Pai Yun Elementary School...

Hiya!!!
Earlier this week I was teaching part of my current Samba Band workshop group at Pai Yun Elementary School. After the parents worked on cutting out the pattern pieces and started sewing up the outfits, their kids are now working on the details which includes plastic flowers and sparkly petals! So I was hanging out at the school...the hallways reminded me of 'Heartbreak High' only without Drazic and the crew.... Drazic was such a dude... Anyway that's what has been happening....here's some photos...


Love and Sparkles
Emma xxxx

Workshops Akimbo and Branching Out...

Hiya from Taiwan!
So It's been a super intense past couple of weeks since I arrived in Taiwan....There was a whole load of prep work and deadlines prior to the fashion workshops kicking off and now we are working towards the end of the project and the catwalk presentation this coming weekend.
The theme of my workshops was to tie in with the upcoming lantern festival here in Taiwan so everyone is working on 'wearable lanterns'. I'm working with around 10 different groups ranging from a local storytelling collective, to Dream Community staff and residents here at the complex. The attendees have a whole bunch of themes going on including Egyptians, Year of the Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland, Strawberry Season, Recycling and of course Lady Gaga!
I've been putting some mammoth hours in at the studio and I've been riding out being ill for the past week so not too much juicy gossip...but a couple of days ago I got to make my first venture out sightseeing...so here are some pictures from my grand day out... Bit of a whistlestop tour as it was pissing it down with rain and exhaustion was totally kicking in...but I hit up the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, the Ximending area (which was AWESOME!), the mega tall 101 Building...a bunch of temples... Taipei City Hall....tra la la...

So there you have it...that's what has been rolling this past couple of weeks here in Taiwan!!!
Love and Sparkles,
Emma
xxx

Hello from 'Dream Community' Taiwan!

Oooh Hiya....from Taiwan!!!
So I touched down in Taipei last Friday....I LOVE IT!!!! I arrived at the 'Dream Community' which is a Culture and Education Development Foundation where I will be based in my studio working on a string of projects for a while! I'm living in an apartment onsite, just seconds away from the studio and there's a whole bunch of stuff on the complex; cafe, bakery, theatre, exhibition space, garden terrace, workshops...a goat!!! So it's a really awesome place to be located at for a while and to create some new pieces! The foundation runs a whole programme of events from carnival parades, samba drum extravaganzas, lantern festival stuff, community orientated workshops and events....basically a load of fun and colourful stuff!
The first leg of my project kicks off at the weekend with a stint of fashion and textile workshops that I will be directing which, I'm super excited about! We have a bunch of proper sparkly fabrics at the ready and I'll be guiding a few different groups of people in designing and making various stage costumes and outfits!
Anyway...here are a couple of pictures of my new workspace....you will see it comes with a crew in Brazilian carnival attire to keep me company...AMAZINGGGG!!! Oh and this green monster thing that looks me right in the eye while I'm sewing and stuff! I've been a bit slow on the photo front as I haven't branched too far yet...just shopping of course!

ooohh ice cream flavour Oreos!!! YESSS PLEASEEE!!And they're purple inside!
Anyway lunchtime calls!!!!!
Love Emma xxxx