International masters compete in the Hsinchu Glass Art Festival, opening on December 22

By MOOK Travel Life Network’s Chen Guanxin, compiled and reported

 

The 2012 Hsinchu City International Glass Art Festival, now in its ninth year, is set to open on December 22. Within Hsinchu Park, including the Glass Art Museum, the former Broadcasting Corporation of China building, the former weather station, the Wind City Vision Hall, and the Lakeside Teahouse, a total of five exhibition halls have been planned. The festival invites over ten countries and nearly a hundred domestic and international masters to gather, presenting six themed exhibitions. In addition, there will be a Glass Art Street, as well as more than a hundred demonstration performances, master forums, glass-inspired tours, outdoor cultural performances, and parent-child DIY activities — totaling 12 main events. Among them, the Hsinchu Glass-Inspired Tour offers 4 routes across 8 sessions, guiding the public to visit the Glass Art Festival as well as explore the Mangrove Ecological Park, Xiangshan Wetlands, glass workshops, and settlements, providing an in-depth experience of the local glass culture and unique attractions.

This biennial Hsinchu City International Glass Art Festival will run from December 22 to March 10 of next year at Hsinchu Park. It will showcase exquisite artworks by domestic and international masters, with the overall park design infused with childlike wonder and illustration styles. The event includes five exhibition halls: the International Glass Art Museum, the Technology Glass Art Museum, the Children’s Glass Experience Museum, the Glass Art Creative Museum, and the Certified Goods Museum. The International Glass Art Museum, located in the first and second special exhibition rooms of the Glass Art Museum, will feature 56 works by 26 artists from 12 countries including Italy, France, the United States, China, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Austria, Australia, Japan, and Iceland, as well as the United Kingdom. These will be divided into five zones: the Classic Masters Zone, showcasing elegant and intellectual geometric designs; the Lifestyle Aesthetics Zone, featuring hand-bent flat glass crafted into fashionable glass handbags and decorative lamps; the Surreal Installation Zone, using disjointed lines to simulate seemingly real three-dimensional spaces; the Contemporary Glass Art Zone, with colorful, transparent, and minimally carved pieces forming a unique style; and the Avant-Garde Fantasy Glass Zone, created by Italian designer Narcissus Quagliata, the artist behind the “Dome of Light” at Kaohsiung MRT’s Formosa Boulevard Station, along with several other masters, blending traditional glass painting with the beauty of retro European stained glass.

 

Other thematic activities include the Hsinchu Glass-Inspired Tour, scheduled from December 23 to March 9, featuring 4 routes across 8 sessions: the Xiangshan Glass Settlement Walk, the Guchi Peak Glass Experience Tour, the Coastal Glass Tour, and the Technology Glass Journey. These are packaged tours combining the festival venue with other urban sightseeing spots. Each session has a limit of 40 participants, with a fee of NT$400 per person. Online registration opens on December 3.

During the event, outdoor cultural performances will be held every Saturday and Sunday, totaling 30 shows, featuring diverse acts such as music, dance, drama, acrobatics, magic, crosstalk, and performances by idol entertainers. There will also be 26 family days, allowing visitors to not only enjoy a visual and spiritual feast but also create their own glass crafts such as music boxes, jewelry, and photo frames — both fun and memorable. The glass workshops will also present 156 demonstration performances covering techniques such as wire drawing, glassblowing, solid sculpture, and kiln casting.

 

This year’s glass art festival will be open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Sunday. Admission is NT$180 for general entry, NT$150 for military, police, and student discounted tickets, NT$150 for those holding a valid public transport ticket stub from Hsinchu Station within two days or for groups of 20 or more, NT$120 for local residents, and NT$120 for presale tickets available before December 21. Presale tickets can be purchased starting November 28 at FamilyMart convenience stores via the FamiPort machines. All tickets allow for multiple-day entry to the five exhibition halls within the venue, as well as one visit to the zoo. Event website: 2012glass.hcccb.gov.tw/index.html.

 

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