When I visited Taiwan in 2010, my friend Jeremy took me to Huashan 1914 Creative Park. He explained that it had been an old wine factory that was recently converted into a hub of galleries, restaurants, shops + performance spaces.

The story of its current incarnation begins with a group of thespians deciding to (illegally) use the space as a performance venue in 1997! According to its website,

Huashan 1914 now serves as Taipei’s primary creative arts center and a hosting ground for Taiwan’s most significant cultural activities.  Examples include the Simple Life music festival and the BiBo student design expo.  Today Huashan 1914 is not only the heart of Taiwan’s creative pulse, but also a bridge to a unique architectural past.

In fact, this is where I saw the Mandarin version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, produced + directed by my friend, Brook Hall. 🙂

Each weekend you can expect swarms of people, free concerts, rotating exhibitions + rows of tents selling baked goods, cheeses, second hand clothing (rare in Taipei!) + various goodies made by local artisans.

The other weekend I went back for some browsing. Here are some shots I took, focusing mainly on the old architecture +, as always, graffiti.

One of the coolest rooms I stumbled into was devoted to a sort of DIY take on metal smithing. It was apparent that there would be a demonstration + then anyone who wanted to could make stuff!

As soon as I saw the display of jewelry making tools, I immediately felt pangs of longing to be back in the beautiful jewelry shop I worked at for two years before starting my Taipei adventure, Lori McLean. It was here that I learned to do basic jewelry repairs + wire wrapping.

Despite bringing my tools with me to Taipei, I was never able to find adequate findings for making jewelry. I am definitely looking forward to getting back into basic jewelry making once I am back in NYC!

Anyway, what drew me into the room first was this banner at the back of the room:

I think it pretty much sums up my entire Taiwan excursion!

This song immediately got stuck in my head upon seeing the banner. Who doesn’t love The Mamas & The Papas?