Application of STEEP and Interpretive Structural Modeling in the Design Imagery of Taiwan Public Ceramic Relief Murals

Abstract

Ceramic relief mural is a contemporary landscape art that is carefully designed based on human nature, culture, and architectural wall space, combined with social customs, visual sensibility, and art. It may also become the main axis of ceramic art in the future. Taiwan public ceramic relief murals (PCRM) are most distinctive with the PCRM pioneered by Pan-Hsiung Chu of Meinong Kiln in 1987. In addition to breaking through the limitations of traditional public ceramic murals, Chu leveraged local culture and sensibility. The theme of art gives PCRM its unique style and innovative value throughout the Taiwan region. This study mainly analyzes and understands the design image of public ceramic murals, taking Taiwan PCRM’s design and creation as the scope, and applies STEEP analysis, that is, the social, technological, economic, ecological, and political-legal environments are analyzed as core factors; eight main important factors in the artistic design image of ceramic murals are evaluated. Then, interpretive structural modeling (ISM) is used to establish five levels, analyze the four main problems in the main core factor area and the four main target results in the affected factor area; and analyze the problem points and target points as well as their causal relationships. It is expected to sort out the relationship between these factors, obtain the hierarchical relationship of each factor, and provide a reference basis and research methods.