The Orange House

I got an email inviting me to exhibit my photos in a restaurant in Kaohsiung, so I stopped by the restaurant and talked to the owner, Marcus, about the exhibition.

According to Marcus, he started his first restaurant years ago in a basement of a hostel in Kaohsiung. The color of the walls were orange and why he named the restaurant the orange house. A few months ago, he relocated the restaurant to its current address, 121 Shihcyuan 2nd Rd, and painted the walls orange. Knowing his family originated from Holland, it makes perfect sense to me all the sudden that the appeal of orange to Marcus, even though he is a Canadian.

Not only a restaurant, the orange house is also an interesting combination of a hostel and a Dojo for Aikido, Yoga and Kung-Fu. The ambitious man blends his interest in Aikido into his businesses; a strategy of attracting people who have different interests to the same place.

The lighting and setting in the room makes the orange house a cozy restaurant. A fireplace DVD playing in one corner creates an illusion of warmth in the room. Black paper bands running across the center of the glass doors add a degree of mystery to the atmosphere by partially obstructing views; allowing those inside to be somewhat isolated from pedestrian distractions as only legs and feet are visible and conversly drawing the eye of passersby from the outside, a curiously inviting sense.

One thing I like the most about the restaurant is that the atmosphere changes everytime the theme of art exhibition changes. Currently, photos of my Mysterious and Mighty Street Dancer series are exhibited (photos below).

For more information, check on the restaurant website.