Daxi Daxi Umkhosi Wamasiko Wendawo by BIAS Architects and Associates

Daxi Daxi Umkhosi Wamasiko Wendawo by BIAS Architects and Associates is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Umklomelo Wesiliva we-A' Design Award in Umcimbi Competition Category.

IsilivaUmcimbi· 2021

Daxi Daxi Umkhosi Wamasiko Wendawo

by BIAS Architects and Associates

Client: Taoyuan City Government, Department of Cultural Affairs, & Daxi Ecomuseum

Umklomelo Wesiliva we-A' Design Award Winner in Umcimbi Category

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The Design

About Daxi Daxi Umkhosi Wamasiko Wendawo

Kusukela ngo-2018, i-BIAS ithuthukise futhi yaqalisa umkhosi wasemadolobheni ukusiza ilokishi laseDaxi lilungiselela umcimbi wenkolo obalulekile wale ndawo. Imvamisa, imikhosi yaseTaiwan iyalandela futhi isekelwe emasikweni asemaphandleni abeka isethi yemithetho eqinile. Ukuze wabelane ngokuheha kwezinkolelo zabantu nomphakathi wasemadolobheni, i-BIAS ilamule amasiko ngesethi yamasu yokungenelela kwedizayini nemisebenzi ehlinzeka ngevayibhu ye-pop-culture emcimbini. Ikakhulukazi, i-BIAS isebenze njengomgcini futhi yamema abaculi abahlukahlukene abancane nabaqambi ukuthi basebenzisane nalabo abagcina amasiko amadala.

The Recognition

About the Umklomelo Wesiliva we-A' Design Award

Daxi Daxi Umkhosi Wamasiko Wendawo iwinile uMklomelo Wesiliva we-A' Design Award, ukwaziswa okuhloniphekile ngokungajwayelekile okunikezwa imiklamo esezingeni eliphezulu, ebukekayo nethinta kakhulu. Abawinile beSiliva yimisebenzi egqamile kakhulu nedala kakhulu ebonisa ubungcweti obuphawulekayo, italente nobuhlakani babaklami babo. Daxi Daxi Umkhosi Wamasiko Wendawo ilindeleke ukuba ibe ngumsebenzi omuhle wesibonelo, onobungcweti obuphawulekayo nezinto ezintsha ezijulile. Lo mklamo owinile uMklomelo Wesiliva we-A' Design Award uyinto entsha ebonakala kakhulu nethakazelisayo esiza futhi isunduza imingcele yobuciko, isayensi, ukuklama nobuchwepheshe. Daxi Daxi Umkhosi Wamasiko Wendawo iyinto enomhawu omkhulu kuyo evusa izifiso, ilethe imizwa emihle futhi ivuse ukumangala nokuxakeka.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Lord Guan's birthday celebration is an important traditional event held in the rural outskirts of Taipei. The local people call it "the second Chinese New Year for Daxi," and everyone in the township of Daxi uses to put significant effort into the preparations. Tasked to preserve and promote the event, since 2018, BIAS has developed and implemented an urban festival to help the township preparing for the celebration. The festival has been named "Daxi Daxi," i.e., a play of words that means "Good Luck Daxi." In particular, in 2020, the third installment of "Daxi Daxi," the "Lord Guan Online" concept was implemented, i.e., a creative offline and online approach that 'allows the god's blessings to spread far away' through the new media. This festival strengthened the local community's identity, but the last installment attracted more than 100,000 people to the township. Besides this, an exhibition focused on the "backstage" of the religious event and a show mixing modern and traditional arts were implemented. By this, BIAS hopes that the traditional culture can intertwine with the urban one and, thanks to this, get enough momentum to be preserved for the future.
Dimensions & Packaging: Total event area: 121,000 sqm
Tags: festival, traditional rural culture, urban pop culture, religion, parade, design as mediation, curating
Production Technology: The main concept of Daxi Daxi is to combine traditions and pop culture so as to both rejuvenate the audience of Taiwanese religious festivals and deepen the understanding of these by the young generations. In order to achieve this, a curatorial approach was adopted, focused on selecting a series of young artists and designers that could cooperate with those holding the traditions. Most importantly, the artists, designers, and the holders of traditions were supported by BIAS that mediated their cooperation so as to ease their efforts and bring it to a good end. That is to say, BIAS initiated their encounter and acted as a facilitator and translator of their different point of view.
Design Challenge: The key challenge of the project was at the curatorial level. In particular, it was the selection of third-party artists and designers that could dialogue with those today bringing forward the ancient traditions. Not only but also, it was to create proper occasions for the encounter of these seemingly opposite actors.
Research: The research was developed on various aspects, including the following. First of all, it was developed a deep understanding of ancient rituals and those people that carry on the traditions today. Then, it was developed curatorial research on a set of artists and designers that could develop a dialogue and thus intervene in the strategic renewal of traditions. Finally, mediatory research was implemented in order to help the community and the designers collaborate for the good end.
Inspiration: Usually, Taiwanese religious ceremonies are conservative and based on rural traditions that strictly dictate parade rules. To share the charm of the folk beliefs with the urban public, BIAS tried to mediate the ancient traditions by a strategic set of design interventions and educational activities that could provide a contemporary pop culture vibe to the festival.
Project Duration: The event starts in mid-July and finishes in mid-August each year since 2018 in Daxi, Taiwan. The last installment was held in 2020.
Operation Flow: The key aspects of the festival are to be found in the mixing of various aspects of the traditional parade rules and preparations with popo-culture and aesthetics. In particular, while the traditional aspects were not obliterated or negated in their functionality, touches of a new aesthetics were added and communicated to the large public as the product of a new pride of the local community.
Team Members: Main Curator: BIAS Architects & Associates
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Yu Dong, 2019
Image #2: Photographer Yu Dong, 2020
Image #3: Photographer Jia-Ying Yang, 2019
Image #4: Photographer Yu Dong, 2018
Image #5: Photographer Jia-Ying Yang, 2018