Study on the Paper Flower Craft and Derivative Cultural and Creative Commodities of Bionic Pith Paper: Actor-Network Theory Perspective

DOI

10.2991/assehr.k.211120.039How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Pith paper; Pith paper flower craft; Bionic design; Actor-network theory

Abstract

Pith paper is a native plant in Taiwan and an important cash crop of aboriginal tribes. The pith core of the plant was purchased by the Hakka people, made into paper flowers by Minnan people, and finally sold to traders. Therefore, the craft of pith paper flower can be a traditional craft industry symbolizing ethnic integration in Taiwan. Through literature research, it is found that pith papercraft gradually developed industrial-economic characteristics with different values in the Qing Dynasty, the Japanese-ruled period, and even after the Second World War. In the context of the raw material economy in the Qing Dynasty (1683-1895), pith paper was made into rice paper for painting and transported to Guangzhou on the mainland for sale. Under the influence of the popular aesthetic economy during the Japanese-ruled period (1895-1945), the pith paper flower became a popular and fashionable decoration in Japan. In the post-war period (1945-1999), the local characteristic craft industry economy developed rapidly. As home ornaments of essential festivals, many paper flowers were exported to Europe and the United States, contributing to the once economic miracle of Taiwan. However, with the rise of the plastic industry in 1958, the plastic flower replaced the pith paper flower year by year, making the pith papercraft industry decline gradually. From the perspective of actor-network theory, this study found that the craft of pith paper flower has taken on a new look under the prevalence of cultural and creative industry in recent years. As a core actor and obligatory passing point (OPP), Taiwan Pith Paper Association (TPPA) promotes bionic pith paper plant skills. Community colleges also promote and convey the culture and bionic skills of pith paper plants in the reused space of old buildings. These actions also further inspired the participation of university teachers and students majoring in design. The connotation of bionic creation is deepened and enlarged by implementing bionic design courses and competition of pith paper plant. Following the cultural and creative industry recipe of “Light Craft × Friendly Craft × Micromanufacturing = Creative Economy,” it has opened a new future of Taiwan’s pith papercraft’s artistic and creative design.

Copyright

© 2021 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

Open Access

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yi-Fang Kao
AU  - Hung-Cheng Chen
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/11/29
TI  - Study on the Paper Flower Craft and Derivative Cultural and Creative Commodities of Bionic Pith Paper: Actor-Network Theory Perspective
BT  - Proceedings of the 2021 3rd International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2021)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 210
EP  - 214
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211120.039
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.211120.039
ID  - Kao2021
ER  -