The Taste of Colors

“Aesthetics should spread naturally like particles spread in the air.” The art classroom at National Hsinchu Senior High School was the best place on campus for teachers and students to indulge in art and design. Setting up the space, Mrs. Wu expected it could be a hub to stimulate the transport of art and design. Inspired by the idea, a group of students started their exploration on campus to search for any possible changes. They opened their eyes and located the problems, such as the unsuitable fabrics and cuts of their uniforms as well as the confusing signs in the store. Bringing their finding back to the art classroom, the students kept on thinking of solutions. They attempted to make some changes and spread the aesthetic particles to other parts of the school more than just in the classroom.

From her experience of purchasing flowers, Mrs. Wang found that most of the shops didn’t provide packages that would match the colors of the bouquets. And the packages used to be too colorful to dignify the grace of flowers. After discussing the suitability of colors with the class in the art and design course for one semester, Mrs. Wang assigned a task to the class: using the materials at hand to make a package that can properly hold and fit the flowers. What would be the priority for the students: the colors which can fit flowers better or their own color preferences?

Mrs. Lin had lectured at Hsiyu Junior High School for over a year. At first, the student showed less confidence in the art class because there hadn’t been a regular art teacher in the school, and they hadn’t received much art training before. But to her surprise, Mrs. Lin discovered the children, living on the Penghu island and endowed with great knowledge of oceans, were keen to distinguish the colors in their everyday scenery. By identifying the colors, mixing colors of paints, and relating the color to their personal memories, the students depicted the flexible sceneries and the poetic moments of this island. In the color charts they drew, the intimate bond between them and their hometown was also vividly shown. For the children who were about to leave the island, the lesson was a precious gift from Mrs. Lin, who was born in Penghu as well. She wished when they are apart, by reminiscing about the colors, they can remember their beautiful hometown.

An elder from the tribe was invited to give a lecture in Mr. Liu’s class. When he talked about the young and old generations in the tribe, he was sad to tell that there had been a cultural gap between the two. Mr. Liu thus decided to revive the tribal tradition of making tree bark clothes, helping the students to understand their own culture. The lesson led the kids to learn the knowledge of trees and understand why people needed to make tree bark clothes in the old times. They practically experienced how to soften tree bark, and used the local materials and techniques to make items that can fit contemporary needs. To pass on the aboriginal culture, the lesson revealed the lifestyle of the tribes and presented the wisdom of ancestors taking good advantage of natural materials from daily life. And it also encouraged the kids to keep discovering new possibilities within traditional craftsmanship.