Monthly Archives: April 2016

Treasure Hill Artist Village

April 15, 2016 2016年4月15日

Nestled in Taipei’s Gonguan district is an elevated patch of old houses known as Treasure Hill Artist Village. This used to be a military dependent village, much like the Rainbow Village in Taichung, but aside from being the home for many KMT military veterans in the past, it also served as a strategic location for anti-aircraft monitoring. By the 1960s and 1970s, this area was regarded as nothing more than a sprawl of illegal makeshift housing arrangements that were deteriorating into increasingly worse conditions. The name comes from Treasure Hill Temple, a historical and cultural landmark that lies at the very center of the houses. After renovations were completed in 2010, the houses that were previously deemed unsightly became a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.

寶藏巖國際藝術村位於台北公館，是一處蓋在坡地上的老舊房舍。這裡曾是眷村，一如台中的彩虹眷村，不過除了是許多國民黨老兵的家以外，這裡也曾是戰略防空位置。在六零和七零年代，這一區僅被視為違建的臨時住宅，而且居住條件不斷惡化。寶藏巖取名自寶藏巖寺，一個藏匿於這個屋落中的歷史文化地標。在2010年整修完成後，先前被認為不雅觀的房舍業已成為本地人及遊客喜愛的熱門景點。

Treasure Hill Artist Village was the result of a collaborative effort between the Taipei City Government and the Global Artivists Participation Project. The whole approach to the renovation process is known as urban acupuncture, a theory that treats cities like they were living and breathing creatures. Traditional acupuncture treatment involves inserting sharp needles into different parts of a patient’s body; these key insertion points are known as meridian points. This socio-environmental theory does the same, in that it restores an area as a whole through a process of pinpointing vital sections in need of repair.

寶藏巖國際藝術村是台北市政府與全球藝術行動者參與實驗計畫共同合作的成果。這類型整修屬於都市針灸的一種，也就是將城市視為有呼吸心跳的有機體。傳統針灸療法會將尖銳的針頭插入病患身體的各個部位，主要插入所謂的經絡穴位，而都市針灸這個社會環境理論也是同樣的道理，它指出需要修復的重點部位，藉此將這個區域回歸為原本的面貌。

The municipal government commissioned Finnish architect Marco Casagrande to renovate the village. Marco humbly admits, “I had to do nothing, it was already there. What I did was construct the wooden stairways and connections between the destroyed houses, and some shelters for the old residents to play mahjong and ping-pong.” He considers Treasure Hill to be the attic of Taipei, and a vessel that carries the many memories, stories, and traditions of the past generations of Taiwanese people. “In some ways, it is a reflection of the Taipei mind that the industrial city is not able to reflect.”

市政府委託芬蘭建築師Marco Casagrand來進行村落整修，Marco謙虛地說：「我不必做什麼，它本來就在那裡了，我不過是蓋了木造階梯來連接毀壞的房舍，還有搭了幾個棚子，讓當地居民可以打麻將或玩乒乓球。」Marco認為寶藏巖是台北的閣樓，不僅承載了回憶與故事，還有台灣人老一輩的傳統，「某種程度上，它呈現了工業化城市無法表現的台北思維。」

Granite pathways and stone staircases cut and wind through the village, leading visitors to small cafés, various art installations, and beautiful vantage points of New Taipei City. Many of the old houses have been transformed into hostel rooms and even housing for artist residencies. Exhibitions and talks are also regularly held in the various gallery spaces in the village. A mix of international and local artists have been granted residencies over the years, including embroidery artists, filmmakers, choreographers, and so on. The long list of the many types of artists who have graced the village in the past is near endless. The art installations that exist in the village are constantly rotating, and different types of artwork can be found throughout the village – from a mural by the famous Taiwanese street artist Candy Bird, to large-scale interactive fortune cookies created by the Taiwanese architect Kung Shu-Chang.

花崗岩步道和石階蜿蜒地穿過整個村落，指引訪客前往小咖啡館、各種裝置藝術，以及眺望新北市的絕佳觀景點。許多老房舍被改造為民宿，或給申請駐點的藝術家作為住所。村裡的各種展覽空間也會定期舉辦展覽及講座。過去幾年來，已有多位國際藝術家與本地藝術家在此駐點：包括刺繡藝術家、導演、舞蹈編導等，清單囊括了各種數不完的藝術領域，讓村裡蓬蓽生輝。村裡的裝置藝術也時常調換，到處都能找到不同類型的藝術品：有台灣知名街頭藝術家Candy Bird的壁畫，也有台灣建築師龔書章所創作的大型互動式幸運餅乾。

Despite the changes made to the village and the large influx of visitors, many of the old residents are still happily living here. Some have been moved to better houses that are located elsewhere on the premises, but red plaques erected on their new homes proudly display short introductions about where the resident came from before arriving in Taiwan. The brief write-ups include their personal histories and also the addresses of their original residences in the village. To ensure the quality of living conditions in the village, Treasure Hill has also set visitor hours to prevent disturbances to the long-term residents.

儘管村落整修，遊客大肆湧入，許多當地居民仍安居此處。有些人已經搬到此處其他更好的房子，但掛在他們新家的紅匾額上仍有一段關於祖籍地的簡短介紹、一段關於自己的歷史故事，以及原本在村裡的住址。為了保障長居居民的生活環境，寶藏巖設有訪客時間，以免對居民造成干擾。

The government’s emphasis on recognizing and celebrating the past, as well as the lives of the residents, is quite clear. The old post office of the village is still in operation – and the Treasure Hill Tangerine Store, a traditional convenience store, has been reopened in recent years. This store is reminiscent of life in rural Taiwan and is stocked with many nostalgic foods, snacks, and toys from the past.

明顯可見政府對於認同並慶祝居民過去生活方式的重視。村裡的老郵局仍在營業；寶村柑仔店，也就是傳統的便利商店，也在近年重新開張。柑仔店讓人想起台灣的鄉村生活，裡面有許多令人懷念的舊式食物、點心和玩具。

In the daytime, there is undoubtedly more going on in the village, but as night descends on this artistic haven, there is also a certain sense of calm that comes with it. Many of the visitors will have already dispersed, leaving the streets empty and quiet. The criss-crossing interstate highways of New Taipei City can be seen in the distance, and the hectic hustle and bustle of the Gonguan night market is close by, but feels like it is worlds away. This is the perfect time to slip into one of the many homely cafés that are scattered throughout the village and relax for a bit before heading back into the busy city. So the next time you find yourself in Taipei, be sure to make some time in your schedule and swing by Treasure Hill for an afternoon – you won’t regret it!

白晝時分，村子裡自然頗為熙攘，但之後夜幕降臨，也為這個藝術天堂帶來一抹平靜。此時，遊客多已散去，街道顯得冷清空蕩。遠可眺新北市的棋盤式道路；近可聞公館夜市的陣陣喧闹，卻又相隔九重天。村裡隨處能找到溫馨的咖啡館，此時正是鑽進其中一間、在返回忙碌的城市之前稍作休息的好時機。下次您拜訪台北時，不妨撥空來寶藏巖參觀一下午，絕對不虛此行。

Address:
No. 2, Alley 14, Ln. 230 Dingzhou Rd. Sec. 3,
Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Taiwan

Hours:
10:00 ~ 20:00
Closed Mondays

 

Website: artistvillage.org
Facebook: ~/TreasureHillArtistVillage

地址：
台灣
台北市中正區
汀州路三段230巷14弄2號

營業時間：
10:00 ～ 20:00
週一定休

 

網站：artistvillage.org
臉書：～／寶藏嚴國際藝術村

Contributor & Photographer: David Yen

供稿人與攝影師：David Yen

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Memories & Dreams

April 14, 2016 2016年4月14日

Visual artist Saka Matsushita was born in Nagasaki, Japan, like both her parents, but grew up in Canada. Her artwork often explores her own personal identity and abstract narratives about memories. When she was 16, Saka randomly found a book in a school library about Victorian garment patterns. They fascinated her so much that this later inspired her to study Fashion Design at Ryerson University in Toronto. After her first year there, she decided that her true passion was in period costume, so she moved to London to study Costume at Wimbledon College of Art. After receiving a BA Hons in Costume Interpretation, Saka went on to get training at the Motley Theatre Design Course, a small independent post-graduate school run by professionals from the theatre industry.

松下沙花は、両親と同じく長崎生まれながら、カナダ育ちのビジュアルアーチストです。 その作品には自分のアイデンティティや、記憶にまつわる抽象的な物語を追求するも のが多くあります。16 歳の時に、学校の図書館でビクトリア時代の衣装の型紙に関す る本を偶然見つけます。その内容に魅了され、後にトロントのライアソン大学でファッ ションデザインを専攻するきっかけとなります。同大学で 1 年が過ぎた頃、本当に手掛 けたいものが時代物の衣装だと気づき、ロンドンのウィンブルドン・カレッジ・オブ・ア ートで衣装を学ぶようになります。衣装解釈で文学士(優等学位)を取得した後は、演 劇界のプロが運営する小規模な私立大学院のモトリーシアターデザインコースに進 みます。

For Saka, this was an exciting time in her life. She was just an 18 year old girl who had never travelled to Europe before and didn’t know anyone in London. Still for some reason, she thought the city was calling for her, and so she packed up her life and moved there. Saka says, “It was probably the best decision (that I could have made then). I would be a different person if I had never lived there. London was inspiring. It was full of colours, people who were driven, and every day for me was exciting.” She has since moved back to Tokyo and even though she now loves the place, at the time she felt completely lost. “I absolutely had no idea what I wanted to do anymore,” Saka tells us, “And then I started drawing every day. This daily routine turned into daily stress relief, and now it’s turned into a career path.”

これは、これまでの人生の中で一番胸を躍らせる時期となりました。当時はヨーロッ パに足を運んだこともない 18 歳で、ロンドンには知り合いもいませんでした。それにも 関わらず、なぜかその街に惹かれるものを感じ、人生をひっくり返すかのように移り住 んだのです。「あれは、おそらく(今までの中で)最良の決断だったでしょう。もしロンド ンで暮らすことがなければ、今の自分はなかったと思います。ロンドンは刺激を与え てくれる街でした。多種多様な色や何かに駆られるような人々であふれ、とても刺激 的な毎日でした」と言います。その後は東京に戻り、現在の住まいを気に入ってはい るものの、同時に戸惑いを感じるようになりました。「自分が何をしたいのかまるで分 からなくなったのです。そこで、毎日絵を描き始めるようになりました。この毎日の習 慣がストレスを和らげ、進路を切り開くきっかけになったのです」。

“Drawing was something I have always done, but more as a tool to communicate ideas rather than present it as a work of art,” Saka says. For her, the essential ideas of costume design and drawing are the same. “Many people think costume design is just like fashion styling, but it isn’t. It is thinking and imagining the life and story of a person. Of course it begins from very simple questions such as ‘where would this person shop’ or ‘what would she wear at night?’ – but when you really start to feel the characters, you start to think about their whole life and it was as if I was writing mini-stories about them that were not written in the script,” Saka explains. This thinking process is her favourite part of costume design, and for her, drawing is exactly the same thing.

「ずっとドローイングをしてきましたが、これは作品として発表するよりも、アイデアを伝 えるための手段だったのです」と言います。彼女は、衣装のデザインやドローイングの 本質的なアイデアを同じものとして捉えています。「衣装をデザインすることは、ファッ ションスタイリングと同じように捉える人も多いのですが、そうではありません。実際に は、一人の人間の人生と物語を考え、想像することです。『この人はどこで買い物をす るのだろう?』、『この女性は夜にどのような服を身につけるのだろう?』など、ごく単 純な質問が作品作りの第一歩となることは言うまでもありません。ただ、特徴を感じ始 めるようになるとその人物の一生涯を考えるようになり、それはあたかも脚本にはな い、その人物の短い物語を書いているかのような気分になります」と解説します。この 思考プロセスは、衣装をデザインする時の最も好きな点であり、まさにドローイングに 当てはまります。

These days, Saka mostly does drawings and illustrations. She uses monoprint the majority of the time, but in terms of the medium, it is varied. Her daily drawings are usually monotone monoprints, but Saka also has made a range of coloured works using the monoprint technique. It is difficult to describe all the details of her technique, but basically she makes an ink board, usually using black or navy ink. She then scratches the ink onto paper using colour pencils. In the process, Saka intentionally moves the paper to get different textures. Her work actually always has two sides: the colourful side, and the side with monotone ink only.

最近は、主にドローイングとイラストを手掛けています。ほとんどの場合にモノプリント を使いますが、素材は様々です。日々制作するドローイングにはモノトーンのモノプリントがよく見られますが、モノプリントの技巧を駆使した一連の色彩作品 も制作しています。技巧の全てを詳しく説明するのは簡単ではありませんが、基本は 黒や紺色のインクを使った墨板を作ることです。そこから、色鉛筆を使って紙の上にイ ンクを掻き出します。このプロセスでは、紙を意図的に移動させることで様々なテクス チャを表します。こうして作品は常に色鮮やかな一面と、モノトーンのインクのみを使 った二面性を持つようになります。

The main underlying theme of her drawings is memories. “I am very interested in memories and dreams,” Saka explains, “I am fascinated by how each individual processes and restores memories and what triggers them to remember those.” Her drawings tend to have narratives. In a way, she even makes a loose script and storyboard before she draws. The original ideas behind these stories come not just from her own personal experiences, but also from stories that friends tell her, from something she overhears on the radio, or even from a line of text she found in a book. It is not a full proper script – more like scribbles of words or just a few lines of quotes. Saka typically names her work after extracts from these writings.

ドローイングの根本的なテーマは『記憶』です。「記憶や夢にとても興味があります。 一人一人の人間が記憶を整理して取り戻す経緯や、記憶を呼び戻すきっかけとなる ものに興味を掻き立てられます」と解説します。ドローイングには物語性がよく見られ ます。見方によっては、絵を描き始める前に大まかな脚本や絵コンテさえも作ります。 これらの物語の背後にあるオリジナルのアイデアは、単に個人的な経験からだけで はなく、友人から聞いた話やラジオで耳にした話、さらには、本の一節から生まれたも のもあります。正確には完全な脚本を作るというわけではなく、むしろ言葉の走り書き や数行の引用文であったりもします。作品名は、これらのスクリプトから抜粋したもの がよく付けられています。

Saka admits, “I hate to be that person – you know ‘the Asian artist who grew up abroad who is searching for her identity and draws about it’, but it really is a huge part of my practice especially after I moved back to Japan.” In fact, she has been working on one piece ever since 2012 about that subject. The project is still a work in progress, so Saka doesn’t want to give away too many details. What she can reveal though is that it is a 3D art piece about her identity. Aside from this, Saka also hopes to do a show abroad soon, wants to illustrate a novel and some poetry, and simply to continue drawing.

「海外で育ち、自分のアイデンティティを探し求めてそれを絵にするアジアンアーチス トと思われるのが嫌です。ただ、実はこれこそが、特に日本に戻ってから実践内容の 大部分を占めています」と認めています。実際、2012 年以降はこれをテーマにした一 つの作品に取り組んでいます。この作品は現在も制作中のため、その詳しい内容に ついてはあまり明かそうとはしません。ただ、自分のアイデンティティを表す 3D 型のア ート作品になることは明かされています。それとは別に、現在の目標としては近々海 外で展覧会を開催したり、小説や詩集のイラストを手掛けたり、今後もドローイングを 続けていくことです。

Website: sakamatsushita.com
Facebook: ~/SakaMatsushita.ART
Tumblr: sakamatsushita.tumblr.com
Instagram: @sakamat

 

Contributor: Leon Yan
Photographer: James Oliver

ウェブサイト: sakamatsushita.com
Facebook: ~/SakaMatsushita.ART
Tumblr: sakamatsushita.tumblr.com
Instagram: @sakamat

 

寄稿者: Leon Yan
フォトグラファー: James Oliver

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SHAO’s Abstract Soundscapes

April 13, 2016 2016年4月13日

Previously known under the moniker Dead J, Shao Yan Peng now performs and produces simply under the name SHAO. He is an electronic musician, sound designer, and a prominent figurehead in China’s contemporary electronic music scene. SHAO expresses himself through his music, almost as naturally as the way people express emotions. Through his intricately crafted soundscapes, he forms a sense of space, communicates his state of mind, and reveals the complexities of structure in sound. His minimalist production approach explores the abstract and psychedelic aspects of electronic music.

SHAO，即邵彦棚，先前以Dead J之名为人所知，是一名电子音乐人，声音设计师，也是中国电子乐当下最重要的面孔之一。相对于人类正常的喜怒哀乐，他更倾向于在音乐中表达一种空间、一种状态和一种结构。他用极简的表现方式探索着电子音乐中的抽象和迷幻。

Listen to SHAO’s newest EP Doppler Shift Pt. 1  below:

SHAO – A. Sensi

SHAO – B. Reflection Pt. 2

SHAO – Digital. Reflection Pt. 1

欢迎试听《Doppler Shift Pt.1》曲目:

SHAO – A. Sensi

SHAO – B. Reflection Pt. 2

SHAO – Digital. Reflection Pt. 1

SHAO’s unique sounds eventually attracted the attention of the legendary and world renowned, German electronic music label Tresor Records. This famous label has worked with Robert Hood, Blake Baxter, Surgeon, Juan Atkins, Terrence Dixon and Jeff Mills – whom many consider to be pioneers of techno music. The label’s own nightclub, Tresor Club in Berlin, is also widely regarded as a mecca of electronic music by techno fans. The stringent industry standards and sense of acoustic aesthetics Tresor Records works by has set the tone for the quality of the musicians and released works under the label.

这种探索下的独特作品也吸引了德国Tresor Records的注意。这是一个是享誉世界的传奇性电子厂牌，Techno音乐鼻祖 Jeff Mills、Robert Hood，以及Blake Baxter、Surgeon、Juan Atkins、Terrence Dixon等，都曾在其旗下发行作品，位于柏林的Tresor Club更是被techno乐迷奉为圣地。同时，Tresor Records也以极其严苛的工业标准和审美，对待所有烙上Tresor印记的音乐家及其作品。

In 2015, SHAO signed with Tresor Records and became the first Chinese musician to join the roster of powerhouse producers under the label. In September of the same year, SHAO globally released his EP Doppler Shift Pt. 1  on vinyl. Issued as Tresor.280, this EP was SHAO’s fifth album. His previous releases include Mental Imagery, Mental Magic, Psychedelic Elephant, and Ting Tai Lou Ge. This new EP, released with Tresor Records, is the first official foray of Chinese electronic music being marketed towards a Western audience, and thus is considered to hold a significant importance for the Chinese electronic music scene as a whole. This was a brand new starting point for SHAO.

2015年，SHAO签约了Tresor Records并成为该厂牌的首位中国艺术家后，于当年9月全球范围发行了黑胶EP《Doppler Shift Pt. 1》，编号为Tresor.280。这是他继《幻术》、《心象》、《活着》、《亭台楼阁》后的第五张录音室作品，也是中国电子音乐首次进入西方电子音乐大厂的里程碑作品。这张Tresor出品的中国电子音乐作品，对整个中国电子乐场景都具有重要的意义，也成为SHAO的全新起点。

Following the release of Ting Tai Lou Ge in 2011, the production for Doppler Shift Pt. 1  was already underway. A few demo tracks were completed as early as 2012. SHAO maintains his experimental and multifaceted barrage of minimal sounds in this EP. Over the course of the last couple years, SHAO has gained an even more thorough understanding of music and sound. He is more in tune with the different frequencies of sound and has a better grasp on how to bring to life the sounds he has in mind. “I used to think that sound should be ‘listened to’, but now I feel like really great music should be able to provide sensory pleasure in the way that the sounds reverberate through the space it occupies,” he explains.

《Doppler Shift》的创作始于2011年《亭台楼阁》专辑出版之后，其最早的几首小样于2012年就完成了。在这张EP里，SHAO持续着他对电子音乐多面性的试验。在最近两年里SHAO更注意对声音方面的把握，对频率、每一个声部该怎么去更加极致地表现，有了很多的认识。”之前觉得音乐是为耳朵去’听’的，现在的观念是，好音乐对我来说是声音在空间中的合理震动带给我的快感。”他解释道。

The new album is considerably more abstract than SHAO’s previous work, but at the same time more danceable. SHAO hopes to create an album consisting of experimental and minimalist sounds that at the same time can be played in a club setting. The Chinese name for Doppler Shift Pt. 1  is Guang Yan, which explores the concept of light. This fascination with light and playing with the concepts of light started with his albums Mental Imagery and Mental Magic. While in Ting Tai Ge Lou, he explores the environment and architectural spaces of modern day China. For SHAO, light feels spiritual and he considers the continuous nature of light to be an immense source of inspiration.

这张新Ep比之前的作品更加抽象，同时也更舞曲化。SHAO希望能用极简，抽象的声音做一张能作用于Club环境的专辑。《Doppler Shift》的中文名叫《光衍》，是光的概念。从《心象》、《幻术》三部曲，到后来以《亭台楼阁》影射当代中国的环境/建筑，光对他个人而言，具有某种“精神性”，更是一种概念的延续。

Following this latest EP, SHAO also released Date, a documentary he produced about electronic music. This film takes place during 2009 in Berlin, which was the first time SHAO performed there. During that period of time in China, keeping up to date with Europe’s electronic music scene was only possible by following a few select magazines and websites. The first time SHAO had ever met the German electronic artists that influenced him early in his career was during the filming of Date. Even today, this documentary and the process of filming it has had immense significance for him. With this film, SHAO hopes to introduce electronic music to Chinese people interested in Berlin or contemporary music.

随着这张EP的发行，SHAO也公开发表了电子音乐纪录片《Date》。这部片子是拍摄于2009的柏林，时值SHAO第一次来到柏林演出。彼时在中国，了解欧洲的电子音乐只能通过少量一些杂志或网络文字资料。拍《Date》的过程，是他第一次跟自己所崇敬的音乐家和艺术家面对面进行交流，那些德国音乐家在他早期的音乐创作方面影响很大。时至今日，这部片子及其拍摄过程都在SHAO的创作生涯中打表着重大意义。他也希望把这些声音介绍给对柏林或对当代电子音乐有兴趣的人们。

 

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SHAO thinks that the current state of electronic music in China is abysmal – there simply isn’t a lot of original work being created nor is there much demand for it. Electronic music never went into the frenzied developmental phase in China like it did in Western countries. But of course, nobody knows what the future will hold; electronic music could still make a rise in China despite the stagnant state of the scene in the past. The current situation might even motivate more artists to try and bring electronic music to the attention of more people through their work. For SHAO, his creative process is embedded in his subconscious as a daily routine. Day in and day out, he is mentally attuned to create and proactively searches for inspirations rather than letting it just come to him. As far as the future goes, SHAO expresses notions about self-improvement. “I hope to have more structure and I’ll work on managing my energy and time better. I have ideas that are five years old, and didn’t make it farther than the conceptual stage,” he says. For the moment, SHAO is fully focused on completing the remaining tracks for his up-and-coming full-length album Doppler Shift.

电子乐在中国的现状是“嘴少菜也少”，归因于缺乏像它在西方那样几十年的发展。未来是怎样没有人知道，也许没有过去的束缚，反而让艺术家另辟蹊径也说不定。目前的SHAO依然每天例行工作一样，他会每天保持一种创作状态，主动在这种方式里去追求灵感，而非只是等待它的到来。对于接下来的创作计划，他告诉我们，“希望能更有条理地安排自己的精力和时间，有一些5年前构思的创作想法现在都没去实现呢。”近期他则准备专注于将《Doppler Shift》专辑里其他的音乐完成。

Website: shaoyanpeng.com
Facebook: ~/shaoyanpeng
Soundcloud: ~/dead-j
Weibo: 邵彦棚SHAO

 

Contributor & Photographer: Banny Wang

网站: shaoyanpeng.com
Facebook: ~/shaoyanpeng
Soundcloud: ~/dead-j
微博: 邵彦棚SHAO

 

供稿人与摄影师: Banny Wang

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District Eight Design

April 11, 2016 2016年4月11日

Ho Chi Minh City is a Vietnamese metropolis in the midst of a developmental-renaissance. Alongside this urban boom, there has been an alarming trend of demolishing historic buildings in recent years. Most of these heritage buildings that are targeted to be torn down were built during the French colonial era, but have deteriorated over the years. These dilapidated structures are being rapidly replaced in favor of modernized buildings that are easier to maintain. Many local architects and like-minded individuals are looking for ways stop this destruction of history and culture. One of those individuals is Darren Chew, the founder of District Eight Design.

Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh là một đô thị đầu mối trung tâm của Việt Nam và hiện đang ở giai đoạn phát triển mạnh mẽ. Bên cạnh việc bùng nổ đô thị hóa, trong những năm gần đây xu hướng phá hủy những tòa nhà có giá trị lịch sử đã đến mức báo động. Những tòa nhà xây thời thuộc địa Pháp có giá trị di sản lớn nhưng bị hư hỏng suốt nhiều năm là đối tượng để dỡ bỏ. Những cấu trúc đã mục nát đang được thay nhanh chóng bằng những tòa nhà hiện đại và dễ bảo dưỡng hơn. Những kiến trúc sư và các cá nhân có cùng quan điểm với họ đang tìm cách ngăn việc phá hủy văn hóa lịch sử này. Một trong những người đó là Daren Chew, người sáng lập District Eight Design.

“One can see an old building needs to be torn down for new development, which solves the public housing issues; but at the same time, others might see the history in such old structures are worth preserving.” Darren neutrally presents both sides of the story, before adding, “We see these old building as historical gems that are worth preserving, as they have stood the test of time and bear with them the stories of their past. These stories are not only of their previous tenants, but also the historical events that occurred in the neighborhood.” It’s this reverence for Vietnamese culture and history that has been the momentum-driving force which eventually culminated in the birth of District Eight Design.

“Có người thì cho rằng là một tòa nhà của cần phải đập bỏ cho sự phát triển, nó giúp giải quyết vấn đề nhà ở nói chung; nhưng cùng lúc lại có người thấy giá trị lịch sử trong những cấu trúc ấy xứng đáng được bảo tồn.” Darren trình bày quan điểm của hai phía một cách trung lập, trước khi bổ sung thêm rằng “chúng tôi coi những tòa nhà này như những viên ngọc của lịch sử và đáng được bảo vệ vì chúng đã trải qua được thử thách của thời gian và mang trong mình những câu chuyện của quá khứ. Những câu chuyện này không phải chỉ của riêng những người chủ trước đây mà còn là những sự kiện lịch sử diễn ra xung quanh.” Chính lòng kính trọng đối với văn hóa và lịch sử Việt Nam đã trở thành động lực và sau cùng đưa đến việc D8 ra đời.

District Eight Design was first started in 2010, after Darren founded L’Usine, a lifestyle cafe. This boutique cafe was to be located in a historical but derelict ballroom that dated back to the early French colonial era. This renovation project resulted in the idea to preserve and restore more of these colonial-era spaces, but besides merely renovating these spaces, Darren’s concept involved creating a collection of industrial furniture that would complement the aesthetics of the restored interior.

District 8 Design bắt đầu lần đầu tiên vào năm 2010, sau khi Darren thành lập quán cà phê phong cách sống L’Usine. Ban đầu cửa hàng này đặt ở một phòng dạ hội có từ thời thuộc địa, nó có giá trị lịch sử nhưng lại vô chủ. Dự án nâng cấp này đưa đến ý tưởng phục hồi nhiều không gian tương tự thời thuộc địa, nhưng bên cạnh việc phục hồi không gian một cách đơn thuần, ý tưởng của Darren còn bao gồm việc có một bộ sưu tập các vật dụng nội thất công nghiệp nào có thể làm tăng tính thẩm mỹ cho không gian bên trong.

Over the last six years, D8 has been continually renovating and designing spaces, their work ranges from quaint coffee shops to modern offices. These same spaces are filled with contemporary furnishings which are also designed by them. D8’s two signature furniture collections, Distrikt and Kahn, are undoubtedly the most successful. The Distrikt collection focuses on the intricacies of wood and joinery, while the Kahn collection involves the innovative use of concrete and combining that with bridge-building engineering techniques. But besides furniture, D8 has been expanding their product line while staying true to the style they’re known for – chic, modern, industrial; and at times, borderline Steampunk. Their products now range from a chess set created with reclaimed hardwood, complete with industrial bolts and nuts as game pieces; to pendant lights created from hand-beaten blackened steel. D8 shows that no matter the product, the end result will always be a well-designed piece that carries with it an air of authenticity and meticulous craftsmanship.

Suốt sáu năm qua D8 đã liên tục phục hồi và thiết kế không gian, từ những quán cà phê độc đáo cho đến văn phòng hiện đại. Những không gian tương tự nhau được trang trí bằng những vật trang trí đương đại, cũng do chính họ thiết kế. Hai bộ sưu tập mang đậm dấu ấn của D8 – Distrikt và Kahn – hiển nhiên là hai bộ sưu tập thành công nhất. Bộ sưu tập Distrikt tập trung vào tính phức tạp của gỗ và các khớp nối, trong khi Kahn là sự cách tân của việc dùng bê tông và phối nó với kỷ thuật xây dựng cầu. Nhưng bên cạnh nội thất thì D8 đã mở rộng dòng sản phẩm của mình cùng lúc vẫn bám sát phong cách riêng làm nên tên tuổi của họ – thanh lịch, hiện đại, công nghiệp và đồng thời có sự phá cách. Từ bàn cờ làm bằng chất liệu gỗ nổi tiếng, hoàn thiện bằng ốc vít kim loại; đến việc làm cẩn thận từng chiếc đèn bằng kim loại đen bóng hoàn toàn thủ công. D8 chứng minh rằng bất kể là sản phẩm gì thì kết quả sau cùng sẽ vẫn là những sản phẩm thiết kế tốt, mang trong mình cái chất tinh tế và rất tuyển chọn của sản phẩm thủ công.

D8 places emphasis on creating well-designed, long-lasting products. This is evident through their strict quality control and material sourcing process. Their mission is to provide their customers an incomparable experience through their designs. Even though their wide range of furniture, games, and lighting fixtures are now available in retailers across the globe, the D8 team continues to draw their inspirations from the ebb-and-flow of daily life in Vietnam. “As designers and makers of things, we always consider our surrounding environment as an unlimited source of inspirations.”

D8 chú trọng vào việc làm ra những sản phẩm tinh sảo và trường tồn. Bằng chứng là D8 có quy trình kiểm tra chất lượng và lấy nguồn nguyên liệu nghiêm ngặt. Sứ mệnh của D8 là mang đến cho khách hàng trải nghiệm không gì sánh được qua những sản phẩm thiết kế của mình. Mặt dù dòng sản phẩm rộng của D8 từ đồ nội thất, bộ trò chơi, thiết bị chiếu sáng đã có mặt ở các nhà bán lẻ trên toàn cầu; đội ngũ của D8 vẫn tiếp tục lấy cảm hứng từ nhịp sống hằng ngày ở Việt Nam, “là nhà thiết kế đồng thời là nhà sản xuất, chúng tôi luôn tâm niệm cuộc sống là nguồn cho sự sáng tạo vô tận.”

Website: districteightdesign.com
Facebook: ~/DistrictEightDesign
Instagram: @districteight

Trang mạng: districteightdesign.com
Facebook: ~/DistrictEightDesign
Instagram: @districteight

Contributor: David Yen

 

Images Courtesy of District Eight Design

Người gửi bài: David Yen

 

Ảnh do District Eight Design cung cấp

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Future Orients

April 8, 2016 2016年4月8日

 

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Future Orients is a new Chinese rock band from the Beijing label Maybe Mars, who’ve just finished recording their first album. Humbly self-described as just another ordinary four-man band, the group was born by chance when the four kindred spirits first met in a university dorm and discovered that they loved the same music. Their sound has been described as post-rock, post-punk, math rock, indie, and even dance – but guitarist Guo Zhen actually considers their sound to be more or less pop. Ultimately, he says, what they are aiming for is psychedelic disco, or just something with a beat that people could dance to.

Future Orients是一支中国的摇滚新乐队，隶属北京音乐厂牌Maybe Mars，新近完成了他们第一张专辑的录制。谦称自己只是一支普通四人乐队，他们的组合可谓诞生于大学寝室的偶然，几个同样热爱音乐的年轻人因为志趣相投走到了一起。外界常将他们的风格归为后摇、后朋、数学摇滚、独立音乐，甚至舞曲——但是吉他手果真认为他们的作品其实差不多就是流行乐。他说，最终他们的目标是要做迷幻的士高，或者只是可用来跳舞的音乐。

Take a listen to some select demo tracks from Future Orients:

Future Orients – Running (Demo)

Future Orients – Motto (Demo)

Future Orients – Idol (Demo)

以下为Future Orients新曲小样选集，欢迎试听:

Future Orients – Running (小样)

Future Orients – Motto (小样)

Future Orients – Idol (小样)

Their influences include Mogwai, PK14, DIIV, NEU!, Joy Division, Kraftwerk, and Pink Floyd, but the one band that they all seem to agree on is Foals, whose angular and methodically kinetic style of post-punk has clearly had a stylistic influence over the Future Orients’ sound. Lead singer and guitarist Yong, despite all of their rock influences, insists that the band know nothing about rock music and that that is not what the band makes. What Future Orients make is “sissy pop and middle-aged 70s disco music”, and what they are are just a pop group who like to write songs that are hard on the ears.

他们在音乐上受到Mogwai、PK14、DIIV、NEU!、Joy Division、Kraftwerk和Pink Floyd等乐队的影响，但所有成员一致认可的似乎是Foals。Foals后朋音乐中的生硬和有条不紊的跳跃在Future Orients的音乐中有着分明的风格影响。尽管受到来自这些摇滚乐队的相应，主唱兼吉他手阿勇坚持认为，自己的乐队对摇滚一无所知，并且它也不是乐队创作的内容。Future Orients创作的是“娘炮流行和中老年人迪斯科”，他们只是一支喜欢写难听歌曲的流行乐队。

We meet the band in their own basement studio under an apartment complex in West Beijing, where they rehearse all afternoon for an upcoming gig. Lead singer Yong tells us that, “Right now in China, things are pretty good. There are more festivals, gigs, and foreign musicians coming from abroad. It’s not a bad time to be in a band. People are taking copyright issues more seriously, and more money is being invested into the independent music scene. These are all good things.” The band admit that, despite just starting out in their short career, they haven’t really encountered too many challenges so far.

他们自己的工作室位于北京西边一处公寓小区里的地下室里，他们在这里为一个即将到来的演出排练了一下午，我们也在这里碰面了。主唱阿勇告诉我们: “现在中国都挺好的。音乐节多了，演出多了，国外过气大牌来的多了，最近版权问题搬上了台面是个好事。独立音乐圈也开始有资金流入，也是好事。” 乐队坦言，尽管他们在这条职业道路上刚刚起步，却迄今还未遇到过太多挑战。

Guitarist Guo Zhen says “the independent music scene here is improving all the time, and there are more and more opportunities (for us) to perform. Also more good bands from overseas come here now to play gigs, but if anything, the whole music environment and local rock scene here is not stimulating enough. It’s not as competitive as it is abroad where there are just so many great bands making great music. I prefer to be more stimulated. Because there are far fewer top bands here, sometimes some really strange acts can play music festivals, which I don’t think is so good.” One thing that is worrisome for the band is how over the past two years in Beijing, many performances and gigs have been suddenly canceled, and there always seem to be some new censorship regulations.

吉他手果真说: “我觉得整个市场在变好，乐队演出机会多了，也能看到很多国外的好乐队演出。如果要说一个的话，就是可能整个环境的刺激还不够吧，在乐队作品方面竞争不像国外那么激烈，国外好乐队太多了，我喜欢那种刺刺激激的感觉。因为这里优秀的乐队数量太少，导致什么奇怪的乐队都能上音乐节演一演，这点很不刺激。“困扰着这个乐队的一件事，就是在北京过去的两年里，很多演出被取消，甚至有所谓下架歌曲名单这种事出现。

The band have only just finished recording their first album, which includes ten songs in total, and are now in the process of mixing it. Their goal was to record it quickly and to keep on making new music. For Guo Zhen, the band’s immediate goals are to keep on rehearsing, continue to explore their sound, and keep playing gigs until they have exhausted themselves. Yong says that the only thing that really matters to them is to make the best of today, after all nothing in the future exists. Perhaps a good description of this young band’s mindset can be found in the lyrics of one of their songs: “Sing with all your passion / put your hands up / let me embrace your dreams / let me see your real face / let’s smile, now we’re young / let’s look forward to a better tomorrow.” Maybe Mars plans to release Future Orients’ first album later this year.

乐队最近刚完成他们第一张专辑的录音，这张专辑包括了十首单曲，目前他们正忙于混音阶段。他们的目标是快速结束这张专辑的录制，从而可以开始新作品的创作。对于果真来说，乐队当务之急是继续排练，继续演出，继续摸索，直到把能量消耗完。阿勇说，对于他们来说，唯一重要的事就是踏踏实实干好今天的事，明天都是假的。或许，歌词里唱的就能很好地描述这个年轻乐队的状态: “唱出你的热情，伸出你的双手，让我拥抱着你的蒙，让我拥有你真心的面孔，让我们的笑容，充满着青春的骄傲，让我们期待着明天会更好……”

Facebook: ~/futureorients

 

Contributor, Photographer & Videographer: Leon Yan

 

供稿人，图片摄影师与视频摄影师: Leon Yan

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ReUSED

April 7, 2016 2016年4月7日

Located in the Beitou district of Taipei, ReUSED is an independently owned space with many different faces and functions. It was founded by Mike Ho, who is also as multifaceted as this ambitious and experimental project. At ReUSED, Mike plays a number of varied roles, including but not limited to: music producer, visual artist, event organizer, hostel owner, and designer. The space is made up of three floors: the first floor is a narrow hallway that is used only for entry; the second floor is a showroom and mini-studio; while the third floor consists of the hostel quarters, a performance area, as well as Mike’s personal workspace.

ReUSED坐落於台北市北投區，是屬私人所有的多功能場所。其創建者Mike Ho，是這充滿雄心和實驗性項目的最佳主人，也一如項目本身具有多面性。 他有著許多身份，包括但不限於: 音樂製作人、視覺藝術家、活動策劃人、旅館老闆和設計師。 ReUSED上下分為三樓：一樓是僅作入口的狹窄走道，二樓是展示空間和迷你工作室，而三樓則由旅馆住宿区，表演區和Mike的個人工作區組成。

Upon entering, visitors will find themselves walking through a narrow poster-lined hallway, where a set of stairs will lead them up to the second floor. On the second floor is an area that Mike has dubbed the ReUSED Lab.

走進大門，穿过兩側掛滿海報的狹窄走道，訪客便可順著樓梯走到二樓。二樓正是Mike所稱的ReUSED Lab。

ReUSED Lab is first and foremost a clothing store. It boasts a sizable collection of clothes: some are designed and screen printed in-house under the ReUSED brand, while others are artist collaborations. A small table also sells vintage t-shirts and sweatshirts that Mike has collected from his travels. The vinyl shop, which shares the same space with the clothing, sells a tightly curated selection of records: ranging from Western oldies to lesser known Japanese vinyl. The store, however, is only open to the public on Sunday.

ReUSED Lab最初也首先是服裝店，這裏擁有數量可觀的衣物，其中一些是ReUSED品牌內部設計印製的，其它的是藝術家合作產品。在一個小櫃檯還銷售Mike旅途中收集來的複古T恤和衛衣。與服裝店在同一空間的還有黑膠店，這裏銷售著特被甄選的黑膠唱片—— 從西洋老唱片到東洋小眾唱片。然而，商店只在周日才對外開放。

This same floor also houses an open studio that is similar to the shop, in the sense that it merges two different sections together. One area is dedicated to illustration and painting, while the other is a private workspace that has been converted into a traditional turntable station.

在同一層還有個開放式工作室，和商店相似的是，它也將兩個不同部分融為一體。一邊是插圖和油畫區，另一邊是被改造成老式鐵路轉車站的私人工作區。

Another set of stairs will take visitors up to the third floor. On this floor there is a hostel space, a spacious living room area, and Mike’s personal studio. All of these spaces are interconnected, but are not immediately identifiable to have a single obvious function. “In the early stages, I oversaw this space as the creator, and deliberately decided not to define this space to be one or the other,” explains Mike. The living room area is able to transform into a performance space, while the hostel kitchen transforms into a makeshift bar during events, and his music studio doubles as an open library, filled with an extensive collection of Japanese manga and various old publications that aren’t commonly seen.

再上一段樓梯，訪客就來到了三樓，三樓有住宿招待區，寬敞的客廳和Mike的私人工作區。這些區域是相互連通的，無法立刻顯出各自確切而獨立的功能。 “在一開始，我就是一個藝術創作者的角度在觀察這個地方，所以當初進入的時候自己就決定不要刻意的去定義他的屬性。”，Mike解釋說。客廳可以變成表演活動區，而住宿接待區的廚房可以用作臨時吧台。他的音樂工作室同時還是開放式圖書館，廣泛收藏了日本漫畫書和稀有舊書刊。

Travellers that Mike hosts in the hostel are all creative individuals. Those who stay aren’t just people who are trying to find a bed and a roof to put over their heads. The owner’s goal is to facilitate and create a dynamic creative exchange between these transient artists and the local artists. They are all encouraged to contribute to the space in some way. These collaborations have in the past ranged from putting together an art installation on the ceiling, creating a full-sized wall mural, to doing a short live performance of their music.

Mike在三樓接待的住宿客人多為創意人士。在這兒留宿的不僅僅是為了尋得庇身之所的人。房屋主人試圖促進流動藝術家和當地藝術家間的創意交流。他們都被鼓舞著用某種方式為這裡做出貢獻。這些協作包括完成頂棚藝術裝飾，繪製全畫幅壁畫，進行小型現場音樂演出等。

ReUSED has hosted a variety of diverse events in the past – from movie nights, to solo guitar acts, and experimental DJ sets. These community driven events are still regularly organized by Mike on a near weekly basis. Unbound by any restrictions, performers who are invited to the space are encouraged to exercise their creativity fearlessly. Going forward, Mike Ho’s goal is to turn ReUSED into a central hub of creativity for both traveling or local artists of all types.

從電影之夜，吉他獨奏表演，到DJ實驗場表演，ReUSED已經舉辦了大量豐富的活動。 Mike仍在不斷組織這些社團類的活動，幾乎每週一次。受邀的表演者們打破束縛，大膽地發揮創造力。接下來，Mike的目標是將ReUSED打造成一個創意中心樞紐，面向或遊歷台北或居住於台北的各類藝術家。

Address：
156 Wenlin North Road 2F
Beitou District, Taipei
Taiwan

地址：
台灣 台北市北投區
文林北路156號2樓

Facebook: ~/ReUSED.tw
Instagram: @cosimoz0528

臉書: ~/ReUSED.tw
Instagram: @cosimoz0528

Contributor & Photographer: David Yen

供稿人與攝影師: David Yen

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The Southern Fish

April 5, 2016 2016年4月5日

Food is a universal language – it speaks of culture, of heritage, and of the places we call home. People everywhere have a deeply rooted longing for the nostalgic flavors of their hometown. It’s this same longing that motivated Zuo Taiming and his partners to open The Southern Fish. In the vastness that is China, flavors from region to region will of course differ from one another. Generally though, Chinese cuisine has been categorized into dishes from eight provinces, but within every province there are still variances to flavors from city to city. In that regard, rather than classifying The Southern Fish as simply a Hunan restaurant, their dishes should be more appropriately considered as Hengyang cuisine.

人大抵如此罢，两肩担一口，踏遍南北，吃始终是放不下的事，心底最挂念的终究还是那一道家乡味。左太明与他的合作伙伴成立渔芙南时，正是出于对家乡味道的思恋。中华地广，各地菜式自然各自相异，尽管通常按省份地区分为八大菜系，但是同一个省内不同地区又各有各的不同风味。所以，渔芙南，与其说是湘(湖南)菜，不如说是衡阳菜更为合适。

The Southern Fish is located in Beijing’s Qianmen district off of Yangmeizhuxie Street. This Hunan-Hengyang restaurant is tucked away in a traditional hutong alley, inside of a renovated two-story residential building. Zuo Taiming and his wife designed the entire space, working side by side from the conceptual stage all the way up to completion. With a mentality of wanting to preserve the authenticity of their dishes, they source many of their ingredients from Hengyang. But besides the genuine Hengyang food they provide, the creative energy that the restaurant embodies has also been a much-welcomed addition to this hutong alleyway.

这间由胡同里破旧的两层老宅改建而来的湖南衡阳餐厅，渔芙南，就位于北京前门杨梅竹斜街上。整个空间由左太明及其夫人负责方案的设计和实施。为了能够保持菜肴的原汁原味，诸多食材都专从衡阳运送过来。这里除了地道的地方料理，更是以其成功的改造成为了这条胡同上众多出色创意成员之一。

The first and second floor of The Southern Fish adds up to a total of 65 square meters; the interior consists of long, narrow spaces with a width of three meters – yet it doesn’t feel cramped. The first floor is able to accommodate around twenty people, while the second floor is able to accommodate between eight and ten. The designers used multiple vertical, wood-framed windows of varying height for the facade. On one hand, the design of the facade is used to maximize the amount of natural light; on the other hand, it’s to maintain a consistent visual aesthetic with the long and narrow interior space. The challenge of using the long and narrow spaces inside the building is actually what attracted Zuo Taiming to choose this location. Through his clean, simple, and space-effective design, he successfully made the location work for him.

渔芙南整间餐厅上下两层楼加起来也不过65平方米，内部空间狭长，宽仅为3米，却不见局促压迫感。一层空间大致能容纳 20 人左右，二层包间则能容纳 8－10 人。设计师运用许多木质框架的小窗高低错落地排布在沿街一侧的外立面上，一方面给自然采光创造最大的可能，一方面和内部狭长的空间形成一致的视觉印象。初见这座老宅时，左太明正是被它的狭长在空间利用上的挑战所吸引，这个挑战最终被简洁合理有效的空间设计所战胜。

Continuing with the idea of optimizing natural light, the second floor ceiling has been replaced by a see-through skylight. The skylight extends the original space upwards without actually altering it, this eliminates any sense of claustrophobia one might have. Overhead, the dangling branches outside, framed like artwork on a canvas by the skylight, seems to possess an artistic, almost painter-like quality. They have also installed latticed shelves on the same floor, which holds a variety of Hengyang delicacies in large pickling jars, including but not limited to: dried fish, sausages, long beans, and radish skins. These are also some of the most genuine Hengyang dishes you can order in the restaurant, and exemplifies their slogan xiang shi ben wei, which is their goal of producing quality local dishes one can find in Hunan.

餐厅二层的天花板，设计师将其做成了天窗，同样致力于获取充足的采光，也大大拉高了空间，从而消除了其不可改变的物理特点所带来的逼仄感。抬头所见的老树枝，也在天窗中形成了一副画，充满了诗意。此外，设计师还在二楼包间旁设置一排格子架，架上摆放着各种衡阳当地的特色食物，比如腊鱼腊肠、干豆角、萝卜皮、坛子菜等，这些都是渔芙南店里最本土的家乡美食，正应了渔芙南的标语，叫做“湘食本味”。

Besides the labor poured into designing the space, The Southern Fish also places importance on the aesthetics of other visual elements. The logo uses black as the primary color of choice, and is designed as the shape of a fish’s head. In order to maintain a visual consistency for customers, every piece of furniture and even the material used for the first floor ceiling has been carefully selected to ensure the wood color is one in the same. Indoor lighting comes from hanging pendant lights; the cascading lines creates an illusion of spaciousness, the seemingly methodic curvature of the cords further emphasizes the degree of design discipline in play. Even their business cards, napkins, plates adorning the walls, glasses, curtains, uniforms, door handles, and menu all seem to be exercises in meticulousness. In addition to all of these details, they have even designed a font that’s exclusively used for the restaurant. So far, their design team has already created hundreds of Chinese characters.

除了在空间设计上下足了功夫，渔芙南在视觉系统上也同样用心至极。整个品牌以黑色为主色调，以鱼头的形状作为主要的表现元素。从餐厅各种家具，到一楼天花板的木板，都以同一色系的木材，确保了视觉上的统一性；室内照明上则采用了直接从天花板垂下的黑色吊灯，色彩上自不必多说，其线条以下垂营造了层高的错觉，以曲度强调了店内图形设计的高度一致。甚至名片、餐巾盒、墙上的餐盘、水杯、门帘、工作服、门把手以及菜单等各种细节上也不放过。此外，他们还为餐厅设计了专属字体，用于店内功能性文字和装饰性文字，迄今设计团队已经写了好几百个汉字。　

Creatives in the hutong are already regulars of this restaurant, and word of mouth has been attracting even more customers. Currently, Mr. and Mrs. Zuo are running this restaurant together but are also working on their brand consultant company. Taiming focuses more on the restaurant side, and his wife focuses more on the brand consultant side. This restaurant has been the definitive case study to show their clients, and is a great representation of the amount of thought they put into their designs. The popularity and success of The Southern Fish is undoubtedly a persuasive showcase on the importance of well-crafted branding and design for other local businesses.

胡同里的创意人已经成为了这里的常客，其他客人也纷纷慕名而来。目前，左太明与太太一边经营着这家餐厅，一边打理自己的品牌顾问公司。先生负责店面，太太负责公司。而渔芙南自开张以来，它的大受欢迎也让更多本土人士看到了好的设计和品牌的重要性。作为品牌顾问公司的经营者，他们也用这个生动实例的说服力，向公众展示他们的设计能力和理念。

Address:
166 Yangmeizhuxie Street, Dashilan
Xicheng District, Beijing
People’s Republic of China

Phone:
0086-010-83152539

Hours:
Lunch 11:00 – 14:30
Dinner 17:00 – 20:30
Closed Mondays

Weibo: ～/yufunan2014
Wechat: TheSouthernFish

 

Contributors: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
Images Courtesy of The Southern Fish

地址:
中国
北京市西城区
大栅栏 杨梅竹斜街166号

电话号码:
0086-010-8315 2539

营业时间:
午食 11:00 – 14:30
晚食 17:00 – 20:30
周一定休

微博: ～/yufunan2014
微信: TheSouthernFish

 

供稿人: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
图片由渔芙南提供

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Dream Chen’s Art

April 1, 2016 2016年4月1日

Chen Mengqian (aka Dream Chen) is a children’s book illustrator and animator from Hainan, China. After graduating from the Communication University of China with a bachelor in animation, she moved to the United States. Dream continued her studies in Minneapolis where she is still currently based, at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and eventually received her MFA in Visual Arts there. Dream’s illustrations tends to blur the boundaries between commercial work and artistic pursuit, and the playful dreamscapes she creates seems to have the power to captivate the imaginations of readers.

陈梦牵，亦为Dream Chen，来自中国海南岛，是一名儿童插画师和动画师，现居美国明尼阿波利斯。在中国传媒大学获取了动画学士学位后，她又前往明尼阿波利斯艺术设计学院继续深造，并获得视觉艺术的美术硕士学位。她的作品一直游离在商业和艺术的边缘，但是不管是哪种创作形式，她都试图为读者和观众营造如梦一般的感觉。

Dream Chen’s parents were both artists, and the creative energy of this household undeniably played a huge role in her trajectory as an artist. Naturally, she chose a creative major like animation in college. After graduating from CUC, she worked at an animation company for a year before deciding to continue her studies in the United States. However, Minneapolis is quite different from Los Angeles – there are no major animation studios in Minnesota and the state of the entire industry is underdeveloped when compared to that of L.A. She created a children’s book and a short stop-motion film as her thesis for her MFA, and after graduating, she began to submit her work all over. But she was unable to find a full-time position at any animation studios, and she was instead offered a position at a children’s book publishing company that took notice of her work. This led to several collaborative projects, and the success turned into more ongoing collaborations. Dream admits she never thought she would become a professional children’s book illustrator, but that taking this path actually allowed her to maintain her personal aesthetics and she feels like it’s an even better way to make a living.

有着艺术家双亲，梦牵在成长过程中深受艺术熏陶，所以大学时期选择了动画，并以此开始自己的职业便顺理成章。离开工作了一年的动画公司，前往美国求学就业。但明尼阿波利斯不同于洛杉矶，这里并没有大的动画工作室，行业状态更为相异。研究生毕业时，她完成了一本儿童绘本以及一部短片定格动画作为毕业论文，并开始四处投作品。在没有动画工作室愿意给她一个全职工作时，一间儿童图书出版公司对她的作品表示了兴趣。于是他们合作做了几个小的出版项目，一切便很顺利进行了下去。最终会以儿童插画师的身份走在这条职业道路上是她所不曾料到的，但她表示跟动画相比，这或许是一个更好的营生方式，也让她得以保留自己的创作风格。

 

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Her illustration books and animations always drew influence from one another. Creating with one medium would spark ideas for the other; for example, when she made her stop-motion animation, it inspired her to create a three-dimensional doll book. Then during the process of making that book, it started generating ideas for her next animation project. Familiar with both mediums, she feels like there’s more room to play around with ideas when it comes to animated works; but at the same time, the tangibility of printed illustration books makes her feel like her artwork is even more real in a sense. She adds, “I don’t know how many times my hard drive has failed, and resulted in me losing my digital files. But when it comes to printed books, there’s never any concerns about losing my work.”

她的创作历程中，动画和绘本永远都是互相影响的。在一者上的创作总会给另一者予启发。比如，在定格动画的创作会启发她做一个三维的人偶书；创作三维人偶书过程的一切又给了她下一个动画项目很多启发。在这两种创作间游离的她认为，动画有更多可以发挥的创意元素，但是印刷出来的绘本却也给她一种更为真实的感觉。“我不知道有多少次我的硬盘坏了，然后我的所有数码文件也因此全都消失了。但是书，你从来不需要有这样的顾虑。”她补充道。

For Dream, the creative processes behind making animations and illustration books are very different. They do share some similarities, in that they are both storytelling mediums, both have a rhythm in how a story can unfold, and both involve characters. When making animations, she is able to use sounds, music, and movements to establish the mood. Illustration, on the other hand, is a bit more like a silent film by comparison. It has its own distinct characteristics and unique qualities of course – such as the bookbinding, which acts as a separator for the individual frames, but at the same time is also what connects all these frames together. The storytelling aspect is what compels Dream Chen the most. She says, “I am really interested in telling stories. I want people to laugh, to feel sad, to look back on my book and reflect.” Dream tells us that she also likes to hide small Easter eggs in her illustrations to surprise the detail-conscious viewers.

在她看来，动画和绘本的创作思维是非常不一样的，但它们都是关乎故事、节奏和角色。动画里，她可以通过声音、音乐以及角色的表演来塑造氛围；绘本则像是默片，也有自己的特别之处，绘本的装订线将画面分隔开，又让它们作为一帧帧连续的画面连接起来。故事叙述就是梦牵最为着迷的地方。“我想讲故事，我想引人发笑或者悲伤，我想让他们在看过我的书后会有一番思考。”她说。她甚至会在绘本中特意隐秘地放上一些细节作为彩蛋，给细心的读者带来特别的惊喜。

Making animations can be immensely time consuming however. The characters that appear in the story also need to maintain consistency throughout. Compared with animation, illustrating a book is far more laid-back in that sense. Dream feels the whole act of making an animation is a challenging endeavor that really tests the artist’s determination and patience. When asked about her approach to the time-consuming, repetitive animation process, Dream says that she studies the details of the character’s movements, and through practice she is able to maintain the same sense of focus throughout the creative process.

但是，动画这种创作形式相当耗时，其中出现的角色也需要由始至终保持一致性——这点对比绘本形式是有过之无不及。动画创作的这种特点是对创作者在耐心和恒心上的很大考验，至少对梦牵而言是这样。谈到自己创作过程中如何克服这方面的挑战时，梦牵说，她只能对角色动作做更为细致深入的研究，再用更多的练习来保证自己创作过程中的专注。

Dream is currently planning to create her next independent animation The Island. This will be her first animated project since graduation, and it will also be her first project that doesn’t involve any dialogue. Dream says, “My animated works before were only for kids. This time, I want to challenge myself, and create a story that explores adult themes.” She recently received a Film, Video, and Digital Production Grant from the Jerome Foundation, which will provide the financial security for her to put sole focus on her work for the next few months. Dream feels like this project will give her the momentum to propel her further along in her artistic journey.

目前，梦牵正在计划做她的下一个独立动画《The Island》。这将是她第一个无对话、面向成人的动画，也将是她离校后的第一个动画项目。她说: “我之前的所有动画都是儿童友好的作品。但是这次，我想挑战一下，尝试做一个带有成人课题的故事。”梦牵最近刚收到Jerome Foundation的艺术家基金，这能让她接下来几个月不用担心收入问题，全心专注投入在动画创作上。更重要的是对她来说，这可能将带她进入创作的下一阶段。

Website: dreamchen.org
Facebook: ~/DreamChenIllustration
Instagram: @dreamchenillustration

 

Contributor: Banny Wang

网站: dreamchen.org
脸书:~/DreamChenIllustration
Instagram: @dreamchenillustration

 

供稿人: Banny Wang

 

 

 

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