Hsiang-Lin Kuo: Unromanticizing Mountains Through (un)Fashionable Mountain Tools

“Unromanticizing Mountains Through (un)Fashionable Mountain Tools” is a is a critical analysis on high-end mountain tools through the lens of fashion. The exploration transcends the traditional confines of mountain tools, drawing inspiration from the vernacular hiking culture in Taiwan. The research endeavors to deconstruct, or “unfashion”, the myths surrounding these hyper-objects. Simultaneously, (un)fashionable mountain tools serve as vessels for the narratives of Taiwanese mountain dwellers, bearing the imprints of the nation’s colonial history, thereby presenting alternative lens through which to view human-mountain relationships.

The publication consists of seven chapters in a spread of nine leaflets. When all pages are unfolded and assembled, it then reveals 1:1 pattern blocks for collection “Wearable Anecdotes, 2023”.