Taiwanese have been struggling with their identity for generations. The national flag, passport and banknote should be platforms of Taiwanese identity that reflect the country’s status and cultural identity. And indeed, they show an identity that is far from unambiguous. Next to the regular passport Taiwanese own a second passport for travels to China only. Alongside the national flag there is another one for participation in international organizations and events. While many use the name Taiwan the country is also known as Republic of China. And apart from the regular paper money, Taiwan also has another type of banknotes – Joss paper – which are burned in honour of ancestors, gods or ghosts.
In general, burning such symbolic objects is an act of denying or shaming the national identity. In Taiwan, however, burning has a double connotation of both protest and blessing. The project employs the colour black as a metaphor for burning, with ‘rebirth’ as the core concept. It presents a ground-breaking concept for the expression of nationality, incorporating different stages of Taiwan’s colonial past. The aim is to reinterpret the Taiwanese identities that have been denied, accepted or ‘forgotten’.
| DESIGN ACADEMY EINDHOVEN
| Information Design
| Graduation Project
PRESS
| Fontanel Dutch Design Talents, NL
| The Central News Agency, TW
| Liberty Times, TW
