ARTISTS TALKING

# 66 [18 October 2007]

Military Museum

We went to the Military Museum today, over in the West of Beijing, easily accessible by the underground which is handy. I don’t tend to visit these places, although I do love a big museum with large displays. Jake can be interested up to a point, and it can be revealing to see how different countries display their military might, past and present. I think so far Vietnam has been the country with the least concern for the sensibilities of visitors, local or foreign. This museum was really a propaganda forum [aren’t they all?] to illustrate the great achievements of China [Zhong Guo]. Some of the painted backdrops are intriguing and are intended to place the machines in a specific context – see images. Quite effective really. There are also quite a few silk banners, which reminded me of the military nature of Garry’s work at Pickled Art Factory. These banners seem to be rewards to certain battalions for great achievements, as far as I could tell.

# 65 [16 October 2007]

Siri Hermansen at China Platform, Caochangdi

Cathy, Garry, Jake and I went over to Siri’s today. Siri [Siri Hermansen] is a Norwegian artist and is the current resident with China Platform. Xian Lei introduced us a few weeks ago, and we all get on well. Siri said she would show us around the Caochangdi area, as it can be very difficult to find the art galleries around there. She showed us Three Shadows Photography Centre [designed by Ai Wei Wei] which I had come across previously. Also Gallery Urs Meile which is one of the movers and shakers in Beijing and represents some major Chinese artists [no current exhibition unfortunately]. This gallery was also designed by Ai Wei Wei. Siri then took us to Universal Studios Beijing, which we would never have found ourselves and the show was Qiu Anxiong’s ‘Staring into Amnesia’. This was a very interesting work that showed spliced Chinese documentary and film with sound through the windows of an old [50s?] train carriage.

All these contemporary galleries, cavernous and impressive, suddenly appear out of a dustbowl of unsealed roads, digging and building work. Caochangdi is a small, poor village in NE Beijing yet is in the midst of huge change as the art scene moves in in a serious way. This of course will change the dynamic of the area, and Caochangdi will start to become highly desirable.

# 64 [16 October 2007]

More interviews Saturday morning

I conducted more interviews in Tuanjiehu Park this morning. It was rather cold and grey, and then started raining quite heavily, but the curiosity and warmth of the locals meant I completed another 15 or so. I also recorded some of the conversations and discussion that took place. A group of women were very enthusiastic, talked about the insects, and taught me some Chinese words. They all wanted a postcard [I hand out postcards of my work as a ‘thank you’. My name and website are on the back as a kind of legitimation of the enquiry.] Unfortunately the minidisk ran out of batteries at this stage so I did not capture any of this! Ah well, c’est la vie.

# 63 [15 October 2007]

Cathy and Garry’s opening at Pickled Art Centre, Bei Gao

Both Cathy and Garry have produced very interesting shows based on their experiences during the residency here in Beijing. They have made the work in an impressively short time. Both their practices respond primarily to the socio-political experiences of ordinary people at the hands of those in power.

Garry’s work looks at the banners that were used as a form of military organization by the Manchu leader Nurhachi from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty [1600s].

Cathy’s work responds to the street culture that she has observed around Tuanjiehu, where we live, and 798, the arts precinct. She has used t-shirts [worn by ordinary people out and about that incorporate the English language] as the basis of her enquiry. The work reveals how [predominantly] younger people are responding to the rapid and extensive changes that they [and China as a whole] are experiencing as capitalism gains a stronger grip on the country each day.

See Cathy's blog here on this site - Cathy Busby, Red Gate Gallery, Beijing

# 62 [15 October 2007]

Beijing Ancient Observatory

Further images

# 61 [15 October 2007]

Beijing Ancient Observatory

The Beijing ancient observatory was easy to get to on the subway – at Jianguomen. A lovely and surprisingly peaceful place to visit even though it is now surrounded by large freeways. It was particularly interesting to look at the sundials and gnomons below the observatory tower in the garden as I have done some installation work inspired by the movement of the earth around the sun when I first arrived in Australia. This was a very effective way to get some orientation in a different location and, specifically, hemisphere.

# 60 [11 October 2007]

209 shorts

A bit late to mention this really but one of the recordings I made at Shilihe insect market [Cricket Sale, Shilihe] will be broadcast on 209 Radio, Cambridge, UK between 30th September and 13th October. Radio 209 can be found on 105 FM and broadcasts full time to Cambridge City. This programme focuses on sound works made to a specific time of 2’09” and is curated by Kirsten Lavers. There are 14 works in this particular slot and they will be played between programmes throughout each day during that period.

# 59 [9 October 2007]

Incidentally

The temperature is significantly cooler now – a max of 19’ according to the papers and when the famous Beijing wind blows if feels much colder.

And

The fares on the Beijing subway have gone down in price! From 3 yuan to a flat fare of 2 yuan [which is about 35 cents AU or 10p]. This is a government incentive to encourage people to use public transport rather than drive cars. Car ownership is increasing apace here. I can’t believe other cities have not used this device to encourage public transport use. The two cities I know well – London and Melbourne – have never reduced fares.

# 58 [8 October 2007]

Sunday morning - Traditional Chinese Medicine

I went to the local doctors today and it was not just a medical experience but a cultural one! And local - it was just around the corner. Tuanjiehu has a great many resources. This particular centre was huge and obviously long-standing. It was richly painted in the traditional Chinese manner on both ceiling and walls, in a similar vein to the renovations of the temples and tombs around the city. Two marble statues of the fathers of Chinese medicine [I assume] flanked a stuffed peacock in the main area. A small wooden bridge traversed a pond full of goldfish and a woman was playing a traditional stringed instrument. It was very busy but I was shepherded carefully through the system by a helpful young assistant. About 10 assistants prepared the herbs for the medicines from two long walls of wooden drawers floor to ceiling. 6 assistants helped point patients in the right direction and several cashiers took money. Upstairs the doctors had their rooms where they could attend to about 6 patients at a time. There must have been about 10-12 doctors working this morning. My assistant took me up to see Dr Meng [pronounced Mung] who had some English. He suggested herbs and acupuncture. He was emphatic when assuring me about the sterility of the needles for acupuncture even though I had not queried this. The acupuncture lasted about 15 minutes. I took the option for the herbs to be boiled for me and each dose was packaged in one small sealed bag, two per day. I had to return to pick them up in the afternoon and they were still hot – and don’t taste too bad. I have had Chinese medicine in both Australia and the UK, and I am pleased to have finally had the treatment in its place of origin. Dr Meng suggested I return next Sunday morning for a follow up.

# 57 [8 October 2007]

20th Anniversary of the Beijing Cricket Tournament, Bao Guo Si Temple continued

The best singers according to Mr Feng and Mr Zhao

I managed to ask some information about the singing attributes of the crickets, and apparently the four best singers or chirping insects are the guo guo’er [gampsocleis gratiosa], the youhulu [gryllus mitratus or oily calabash], the jinzhong [trujalia family or golden bell -green- ] and also xi shuai. I must have got this last one wrong as this is the generic name for ‘cricket’ in Chinese.

Xi'an Cicada

Ai-Ping contacted me and said that the cicada from Xi’an is the common cryptotympana atrata once again.