KC CHIU
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Old Tides, 舊潮 (2020)
Magazine
Old Tides is a feature magazine I helped produce for a university course in magazine editing. Its Chinese title, 舊潮, brings together two seemingly contrasting ideas: the “old” and the “tide.” It suggests that the past does not remain still, but continues to flow through generations, leaving traces and reappearing in new forms.
Set against the backdrop of urban life and local culture in Taiwan, the magazine documents occupations, places, food traditions, and forms of entertainment that are gradually fading from public view. Its stories explore traditional barbershops, letterpress printing, neon-sign craftsmanship, old-fashioned dating spots, public housing estates, banquet and market food culture, fortune-telling customs, vinyl records, and classic Mandarin pop. Together, these everyday scenes reflect Taiwan’s social transformation while preserving memories shared across generations.
My responsibilities included writing, photography, art direction, and editorial design, allowing me to participate in the entire creative process—from gathering material to shaping its visual presentation. I used writing to bring out the interviewees’ stories, photography to capture traces of time embedded in Taiwan’s streets, people, and objects, and vivid colors, retro typography, collage compositions, and full-spread images to establish the magazine’s visual identity.
Rather than simply looking back with nostalgia, Old Tides offers a renewed examination of Taiwan’s urban culture, the passage of time, and collective memory. As cities and ways of life continue to change, I hope the magazine preserves the presence of things that have not yet disappeared—and invites readers to see how tradition continues to flow and evolve in contemporary Taiwan.
Set against the backdrop of urban life and local culture in Taiwan, the magazine documents occupations, places, food traditions, and forms of entertainment that are gradually fading from public view. Its stories explore traditional barbershops, letterpress printing, neon-sign craftsmanship, old-fashioned dating spots, public housing estates, banquet and market food culture, fortune-telling customs, vinyl records, and classic Mandarin pop. Together, these everyday scenes reflect Taiwan’s social transformation while preserving memories shared across generations.
My responsibilities included writing, photography, art direction, and editorial design, allowing me to participate in the entire creative process—from gathering material to shaping its visual presentation. I used writing to bring out the interviewees’ stories, photography to capture traces of time embedded in Taiwan’s streets, people, and objects, and vivid colors, retro typography, collage compositions, and full-spread images to establish the magazine’s visual identity.
Rather than simply looking back with nostalgia, Old Tides offers a renewed examination of Taiwan’s urban culture, the passage of time, and collective memory. As cities and ways of life continue to change, I hope the magazine preserves the presence of things that have not yet disappeared—and invites readers to see how tradition continues to flow and evolve in contemporary Taiwan.
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