主編語

Abstract

Time, as the structural basis of history, is the essential element in the construction of traditions. As the emerging global dimension identified by the French cultural theorist Paul Virilio in the late 1990s; all events will converge
on speed and real time, and space-time, with space-time being defined and replaced by a singular present. How will the traditions of art and architecture, which are anchored in the spatial dimension, respond to the challenges of this historical situation, which is perhaps the starting point for multiple possibilities of forging non-traditional paths?

The dialectic between tradition and non-tradition has always been seen as a crucial force and cornerstone in driving and reshaping social development. The complexity, however, lies in the fact that tradition is not immutable, and non-tradition is not purely opposed to tradition. In fact, there are multiple dialectical and dynamic relationships between them, and they continue to expand their semantic meaning through artistic practices and actions. In architecture, the proposition of tradition and non-tradition is not only limited to style and form, but also involves an unexplored potential relationship between subject and object, which in turn provides future images and messages for our society, environment, and cultural direction. The research on Taiwan's post-war to contemporary architecture is concerned with how to face the process of self-explanatory construction and reconstruction among different cultural individuals and groups, as a way to reflect on the traditional and nontraditional cognitive frameworks, and the possible actions for their expansion.

The theme of this issue is "Tradition as a Dialectical Action: Non-Traditional Narratives in Taiwanese Architecture from Post-war to Contemporary Times." It highlights the fruitful outcomes of the "Tradition and Non-Tradition" forum on post-war Taiwanese architecture, held at the Taipei Museum of Fine Arts from March 11-12, which underscored the growing recognition and anticipation in the field of post-war Taiwanese architectural research. Among the six articles included in this issue, Liang-Ping YEN, in "Atelier Zo in Yilan: the Regionality of Tradition from the Other," examines the design theories of Japanese scholar Takamasa Yoshizaka and his disciple architects who were deeply influenced by his theories, using the two architectural works of the Elephant Group in Yilan as examples. Impressively, Yen presents a nuanced academic view that the term "regional" in "regional traditions" should be understood as multiple "regions" created by geographical and cultural concepts, distinct from Western "regionalism" or "critical regionalism." The article "The Construction of Knowledge Subjectivity in Contemporary Architectural Education in Taiwan" by Li-Wen SUNG takes the current development of increasingly diversified digital knowledge and skills as a starting point for the current reality of architectural education. Faced with the paradigm shift in the subjectivity of architectural education, Song proposes that the integration of the originally separated technology and humanities into a single pedagogy and concept will meet the need for knowledge subjectivity of architectural education in Taiwan in the future. Shao-Yu HUANG's article "Translation Action in the Third Space: A Preliminary Study of Emerging Architectural Discourses in Professional Publications in Twenty-First Century Taiwan" investigates how professional publications in Taiwan generate architectural criticism through editorial approaches. The discussion of the 'third space' perspective within the article offers significant academic insights and research directions for contemporary studies of Taiwanese architectural culture. In Ning TSAI's "Transplantation and Transformation of Modernity: On Chen Chi-Kwan's Thin Shell Architecture and Imagery Landscape Painting," Chen Chi-Kwan's architectural designs and his paintings are mutually focused and serve as a basis for understanding the commonalities between modern architecture and modern painting. Moreover, the article offers an in-depth and comprehensive exploration of how Chen Chi-Kwan has internalized Western artistic discourse into a coherent creative perspective, which is evident in both his architectural and painting works. In Tshinn-Hun LIU's article "The Formation and Critique of “Draughtsman”: Self-Imagination and Self-Identity of Post-World War II Taiwan Architects," there is a thorough examination of postwar Taiwanese architectural magazines. The aim is to explore the evolution of the architectural system in post-war Taiwan, and to articulate the impact of architects' pursuit of professional identity and self-imagination on the shaping of the professional system. This critical perspective offers an innovative approach to the research topic.

As for the sixth paper in this issue, the "General Essay" section, Yi SU's article "Benjamin, Rancière, Groys on 'The Decline of the Aura'" is a surprising contribution. Although this topic is not within my field of expertise, it can be read in many ways. The article reveals many aspects that can contribute significantly to the study of architectural aesthetics. This article is a great addition to the diversity of this issue.