Museums are a key indicator of the level of development of local cultural arts, and Taipei is home to an impressive collection, many of which are privately run, and house a wide variety of art treasures. This rich resource gives both travelers and local citizens easy access to a vast assortment of beautiful artworks.
Storytelling Through Puppets– the Puppetry Art Center of Taipei
The collection of the Puppetry Art Center of Taipei (PACT; 台北偶戲館) is based largely on the personal collection of puppets and memorabilia gathered over a decade and donated to the Taipei City government by Lin Chingfu (林經甫), a devotee of the puppet theater art form. The museum, planned by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government (臺北市政府文化局) and opened in 2004, aims to collect, exhibit and teach, and visitors can enjoy a nostalgic overview of puppetry's history and savor the beauty of its art.
The center is divided into three main display areas. The Glove Puppet Area (袋袋相傳—布袋戲區) provides a comprehensive overview of the art form introducing the history and development of glove-puppet theater. Visitors can view a shoulder-carried stage (肩擔戲臺), which was the earliest type of performance stage developed, the classic cailou or "colored pavilion" (彩樓) stage, and the resplendent "golden light theater" (金光戲) stage. Other highlights include exhibits detailing how puppet heads are created, the exquisite embroidery of the puppets' costumes, and the musical instruments used by backstage players to accompany the action.
The String Puppet Area (絲絲入扣—傀儡戲區) features marionettes and rod puppets, as well as famous major characters from Taiwanese string-puppet plays. Finally, the Shadow Puppet Area (影影約約—皮影戲區) explains the origins of shadow puppetry and the process used in creating the puppets, and displays precious shadow puppets from mainland China, Indonesia, and elsewhere. Visitors are given the chance to handle and operate puppets in all three exhibit areas.
The center also has an irregular schedule of special-theme exhibits, and until September 22nd you can take in Comics Hero (超˙能˙偶 — 超級英雄公仔展), which features over 400 superhero action figures, including Superman, Batman, and Iron Man. Visitors get to closely inspect the art involved in the creation of these figures. PACT also offers theatrical performances and DIY puppet-making classes for groups (advance booking required), providing visitors with a great "inside look" into the world of puppetry.
Art that Integrates Color and Transparency – the Tittot Glass Art Museum
Located in Beitou district (北投區) and opened in 1999, the Tittot Glass Art Museum (琉園水晶博物館) was established by one of the founders of the famed Tittot (琉園) crystal-glass workshop, Mr. Wang Yongshan (王永山). The facility provides in-depth teaching in the aesthetics of glass art, and strives to bring it into people's daily lives. The museum is spread over two floors. On the first floor are rare antique glass works from the Qing Dynasty (清朝), exquisite classic pieces produced by Tittot, and a special exhibit area where you can enjoy Japanese artist Hiroshi Yamano's exhibit entitled Scene of Japan (日本之景) until the end of December. There is also a glass-blowing studio, and famed international artists are invited to Taiwan on occasion to demonstrate and teach. The open-concept studio gives the public a chance to observe the glass-art production process.
The second floor showcases classic works by master artists from around the world, including the United States, Japan, Italy, Czech Republic, and Germany. For example, a work from Japan entitled Pet (寵物) is an abstract, translucent rendering of an Akita dog that has a chained human inside its stomach. Which is the pet? Another intriguing work that transfixes the eye is an installation work by a Canadian artist – hot-air balloons of many colors that float about the exhibit space, creating the impression that the glass is weightless.
In addition to viewing the artworks on display, you can sign up for glass-art classes, during which you can create your own simple glass flower or decorative glass cup as a great memento of your trip.
Real Life in Miniature as Art – the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan
For many a youngster, a dollhouse is among their most prized toy possessions. Curator Lin Wenren (林文仁) is a former entrepreneur who traveled the world on business, during which he'd often buy dollhouses and other exquisite model reproductions to bring back as gifts for his children. After retiring, he decided to create the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan (MMOT; 袖珍博物館) to share his collection of over 300 works, gathered over many years, with the public.
Opened 17 years now, the museum was Asia's first dedicated to miniatures. All of the works on display have a scale of 12:1, and almost all were crafted by foreign masters. There are three main display areas: a dollhouse section, with full reproductions of the exterior and interior of structures and all furnishings, a roombox section, with exquisitely detailed reproductions of a variety of rooms, and a fairytale gallery. Among the model highlights are a 2,000-year-old Roman ruin, a million-dollar condominium displaying the comfortable life of a member of the aristocratic US elite, the extravagant Buckingham Palace, and the worlds of renowned fairytale characters such as Snow White and Pinocchio.
Viewing these exquisite works in "pocket-size" form is like taking one's own private jet on a grand and magical journey around the globe.
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