Craft Survey
This year’s edition of Maison&Objet Paris once again brought together designers and industry leaders from around the globe for one of the year’s most anticipated design events. With more than 2,200 exhibiting brands and a robust programme of events, the fair attracted almost 60,000 international visitors eager to discover new exhibitors and products for the upcoming season.
Among this year’s highlights was the much-loved Taiwan Crafts & Design pavilion. Curated under the theme The Taiwanese Crafts Equation, it brought the country’s history of functional crafts and its unique aesthetic and entrepreneurial spirit to the international stage. Directed by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute in collaboration with Dubai-based French curator Cyril Zammit, the exhibition featured 79 works by 17 brands and creators.
Selected through an open call, the pieces in the exhibition were carefully assessed based on their sustainability potential. A variety of carbonreducing and sustainable materials featured, such as domestically grown Taiwania, Japanese cedar, bamboo, paper mulberry, mud from Sun Moon Lake, marble from Hualien, denim, metal and even a kind of reusable soft cement.
Contemporary wooden furniture on show included leather and wood works by design studio Chaiwood, as well as other tables, chairs, benches and screens made from bamboo and locally grown woods.
What’s more, in an effort to generate interest and increase revenue, the organisers worked with M&O’s online retail platform MOM as well as leading e-commerce platform Pinkoi, a retail solution for independent designers in Asia. Pinkoi set up a special section on its website for the brands exhibited at the Taiwan Crafts & Design pavilion, making the sales process more efficient and attractive for would-be buyers.
Once again, the Taiwan Crafts and Design Pavilion reaffirmed the country’s rich arts and crafts heritage and the local design community’s meaningful approach to sustainability. By highlighting Taiwanese brands and makers and their products, the annual pavilion acts as a bridge that fosters dialogue and encourages Taiwan’s craft community to engage with the world.
Image by Cooper Chang
Tomood’s Arch side table and wood and rattan storage crate. Image by Cooper Chang
TYLC screen and bench by Tzu Hsien Yang. Image by Cooper Chang
Working desk by Chaiwood. Image courtesy of National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute
GEWAY’s 3D ceramic printed vases. Image courtesy of National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute
Heat-proof mat by Taipower Cultural and Creative. Image courtesy of National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute