The first "Fictional Garden: TAIWAN HOUSE" exhibition was carried out at Tokyo GOOD DESIGN Marunouchi on Oct. 4 as part of the Taiwan-Japan cultural exchange program "Taiwan NOW."
In order to market Taiwan's innovative culture, Taiwan's Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) visited the exhibition on the afternoon of Oct. 3, along with representatives of Taiwan NOW's Japanese partners Inoue Tomoharu of the Culture Vision Japan (JVC) and Fukano Hiroyuki of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, in promotion of Taiwan's soft power.
Upon entering the venue, Representative Frank Hsieh was attracted by the Taiwanese plant-derived perfume "Guomenxiang" placed on the entrance table of Taoyuan International Airport. The event places emphasis on the prosperity that is borne out of fruitful exchange, symbolized by the blooming of beautiful flowers on display at the exhibition. In spite of the difficulties caused by the recent COVID-19 crisis, Taiwan and Japan have shown an even deeper friendship, Hsieh noted.
Inoue Tomoharu pointed out the significance of this exhibition in that it is the first collaboration between The Cultural Taiwan Foundation (文化台灣基金會) and Japan's CVJ. Fukano Hiroyuki of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion also echoed that the concept of reusing resources as exemplified by the works of the exhibition, and hopes that the designs will bring new hope to everyone during the pandemic.
According to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan, in addition to being the year of the Tokyo Olympics, thus Taiwan has planned many cultural exchanges activities with Japan. This time, eight professional design teams were invited to use sustainable materials to create and illustrate the vegetation of Taiwan, the development of Taiwan's design in recent years, as well as the diversity and inclusivity of Taiwan’s culture.
The current exhibition in Tokyo will last until Oct. 17. The following exhibition will take place at The Terminal TOKYO from Oct. 23 to Nov. 7.