does not smell.

Do You Hear My Design? 你聽出了我的設計嗎？

2009-09-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

It's known that music can respond and appeal directly to an artist's "internal element" and express spiritual values. On writing, the French poet Charles Baudelaire affirmed that "scents, colors and sounds answer one another". On painting, the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky had this to say:

"Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key then another to cause vibration in the soul. It is therefore evident that color harmony must rely only on a corresponding vibration in the human soul."

If scent is the music for our nose, color is the music for our eyes.

I don't have a good ear to listen, but I appreciate music. Music allows me a freedom of imagination, interpretation, and emotional response on my design. I especially feel attracted to Bach, whose works are greatly admired for their intellectual depth, technical command and artistic beauty.

While working, I like to play Bach's music. I often picture myself walking through fields of paper, touching it with my pencil as if I'm composing the most enchanting music. To me, the organic and geometric shapes that I draw on my sketchbook are like Bach's musical notes that tangle with my joy and happiness.

I was enthralled by Kandinsky's curious gift of colour-hearing (synaesthesia), which he successfully translated onto canvas as "visual music". His artistic ambition got me thinking that, as a designer without the capacity to see sound and hear color, how I can conjure a visual presentation of music that illustrates the affinities between shapes and colors?

Therefore, I crabbed my pencil and started my musical adventure: I drew circles, triangles, and squares, one by one, and filled them in colors. Then, I made them sing with all the intensity I could to create a perfect visual harmony...

My dear readers, this is the creative process of this poster design that I pay homage to Kandinsky. Before you leave let me ask you. Do you hear my design?

Color of the Moment 剎那時光的色彩

2009-09-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

One afternoon when I was writing the ‘color’ essay in my silver Mac power book in my New York apartment, it started raining like cats and dogs. The thunderstorm made the room so pitch black. Getting up from my black chair to turn on the yellow light, off-guardedly, I saw the colorful window… Looking out of the brown wooden-framed window, I was struck by the beautiful color abstract scene. I couldn’t see my neighbor’s red brick wall and the green trees in the back yard any more. The silver heavy rain was making the brick wall and the trees almost invisible in a blur of forest green and burgundy. What I was used to see is not what I was seeing. The rhythm of the falling rain is the sound of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s piano. The color vibration of my window is the color palette of Kandinsky.

Design with a Japanese Mind - A Conversation with Takeshi Wakabayashi 若林剛之

2009-09-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

My name is Takeshi Wakabayashi
I owe a great deal to the nature of Kyoto.

When I need to be alone, I often take a stroll in Tadasu no Mori (糺の森), “the forest of truth”. I am happy and at peace with myself in this forest. It is natural, not pruned or planted by human beings. I also enjoy the late afternoon breeze in the spring. A kind of breeze is just like what the eccentric Zen Buddhist priest and poet Ikkyu Sojun (一休宗純, 1394-1481) described: “Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers, but the spring breeze brings forth myriad blossoms”. The breeze carries away the day’s grievances of mine and puts me at ease.

From ancient times to the present, the Japanese people have celebrated the beauty of nature and the poignancy of its seasonal rhythm of the moon, the sakura blossom, the river and the forest. Inspired by nature impulses, they created meditations on the fleeting seasons of life and, through them, expressed essential truths about the nature of human experience.

Iki, the Japanese aesthetic ideal
The patterns of human experience forms culture, and the critical reflection on culture, art, and nature shapes aesthetics. Zen was formalized in China. Chan, as it is known in China, took root in Japan in the thirteenth century. Zen Buddhism’s emphasis on simplicity, emptiness, and the impermanence of the natural world generated a distinctive Japanese aesthetic. Therefore, the appreciation of nature has been fundamental to many Japanese aesthetic ideals, artistic expressions, and other cultural elements.

But the highly refined Japanese aesthetic sensibility is not only about the sensual appeal of elements of the natural world, but also about the human emotions it imbues them with. The main theme in Japanese aesthetics is that objects are alive and should be in harmony. Iki (いき, often written 粋), a traditional aesthetic ideal in Japan, illustrates this value of Japanese aesthetic.

Iki is not simply “Japanese things”. It can be used for almost anything, but especially for people. Iki is not found in nature itself, but can be found in the human act of appreciating the beauty of nature. Iki is associated with a thing or situation that is simple, improvised, straight, restrained, temporary, romantic, ephemeral, original, refined, inconspicuous, etc.; it can also be related to a person who is audacious, chic, pert, tacit, sassy, unselfconscious, calm, indifferent, unintentionally coquettish, open-minded, and restrained.

Satou Toshi-san, the owner of Tawaraya Ryokan in Kyoto, is the perfect example of Iki to me. I'm not only impressed by her personal style, but also influenced by her sense of fashion, architecture, taste, and hospitality. She is truly a pioneer in creating a new style inspired by Kyoto tradition!

Design with a Japanese mind
In my 20s, I used to be called “the American boy”, owing my obsession with Ralph Lauren's collection. But soon after turning 30, I started to question my running after Western fashion as a Japanese designer. Moreover, what is the “modern” Japanese style? Just like you, Della-san. Becuase you are educated in America, with roots in Asia, I don’t see you viewing art and literature only with the Western eyes, right?

The aesthetic system of Japan is significantly different from that of the West. For example:
• Contrary to the precise geometrical values in the Western world, Japanese use diagonal, rather than a centrally placed horizontal or vertical line when dividing a rectangle symmetrically.
• In the West, the pictorial quality is based on realm; in contrast, Japanese characterize the elements drawn from the natural world in an abstract from.
• The West worships a permanent beauty and a complex context; Japanese praise the beauty of nature and its harmonious simplicity.

As a designer, I am open to anything. But things that take full concentration and excessive training attract me the most, such as calligraphy, tea ceremony, and traditional craftsmanship. Therefore, inspired as I am by the sublime Japanese aesthetics, I see no need to adopt Western ideals. And as an upholder of the need to rediscover and appreciate Japanese traditional values, albeit in an apparently revolutionary guise, I established the “Made In Japan” brand – Sou • Sou.

Sou • Sou, pronounced as so – so in English, expresses the ultimate statement of Japanese lifestyle. It is a typical Japanese way to say the word when we make a nod to maintain a friendly and harmonious atmosphere during a conversation. Although the word doesn’t convey a meaning of “yes”, it implies “I agree with you” and “I understand you”.

Sou • Sou has always made the point: discovering and interpreting avant-garde art in Japan, and the roots that bind it to the cultural and aesthetic values of the country’s own tradition. It doesn’t matter if the design is for Jika-Tabi (split-toe shoes, 地下足袋) or textile; all of Sou • Sou’s works derive their aesthetic merit from the fact that it cannot be fully achieved without perfect execution!

Tradition is present
When I walked in the courtyard of Shimogamo Jinja, I saw the glow of sunset deepening and hanging on the torii gate . Even though Kyoto is a modern city of more than a million, the weight of history and the force of tradition have given the streets of the city an undeniable unified and harmonious atmosphere, beyond the well-known image of temples and geishas.

Tradition lives in the present, and it is our key to the past.

NOMADIC DESIGN: 莊卉家的設計漫遊

the ingredients for a fun new year eve

a starting point 起點

和調香師 Yann Vasnier 探索詩中的香水 Exploring the Perfume in a Poem with Yann Vasnier

“香水記事”的背後花絮 (一) The Scenes Behind “The Story of a Perfume” (I)

IDA Congress: Della Chuang + Yann Vasnier + 陳綺貞 ＝ 香水記事

"The Story of a Perfume" at 2011 IDA Congress 世界設計大會展覽–––香水記事

Sensorium by Sephora and Firmenich 紐約下城知覺設計聯展

Worthwhileness 值得的寶貝

The Elegiac Sound of Cicadas 哀傷的蟬聲

Inspired by Inrō

Serene Before Irene... 暴風雨前的寧靜...

Watch People Watching 觀看觀眾

104˚F, New York

Ladybugs for the Summer 夏日裡的瓢蟲

The Scent of Summer in Lausanne, Switzerland

What makes me feel happy? 什麽是讓我快樂的事情？

Would you stop tickling me? 可不可以停止搔癢呢？

A Drinker’s Haiku 飲酒人的俳句

Lomo Me

The Most Beautiful Things 最美麗的事物

In Cheng Huang Miao, the City God Temple of Shanghai 在上海城皇廟裡

Tian Zi Fang, the fragrance to the stage 田子坊，粉墨登場的明星味。

Smell of the Past in Shanghai 老上海的味道

My First Impression of Shanghai 與上海的第一次接觸

How to Get to Know Taiwan in Five Days 如何在五天之內認識台灣

The Smell of China 中國的味道

Confucius Temple Red 孔廟紅

The Art on the Swallow Tail Roof 燕尾脊屋頂上的藝術品

Pray for Japan 替日本祈福

Tamsui in Rain 雨中的淡水

It Can Be Cold in Taipei. 台北是可以很冷的。

Lecturing at Xue Xue 在學學開課

Falling in Love with Marie Galante 戀上瑪麗加蘭

The Cabin Woven by Hand, with Heart 用心編織的小木屋

The Blessing 祝福

Dream to be a Skipper

My Luck of Being Seasick

Inspired by The Sea Urchin

Celebrate the Sunset with Rhum

The Island of Calm in the Caribbeans

Good-Bye to My Summer Provence (III)

Good-bye to My Summer Provence (II)

Good-Bye to My Summer Provence 跟夏日的普羅旺斯說一聲再見

Singing the Blue Under the Mediterranean Sun 在地中海陽光底下吟唱藍調

Elegant Things 優雅情事

Like the Mischievous Smile of Stan March 像Stan March的頑皮笑容

Things That Arouse a Fond Memory of the Past 喚起我美好回憶的事物

The Raindrops 雨滴

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

The Kaleidoscopic Smell on Number Six Train 六號地下鐵的氣味萬花筒

Smelling Khublai Khan in New York 聞出忽必烈, 在紐約。

KyotEau: Bottled Memories by Mix Magazine

The Festive Smell of Little Italy, New York 紐約小義大利區的節慶風味

Tender is the Helsinki Summer Night 赫爾新基的溫柔夏夜

My Summer Porvoo, Finland 我在芬蘭普佛的夏天

My Visionary Noises of "Fashion's Night Out" in SoHo

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The True Blue Enzian #8 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––自我忠實的藍色安堇花 #8

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Suicidal Yodels in Ernen #7 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––恩能音樂村的自殺式嶽得爾歌 #7

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Raccards #6 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––瑞士穀倉 #6

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Nothingness of the Aletsch Glacier #5 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––阿雷汿冰河的虛無 #5

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Walliser Platte #4 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––阿爾卑斯山的瑞士冷盤 #4

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Walliser Candyfloss #3 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––阿爾卑斯山的棉花糖 #3

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland–––The Floral Inspiration #2 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇–––阿爾卑斯山的花漾靈感 #2

My Eight Wonders in Goms, Switzerland：The Alpine Air #1 / 瑞士Goms的八大驚奇: 阿爾卑斯山的氣息 #1

My Alpine Summer in Goms, Switzerland 我在瑞士阿爾卑斯山Goms的夏日

Fireworks–the Paintings in the Night Sky

Hi from Helsinki

The Fragrance Time with Pierre Negrin 香水相對論

Forget-Me-Not 勿忘我

The Flavor of Laziness on Sunday 星期天的慵懶味道

The Art of Waiting 等待的藝術

Be Happy for Me Too 也替我高興一下

Shepard Fairey and His Wall 塗鴉藝術家Shepard Fairey和他的牆壁

Awesome Things That Are Beyond Words 難以用筆墨來形容的美好事物

The Tea Tastes Like a Volcanic Eruption 嚐起來像火山爆發味道的茶

Lilacs With No Scent 沒有香氛的丁香

Reading a Book by Smelling Its Ink 聞墨閱讀

A Reader from Australia

Obsession with Patterns

IDA Congress: Della Chuang + Yann Vasnier + 陳綺貞＝香水記事