Hello! I’m Yen-An Chen, the creative director and founder of Atelier YenAn in Taiwan. Atelier YenAn is a studio specializing in design, video production, and curation. As our Chinese name “沿岸制作” (meaning “Coastal Studio”) suggests, our creative work is fluid and ever-evolving, much like the sea—embracing change and inviting new possibilities. We always focus on origins and stories, seeking to explore the essence of things and asking fundamental questions about everyday life. Through deep research in culture and storytelling, we refine creativity and share a vision for the future in collaboration with communities.

Representative Project Introduction

Tafalong is one of the largest communities of the Pangcah (Amis) people, an Indigenous group in Taiwan. Rooted in ancestral myths, the tribe has evolved over generations, shaped by cultural shifts and historical challenges. In 2023, Atelier YenAn had the honor of closely collaborating with the Tafalong community to curate their very first exhibition at a local cultural museum. This exhibition invites visitors to explore the boundaries between reality and imagination by weaving together mythology, oral histories, and cultural artifacts passed down through generations. It tells the story of how Taiwan’s ancestors survived the forces of nature and how they transformed their identity and traditions through periods of turmoil.

The most challenging aspect of this project was earning trust. As a non-Indigenous team, we had to deeply consider how to respectfully represent the wisdom and heritage of a culture not our own. We spent extensive time conducting fieldwork and interviews, which eventually led to meaningful friendships and a successful, community-approved exhibition.

One particularly unforgettable moment occurred when an elder, during an early interview, teared up and asked, “Why are outsiders leading our tribe’s first exhibition?” It was a difficult question—one that underscored the community’s pain and skepticism. But through consistent engagement and genuine effort, we gradually gained their trust. Two years later, we were invited back to help update the exhibition, a testament to the mutual respect that had developed. This project reminded us daily of a powerful truth: “Respect and trust are not given—they are earned.” Though the exhibition has concluded, our bond with the Tafalong community endures. We continue to visit regularly, learning from elders, harvesting wild plants, and deepening our understanding of their heritage. What started as a project has become a lifelong friendship, and perhaps, a small part of the Tafalong legacy.

Why Are Culture and Storytelling So Central to Atelier YenAn’s Design Philosophy?

Design today touches nearly every aspect of our lives, and its definition has expanded accordingly. At Atelier YenAn, we view design as a tool for reinterpreting value—a means to uncover the hidden significance embedded in daily life and transform it into meaningful narratives. This mission shapes our approach to every project, where we intentionally consider how messages are conveyed. Whether through design, film production, or exhibition curation, storytelling becomes the bridge that links concept to audience. It brings depth to design and enhances the overall experience by embedding it within a cultural and narrative context.

What Happens When Storytelling Is Seamlessly Integrated into Design?

In the Tafalong Exhibition, we created a large sloped platform shaped like a staircase, positioned alongside historical artifacts. This slope symbolized the tribe’s myth of migration, where ancestors moved uphill to escape flooding. By grounding the exhibit in this cultural narrative, each artifact transformed from a static object into a part of a journey, inviting visitors to become active participants in the story. The slope also doubled as a communal space—a venue for talks and workshops led by the tribe. This spatial design reflects our belief that culture is not only passed down through heritage, but also through dialogue and shared experience. In this way, storytelling doesn’t just illustrate the past; it breathes life into culture, making it vivid, present, and participatory through the medium of design.

Are You Currently Working on Any Particularly Exciting Projects?

At Atelier YenAn, our work spans a wide range of fields, all grounded in a narrative-driven approach. For every project, we focus on how to apply design thinking to generate innovative and adaptable results across different mediums. One of our core strengths is our ability to transition fluidly between disciplines, drawing inspiration from the process itself. Right now, we’re developing a self-initiated project titled “p.n.g.” This initiative centers on translating complex issues and knowledge into accessible content for the public. Each edition focuses on a specific theme, and we collaborate with experts to present the topic through design methods that resonate emotionally and intellectually with audiences.

Our first theme explores Taiwan’s signage culture, tracing how the visual landscape of city streets has been shaped over time. Through this lens, we investigate how everyday visuals reflect deeper social and cultural structures. Ultimately, p.n.g. aims to reframe the value of ordinary life and deliver meaningful messages using approachable formats. We view this project as a form of social design experimentation, and it’s poised to become a major area of focus for our studio moving forward.