TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BE USEFUL Hybrid Artifacts Workshop

Welcome & Introduction (10 min)

Hosts: Pin-Yu Wu (Artist) & Alice Luo (Curator) Brief introduction to the workshop concept and the origins of 'Hairmet'—an artifact born from Taiwan's patriarchal society where women are expected to be both beautiful and useful, yet beauty itself becomes a liability. Participants will be invited to share their preferred names and pronouns. Housekeeping: Photography consent, artwork usage rights, and health & safety.

Cultural Mapping & Dialogue (40 min)

Facilitators: Pin-Yu Wu & Alice Luo Part 1: Mapping Gender Expectations (20 min) Using a large world map and gender stereotype tags, participants will locate their own cultural backgrounds or cultures that have influenced their gendered experiences. Through informal dialogue, we'll collectively map how gender operates differently across geographies. Prompts may include: marriage customs, domestic labour expectations, professional dress codes, religious practices, legal restrictions, beauty standards, and bodily autonomy. Each participant will add tags to the map, creating a visual archive of how gender norms circulate globally—moving beyond Euro-American feminist frameworks. Part 2: Library Exploration (20 min) Participants will browse a curated selection of feminist texts, cultural studies, and visual culture books. Each person will select one resource that resonates with their experience and share a brief reflection with the group.

Making Hybrid Artifacts (45 min)

Led by: Pin-Yu Wu Part 1: Reflection Worksheet (10 min) Participants receive a two-part worksheet: "What gender expectations are placed on you?" "Who do you want to become?" Using insights from the mapping session, participants will document the tensions between external expectations and internal desires. Part 2: Object Translation (10 min) Translate these tensions into objects. For example: Helmet = usefulness, protection, professionalism Wig = beauty, femininity, aesthetic labour Identify two conflicting objects that represent your experience—ideally objects that could physically combine (e.g., both worn on the body, both held in hands). Part 3: Sculpting & Making (25 min) Using air-dry clay and sculpting tools, participants will create their own hybrid artifacts—wearable sculptures or hand-held objects that embody the contradictions they've identified. No artistic experience necessary. The process prioritises concept over craft.