http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/artsthaddeus/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from artsthaddeus en-us Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:49:31 +0000 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:49:31 +0000 I've been up all night with my students helping to finish the tree demon lantern puppets. As dawn breaks the last bit of paint detailing is completed so that they are ready to be loaded onto the trucks going to Neihu. The puppets seem very fragile and we worry as they are loaded onto the trucks but they all make it through the trip unscathed. We take a chartered bus to Neihu Community Colle http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-117257.html Tis the night before the parade Moon Show and all the creatures are stirring Only several hours to go and so much has to happen. My students have only been able to get in a few days worth of work here and there and we will be up all night. And of course we've had to make time for Moon Show rehearsals which cut dearly into building time. There's a lot of confusion about staging and we're a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-114795.html It's only a few days before the parade and everyone is working at a frenzied pace The architecture students I'm working with are only here for a few days out of the week and have classes during the day so the only time we can work together is at night resulting in some very late hours. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-110974.html After Yehlui we drove to another beach sandier and less rocky. Then we drove to this seashell temple. The outside was very unimpressive it looked like a large ramshackle warehouse covered with corrugated metal. But inside was a temple with sculptures basreliefs and mosaics constructed almost entirely of seashells. There were a couple of small shops. I bought candy and ginseng liquour http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-108081.html When we drove to the coast last time we passed beaches with amazing looking sandstone and limestone formations. So I was really happy to visit Yehliu. I took lots of pictures here are the best and here's some more infoYehliu is a cape of about 1700 meters long formed by Datun Mountain reaching into the sea. When overlooked from above the place is like a giant turtle submerging into the se http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-101936.html On Wednesday we go to a parade rally in downtown Taipei. Several groups that will be in the parade also participate. On Sunday we have another cabaret and things get pretty wild I've also added a few pics to the two previous blogs http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-101912.html It's been a busy week for me at the Dream Community. I've been working mostly with three different groups. There's a dragon puppet for an elementary school. The teacher wants the body to resemble the Taipei 101 building. I've also been working with a couple of preschool teachers who have meen making insect masks and costumes for kids. Next they want me to help them make a hollow tree carried http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-99668.html So I'm back in Port Townsend and probably have enough material to blog from here for the next few weeks I had to take a break when crunch time hit but hope to get everything caught upWhen we arrive back at the Dream Community it has been turned into a surreal landscape. The architecture students are hard at work and the place is littered by the remains of giant sea creature skeletons. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-98447.html Today we drove to the Northeast coast of Taiwan to walk the Tsaoling Historic Trail. We catch a bust to one part of the trail that begins near a park then hike up up up into the mountains. We descend eventually and come to a temple then have a great dinner http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-95306.html The large floats and puppets are being constructed in another space. Here are some pictures from the activity that has gone on there this week. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-94341.html Another huge week Many groups have been coming in to create art. I'm working with a group of architecture students to create tree demon lantern puppets and local installation artist Chao is working with another group of the same students on deer lantern puppets. The students are really talented and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the pieces turn out We also had another huge group http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-94122.html Today we go to Wulai. We drive to a park area trek a little way into the woods cross a stream and land on a rocky beach. I have brought the Barbecue in a Box setup that I received from Melody and which provides up with quite a feast There is a steady drizzle but we manage to get our barbecue started and some people even go swimming. Afterwards we head to the Wulai hot springs area. B http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-93203.html Saturday morning we reorganized the paint area and Chao made us some great signs. As you'll see in the pictures the space was abuzz with energy. Saturday night we capped off a busy work day with a cabaret show. I sung my No no Nina no no song which was a huge hit There was song and dance and puppetry and movement. One of the highlights was a sketch comedy where characters were auditi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-92869.html A very busy week Lots of groups wanting to make things Katie and I started a couple of seahorse lanterns. More sharks being built. Lots of animal masks. A giant eagle. A giant manatee. The giant deer for which I'm working on the antlers. The reed material we got in last week is getting lots of use. Chinese Melody invites us to an evening barbecue at her school. Th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-91865.html Tuesday afternoon we learned that John Paul and Chien Yu had been in a car accident on the freeway and were now at the emergency room at the hospital. Everyone spent a worrisome few hours until they returned in the early evening. Although the car was totaled they managed to escape with minor scrapes and bruises. Relieved everyone got into some serious hang time before dinner And th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-91502.html After Jui Fen we drove down a long steep road with several hairpin turns. Soon we were back in an urban area and parked the cars. The Keelong night market was across a busy intersection. We went through an underground passageway and walked by several shops to enter the night market. If you have never been to a night market it's a little difficult to relate the experience. Everyone is bustli http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-91409.html Monday is our day off. In the morning several of us went to see examples of traditional Chinese Opera. In the afternoon we left for Jiu Fen the Gold Town. A popular tourist attraction this scenic town along the coast has a huge temple and a magnificent tea house with great views. After the temple we follow a long road that winds uphill to the tea house. Lined with small shops you have http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-91291.html This weekend was really busy. We had several groups come in to work on projects. Three more bicycle animals were started and I began to work with a teacher who wants to create a large Chinese style dragon puppet with butterfly wings and a body shaped like the 101 building in Taipei http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-91180.html I've only been in Taiwan a few days and so much is happening I'm one of a group of 30 artists from around the globe who have come together to create the 5th annual Dream Parade in Shijir City about a half hour drive from Taipei. There are artists from the United States France India Mexico Thailand and Indonesia as well as Taiwanese. In addition to the Parade itself there will http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-90107.html