The Laboratory Workshop on “Material Culture and Community Formation: Experience of Objects through Sensory Perception” (June 22–27, 2020) was co-sponsored by the Institute of Modern History and the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, with National Dong Hwa University. Conceived during the disruptions of the pandemic, it sought to create new collaborative models that moved beyond Taipei-centered academic routines. By engaging with Hualien’s local industries and communities, the workshop highlighted the role of material culture in shaping social formations. Through intensive field research, hands-on participation, and interdisciplinary dialogue, scholars explored how sensory encounters with objects open new perspectives on history and globalization.