My memory of this vibrant neighborhood of Tainan revolved around the pleasing smile of Emily—the EVA Air manager who traveled with our small media group to Taiwan. Mirroring the captivating cobalt art installations at Blueprint Culture and Creative Park, her stares rapid-fired into me with invisible arrows, arresting my full attention. To save myself from (an expected) heartbreak, I remembered ignoring her as we crossed the street by focusing my eyes on the vibrant wall paintings adorning the side of the buildings nearby.
Art Imitates Life: Wandering Through Tainan's Blueprint Culture and Creative Park
Said to be inspired by the art scene thriving in nearby Kaohsiung, the ones there in Tainan instantly aroused fascination with street visuals—ranging from neat lines to sketches depicting everyday life—all in flamboyant magnificence. A minute into our exploration, I already saw comparisons with the street art culture of Penang, Malaysia.
Blueprint for Creativity
First opened in 2015, the present site of Blueprint Culture and Creative Park was once a block swarming with abandoned houses. Pulling inspiration from the technical drawing method of blueprint design, each home was restored beautifully to its current appearance—most of which now operate as souvenir shops and quaint cafes.
This part of Tainan’s neighborhood, known as the Old Judiciary Dormitory (where employees of the Tainan prison used to reside), now takes a different form, highlighted by kaleidoscopic lines, animated patterns, and interactive paintings. Nestled amidst a bustling commercial district, the brightly painted small establishments fringed with equally colorful wall murals expand across a couple of blocks. Most of the artworks are easily visible, while others remain hidden in plain sight—so it is better to be on the lookout behind every plant box, roof, and wall.
“There, let me take a photograph of you,” I always commanded Emily, as the sight of her behind my camera lens did not betray her prettiness as seen with the naked eye. She would let out a small protest but would eventually pose with a simple flair that would still put a lot of those ‘Instagrammer models’ to shame. I could only imagine what it was like exploring the world with her.
Symmetrical Charm Attack
The bare house standing at the entrance of the park is turned into an eye-candy attraction by the three-dimensional white lines that create an illusion of additional space inside the ruined structure. At first glance, it quickly summons a symmetry of a room leading to a parallel world, as the lines interact with several furniture installations.
As the various architectural lines played tricks with the mind by creating optical impressions, Emily’s charm attack remained true to form—captivating and a magnet for fondness—which I tried to dodge to no avail. I once again tried to concentrate my mind on the beautiful art around me rather than the beautiful soul nearby.
Despite being confined to a smaller place compared to that of Penang’s, Tainan’s street art culture shows a lot of promise as it slowly expands to other neighborhoods.
It took us more than an hour exploring every corner of the park and looking for unique finds inside the numerous independent shops. It also took me half of that time to be further enamored by Emily—especially each time she would look at the camera with that lovely smirk of hers.
Come nighttime, the park takes on a different, groovy appearance as the lights create a more stunning 3D effect for every mural painting. Similarly, my keenness for Emily moved up a few notches, but I desperately remained at the friendship level—something I wished I had nurtured and not lost my grip on.
As they say, life imitates art—in this case, it was art appearing as majestic as life. Even if it was only for a fleeting moment.
