Monthly Archives: November 2016

Building ListCup

November 29, 2016 2016年11月29日

I have been an almost daily patron at my local coffee shop since I moved to China. The baristas know my order by heart and intuitively begin to make my coffee from the moment I step through the door. There is always a short lull in between the post-lunch rush and the early evening stream of office workers who round out their day with one final cup. Recently, during this period of downtime, was when I noticed Jimmy Wong poised against the café counter, chatting with the barista.

自我到了中国后，我几乎每天都光顾我家附近的一个咖啡厅，那里的咖啡师对我熟悉得好像只要我一进店，他们就会知道我想点什么，并开始给我制作咖啡。咖啡店在忙碌的午餐后和上班族下班后，有一段短暂的空闲时间。最近，在这闲暇的午后，我注意到Jimmy Wong正倚着咖啡台和咖啡师交谈。

Courtesy of ELLE Men HK

Before returning to his native city of Hong Kong and founding ListCup, Jimmy did the hard yards at the crème de la crème of Beijing tech companies, working as brand designer for Tencent and brand manager for Sina. It was during this time when he befriended a Beijing-based coffee shop owner and began to develop his palette for specialty coffee. He soon discovered that many patrons often have misgivings about their daily cuppa and even the most experienced of baristas can be underrated or misunderstood. With each passing year, his appreciation for the art of coffee making and passion for sharing industry knowledge continually grew.

在回到故乡香港创立ListCup之前，Jimmy是北京工作的科技精英，曾任腾讯的品牌设计师和新浪的品牌经理。也就是在那段时间，他与一个北京咖啡厅的老板成为了好朋友，也开启了他在专业咖啡领域的探索。他很快意识到不少顾客对于自己每天喝的咖啡都并不太了解，很多经验丰富的咖啡大师也会被人低估或者误解。日积月累后，他对咖啡制作艺术的认识日益丰富，对咖啡行业的热情也愈发浓厚，并越来越想与他人分享这方面的知识。

In 2015, Jimmy turned down a promotion to become Sina’s brand director and decided to carve his own path by combining his experience in design with his interest in coffee. Upon returning to his hometown, ListCup was born — a coffee sharing platform that seeks to connect coffee lovers from all walks of life, from everyday drinkers, to baristas, to independent coffee shops. Jimmy also hoped that by creating this app, he could help to cultivate appreciation for the coffee industry as a whole.

2015年，Jimmy放弃了成为新浪品牌总监的晋升机会，决心把自己在设计上的经验和对咖啡的兴趣相结合，开创自己的品牌。回到家乡后，他创立了咖啡分享平台——ListCup，旨在汇集各行各业的咖啡爱好者，无论是平日里普通的咖啡消费者，咖啡师或者是独立的咖啡厅，都是ListCup的目标人群。Jimmy还希望通过创建APP以培养大众对整个咖啡行业的喜欢与欣赏。

The ListCup app offers varying functions that are dependent upon what role the user plays in the world of coffee. Unlike other coffee review apps, the main focus of ListCup is to build a community setting that allows all users to record their personal coffee journey on an open platform. In addition to uploading coffee photos, users can also share “coffee notes” which can be customised and include information on coffee regions, bean types, flavour, acidity, roasting method and processing techniques.

ListCup这个APP能够根据用户在整个咖啡产业中的角色定位而提供不同类型的服务功能。不同于其他的咖啡评价APP，ListCup通过在开放平台上记录用户的个人咖啡经历，从而构建一个社区般的环境。除了能够上传咖啡美图，用户还能分享可独家定制的“咖啡笔录”（coffee notes），其包括咖啡产地、咖啡豆类型、口味、酸度、烘焙和制作方式等信息。

Coffee Lover

ListCup offers everyday coffee fanatics the opportunity to explore the best coffee shops around the world and connect with experienced baristas at the touch of a finger. After visiting a café, users can share their thoughts with other coffee lovers and provide direct feedback to baristas and the café itself through using the coffee notes function.

咖啡爱好者

ListCup能让咖啡迷们在全世界范围内搜索最好的咖啡厅，并在弹指之间联通经验丰富的咖啡师。走访了实体咖啡厅后，用户能够在“咖啡笔录”的功能中与其他咖啡爱好者分享直观感受，向咖啡师和咖啡厅的直接反馈。

Baristas

ListCup allows each barista to show off their own individual flare by sharing their own coffee knowledge with users, as well as recording their preferred beans and brewing methods. They may also use the app to study the brewing methods of other baristas and keep track of their own consistency by exploring the coffee notes shared by their customers.

咖啡师

在ListCup里，咖啡师能与用户分享咖啡知识，记录他们所偏爱的咖啡豆以及制作方式，从而展示作为一个优秀咖啡师的独家优势。咖啡师们还能通过这款APP向其他同行取经和学习咖啡调制，并同时追踪顾客在“咖啡笔录”上对自己的评价。

Coffee Shops

ListCup allows cafés to be listed in a coffee-only directory. Cafés also have the ability to update their menu or introduce any news directly onto the app so that customers can be continuously kept in the loop about any new happenings. The “On the House” function also allows coffee shops to gift users with a free cup of coffee upon their next visit.

咖啡厅

ListCup 为咖啡厅专门设置了个单独的区域。在APP上，每个咖啡厅能够自主更新其菜单，直接推出最新介绍或消息，因此顾客能够第一时间掌握咖啡厅的最新消息。“店家请客”功能（On the House）是为用户谋取的一个福利，让实地到访的顾客获得免费咖啡一杯。

Courtesy of ELLE Men HK

It turns out that I had caught Jimmy in the middle of a long promotional trip – he had been on the road, travelling to the best cafés in Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Kyoto, Seoul and Taipei, in order to share the ListCup story in person. It’s always refreshing to see a newly minted entrepreneur take the leap away from the nine-to-five humdrum, and even more so, to see the leader of a young company adopt such a humble no-job-too-small mentality. As someone who plans entire travel itineraries around visiting decorated speciality cafés, I feel that ListCup is just the indexing tool that I have been searching for.

后来我发现Jimmy正在进行一个长途宣传之旅，一路上走访最好的咖啡厅，从京都，首尔，台北，广州，北京到上海，为了亲自与人分享他的APP——ListCup，至今仍在路上。看到这样富有创新、主动跳出朝九晚五人生的年轻创业者总是让人感到眼前一亮，而更让人欣喜的是，这样一个年轻公司的领导者，保持了一种谦逊的态度，秉承着“行行出状元”的心态。作为一个计划以精致专业咖啡店串联旅游路线的人来说，我发现这个APP就是我一直在寻找的最佳咖啡指南。

ListCup is already available for iOS users and the team is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter in the hopes of releasing an Android version of the app in 2017.

现在ListCup 已经在iOS上推出，目前团队为了能在2017年推出Android的版本，正在Kickstarter 进行众筹。

Facebook:~/listcup
Instagram: @listcup
Weibo: ~/listcup

 

Contributor & Photographer: Whitney Ng
Additional Images Courtesy of ELLE Men HK

脸书: ~/listcup
Instagram: @listcup
微博: ~/listcup

 

供稿人與攝影師: Whitney Ng
附加图片由ELLE Men HK提供

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

CHAO Hotel & Clubhouse

November 28, 2016 2016年11月28日

With many people nowadays considering traveling to be lonely and stressful experiences, the newly opened CHAO aims to create a welcoming space for all travelers. Encased in a sleek and modern building with a beautiful glass facade, CHAO isn’t just a typical boutique hotel; the same space houses a clubhouse that’s focused around shared social experiences for both locals and out-of-town visitors alike. To turn their vision of this community-centric space into a reality, CHAO brought in the talented Chinese designer Wang Yenchih.

现在越来越多人觉得旅行是件孤独又操心的事儿，但是最近新开的CHAO酒店希望为旅行者们创造一个热情好客的环境。以亮眼的高大玻璃表面展示出建筑风格上的摩登和时尚，CHAO可不是一般的精品酒店，其酒店内为当地居民和外地游客设有供设计和分享的俱乐部。为了把这种社区为中心的空间设计转化为现实，CHAO特邀才华横溢的中国设计师王彦智负责整个项目。

The brand name “CHAO” has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for “nest.” Thus, the CHAO design team used the connection between different languages and cultures, making “nest” one of the core concepts for the overall design. The 180 rooms and five different areas of the hotel all revolve around the idea of animal nests, with single each space designed to be as cozy and as home-like as possible. Light is another one of the most central elements in the hotel’s overall design. By bringing in GD-Lighting Design, who has previously worked on high-profile projects like the Nanjing Youth Olympics Stadium, their emphasis on the importance of lighting is abundantly clear. Even before entering the hotel, their attentiveness to the effects of right lighting can be felt – a soothing yellow glow gently radiates from the first-floor window, beckoning visitors off the bustling Beijing streets and into the warmth of the hotel lobby.

在中文中，“CHAO”与汉字“巢”同音，设计团队从C-H-A-O四个字母出发，将“巢”作为核心设计理念之一，巧妙运用了多种语言文化之间的联系。180间客房，5种房型的设计灵感源自动物栖息的“巢”，每一个空间都力求提供仿若回到家中般的入住体验。照明也是酒店整体设计的另一个核心要素。大观国际设计咨询有限公司蜚声国际，之前承接了如南京青年奥林匹克体育馆一类备受关注的项目。酒店采用他们的灯光设计，充分凸显了其对照明的高要求。即使还未踏进酒店，就能感知这里的灯光运用，客人潜移默化地被牵引。从一楼窗户里折射出的黄色光晕柔和舒缓，慰藉这来往于熙熙攘攘北京街头的游客，送去酒店大堂里散发的温暖。

Designed to be a diversified and multileveled space, CHAO’S narrow entrance gives way to a spacious atrium lobby. As one of the most important and visually striking areas of the hotel, the atrium has a central stairway that connects various areas of the hotel with one another. By incorporating design concepts and a light set up that’s more commonly seen in art galleries, they’ve broken all traditional boundaries. Overhead, the ceiling consists of densely arranged fabric, while the lighting arrangement behind the textile ceiling gives the fabrics the illusion of floating effortlessly. Per the intent of the design team, every element of this area harmoniously comes together to lend the atrium a post-modernist feel.

为了打造出一种多元化、多层次的空间环境，CHAO特意设置了一个狭窄的入口，可以直达宽敞的大堂中厅。作为一个酒店最重要和最能带给人视觉冲击的区域，中庭中央有一个连接酒店各个空间的楼梯。借鉴室内设计手法，将美术馆的灯光设计理念很好地融入进来，打破灯光设计的传统界限。顶部疏密排布的布艺天花板，通过线性灯背光处理，创造出整个天花轻巧漂浮的视觉效果。设计团队的每一份用心都在力图让空间的细节完美统一地呈现出后现代主义的风格。

The restaurant area is designed to be atmospheric and emotional. The exposed ceiling of first floor bar lends a modern and industrial feel to the space, but still manages to retain a sense of luxury. The choice of lighting, from the candle-like luminaries to the large illuminated ceiling, doesn’t stray from the sophisticated elegance of the rest of the hotel, but was created while taking into consideration the intoxicated debauchery that will no doubt take place within the space.

CHAO的餐厅设计希望传递出更多情感和营造更佳的氛围。一楼酒吧区露天区域为餐厅呈现出极具现代气息的工业感。从蜡烛，灯具到超大的照明天花板，灯光不仅与整个酒店优雅精致相辅相成，还考虑了为酒吧里营造的迷离和沉醉的气氛。

The Sunlight Hall is described as the “most chic” area of the hotel. The walls here extend upwards, bending towards one another before finally meeting overhead at a curved angle. The space is meant to be airy and open, and the diffused light that illuminates the space serves to reinforce the feeling of openness. In terms of functionality, the Sunlight Hall is meant to offer a wide range of uses, from private events to art exhibitions.

“日光大厅”被认为是酒店最别具一格的区域。墙面向上延伸，直至在顶部以一定的弯角相连接，这样的设置让空间呈现轻盈和开放感，照明的灯光四散开来，加大宽阔开放之感。从私人聚会到艺术展览，“日光大厅”能够满足各式各样的场地需求。

By understanding the importance of light and masterfully using it to compliment the architecture and interior decor, the designers behind CHAO have created one of the innovative spaces in Beijing, a space that’s more than just a generic hotel for transient businessmen and tourists. The clubhouse concept is an extension of CHAO’s ambitious vision; they see it as a space filled with unlimited possibilities, a social haven where like-minded locals can meet up, and a welcoming destination for out-of-town visitors where they can easily connect with the local community.

设计师对光影的深刻理解，并将其娴熟巧妙地运用于整个酒店设计和内部装饰中，让CHAO不仅为过往的商旅客人提供一个栖息之所，更是打造出北京的潮流革新之地。俱乐部的概念更是彰显出酒店的眼界和抱负，这表明酒店也致力于提供一个汇集无限可能的空间，成为志同道合之人的社交平台，以及让外地旅客快速感受到当地氛围的热门之选。

Website: ilovechao.com

Address:
Worker’s Stadium East Road 4
Beijing, Chaoyang District
People’s Republic of China

Tel:
+86 010-58715588

 

Contributor: David Yen
Photographer: Shu He
Images Courtesy of GD-Lighting Design

网站: ilovechao.com

地址:
中国
北京市朝阳区
工人体育场东路4号

电话:
+86 010-58715588

 

供稿人: David Yen
摄影师: 舒赫
图片由GD-Lighting Design提供

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Freestyle China

November 25, 2016 2016年11月25日

 

无法观看？前往优酷

In China, soccer is the most-watched sport in the country. So it’s not surprising to see freestyle soccer, an extension of the sport’s traditional form, beginning to gain devotees around the Middle Kingdom in recent years. Albeit not as widely known and celebrated when compared with other soccer-frenzied countries like Colombia and Brazil, it’s still slowly starting to become recognized as a legitimate sport and a form of self-expression in China. For Chen Yaguang, one of the figureheads of freestyle soccer in the country, his introduction to the sport happened through YouTube prior to the website being blocked in China and he was instantly hooked. But he wasn’t complacent in merely being a spectator on the sidelines, admiring the talents of overseas freestyle soccer players through online videos. Yaguang soon began devoting nearly all of his time to the sport. His dedication to freestyle soccer culminated into him taking first place in China’s Red Bull Street Style competition back in 2014.

足球是中国有最多观众的一项体育运动，所以花式足球这个足球的衍生运动，从这几年开始在中国有越来越多的爱好者，也就不足为奇了。虽不能和哥伦比亚或巴西这些足球强国相比，但是也在中国逐渐地获得了更多认可，也成为了自我表达的一种方式。对于陈亚光来说，这个中国花式足球的领军人物之一，他通过YouTube视频接触到这项运动。偶然间点开了一个花式足球的视频，从此他就对这项运动着迷了。不甘心只做个看客，这个视频也成为他花式足球生涯的一剂催化剂。他也不想只是崇拜国外牛人，亚光开始投身于这项运动。他对于这项运动的热情也在获得了2014年中国红牛花式足球世界杯的冠军时达到了顶峰。

What makes a freestyle soccer player successful involves a mix of few different skills: being able to creatively reimagine the possibilities of basic tricks, pushing the boundaries of said tricks, and having the technical prowess to consistently execute them without error are all aspects of the sport that must be mastered. The ability to cohesively bring all these elements together into a performance is even more important. Chen Yaguang’s capability to balance these crucial facets of the sport, in addition to his unwavering tenacity and passion, has propelled him to become the face of China’s freestyle soccer scene today.

要想成为一名牛逼的花式足球选手需要掌握多种技巧：能够在基本的技巧上勇于创新，保持体能上的高强度和表演时的不出错，这些都是要面面精通的，能把这些技巧融会贯通，然后带到表演中去也至关重要的。陈亚光不仅能够在表演和练习时平衡这些重要元素，再加上他的坚定不移和热情，使他成为了今天中国花式足球的代表性人物。

Of course, passion alone isn’t enough. The hard work and rigorous training that happens behind the scenes shaped his path. His daily practice routine generally takes four to five hours to complete. Besides the physical aspects of training, he considers mentally preparation to be equally important. He often spends a large chunk of time thinking about the mechanics and aesthetics of each maneuvers, figuring out how these tricks can transition or interact with one another. “I take these moves that I’ve thoroughly practiced and feel comfortable with, then turn them into combos,” he says. “Practicing a combo may require maintaining an intense 30 to 40 seconds of physically demanding moves. It can definitely be tiring work.”

当然了，光有热情是不够的，背后辛勤的汗水和严格的训练也成就了他的生涯。他每天的训练过程一般要花四个小时才能完成，除了体能方面的训练，他认为精神上的准备是一样重要的。他经常花很多时间去思考每个动作的美感和动作的原理，琢磨这些招式需要用怎样的动作去过渡才更为流畅，或者每个招式怎么产生互动。“我把一些会一点点或者特别熟练的招，会融合成一个套路，一个套路要求保持高强度体力的招，30-40秒，完全是个体力活。”

President Xi Jinping has repeatedly voiced his ambitious dream of improving the quality of China’s soccer scene for several years. Earlier this year, the president’s big push to turn China into the next soccer superpower led to many reforms in the country, including increasing the public’s accessibility to the sport by constructing more soccer fields and improving soccer-related education in schools. The end goal is to cultivate talented homegrown soccer players and have one of the best soccer teams in the world by 2050. Freestyle soccer would appear to be riding on the momentum of Xi Jinxing’s push, with not only an increased interest from the general public, but also investors and brands who are now willing to put money into freestyle soccer-related institutions.

习大大已经在过去的几年，多次指出他希望中国的足球界能有一个质的提升。年初，他对足球的大力推进中国足球运动，希望中国能够成为一个足球强国，这让中国出现了很多改革，包括了让这项运动更亲民，增建更多的公共足球场和加强学校的足球教育。最终目标就是培养更多本土的优秀球员，能够在2050年前有一支世界级的强队。花式足球也伴随着这股势头，不仅公共对此越来越有兴趣，也吸引了愿意投资花式足球相关机构的投资人和品牌。

“In the beginning, when people saw me practicing they might ask me what kind of sport this was. But nowadays, people recognize that it’s freestyle soccer and the questions have turned into ‘How long have you been practicing?’ or they might ask even more thoughtful questions about the sport,” Yaguang happily told us. “It’s getting better, especially with the government pushing to improve the soccer scene here.” Slowly but surely, freestyle soccer is growing out of its status as being considered a niche sport in China, and with support from the government, talented individuals like Chen Yaguang have been able to turn their passion and skills into a legitimate career.

“最开始的时候，人们看到我练习的时，会问我你这是什么体育项目。但是现在，他们知道这个是花式足球，也会转而问 ’你玩这个多久了？’或者问些关于花式足球更细致的问题。” 亚光开心的对我们讲。“现在好多了，尤其是政府努力地在推广和提升本土的足球产业。” 虽然慢，但是可以肯定的是，伴随着政府的支持，花式足球已经成长为一项正式的运动，像陈亚光这样牛逼的选手，也能够把自己的爱好发展成正当的职业。

Even the conservative mentality attributed to traditional Chinese families seems to be shifting as soccer continues to gain momentum in the country. Not long ago, it might be completely unthinkable for some Chinese families to see their children pursue a nontraditional career path like soccer. “When I first started practicing freestyle soccer, my family wasn’t supportive. But it’s because I was still in school and they thought that it would have a negative effect on my studies,” Yaguang explained. “After graduating, I’ve started making money off of this. My parents actually have a fairly open outlook on things now. Their thinking is that no matter what I do, if I can make a living and live a life of value then they’ll be happy.”

即便是中国家庭中一些传统保守的心态，也在随着中国足球的发展势头发生了改变。几年前，如果某个中国家庭愿意让他们的小孩去把一个非传统的体育项目作为职业，还是一件不可思议的事情。“在我开始玩花式足球的时候，我家里并不支持的。但那时因为我还在上学，怕影响我学习。”亚光解释到。“在我毕业后，已经能够通过花式足球赚钱，父母其实对此还是挺看好的。他们只是觉得无论我做什么，只要能够维持生计，活的有价值，他们就很开心了。”

Contributor & Photographer: David Yen
Videographer: Damien Louise

供稿人与图片摄影师: David Yen
视频摄影师: Damien Louise

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Hong Kong Blues

November 24, 2016 2016年11月24日

Fascinated by the rapid transformations, geometry and quaint structures of Hong Kong, Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze is a French fine art photographer who has managed to create a series of stunning photos that presents the blue hour of Hong Kong in all its splendor. Lasting approximately 40 minutes, blue hour is one of the most treasured periods of time for many photographers; it’s when the sun is at a certain distance below the horizon, and the indirect light passing through the atmosphere scatters, covering the land below in saturated shades of blue. Recently, Neocha sat down with Romain to talk about how he got started with photography and his favorite aspects of Hong Kong.

法國艺术攝影師Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze對香港快速的變遷，以及其建築展現的幾何學和獨特風情相當感興趣，並成功拍攝出一系列驚艷之作，全方位地展示出香港沐浴在“藍色時刻”中的迷人之景。 “藍色時刻”即指當太陽隱沒於地平線後，光線透過大氣層折射散漫開來，將大地籠罩於一層藍色薄霧之中，這持續約四十分鐘的時段是很多攝影師眼中最為珍視的黃金時間。近日，Romain新茶一起分享了他攝影之路的起步歷程以及他對香港最感興趣的部分。

Neocha: Can you share with us, what brought you to Hong Kong? After having such a successful background working in design and illustration, what propelled you to switch to fine art photography?

Romain: I was into web design and graphic design before coming to Hong Kong. I worked as a web designer in Tokyo back in 2009. It was during that time when I met my wife who is originally from Hong Kong. So I moved to Hong Kong knowing very little about the city. I was heavily impressed by it. Its atmosphere, its streets, its architecture – everything there felt inspiring to me. So I bought my camera and started shooting. I was just an amateur at the beginning. Little by little, I became more and more fond of the whole process of photography. I then started to work on my first photo series called Vertical Horizon, which swiftly went viral and put my work in front of a huge audience. Working with a local publisher, we released a coffee table book of that series and I’ve been exhibiting prints of the project since.

Neocha: 能與我們談談是什麼吸引你來到香港嗎？在設計和插畫領域取得了不俗成績之後，又是什麼促使你投身藝術攝影領域？

Romain: 來香港之前，我從事網頁和平面設計。 2009年在東京的時候，我還是個網頁設計師。就在那個時候，我遇到了我現在的妻子，她來自香港。所以後來我也搬到了香港，那時的我對這個城市幾乎一無所知。但這裡卻給我極大的震撼。香港的氛圍、街道和建築，無一不給以我靈感。因此我買來了相機開始了我的攝影之路。一開始這只是個業餘愛好，後來慢慢地，我對攝影的整個過程愈發沉迷。之後我開啟了自己的首次系列作品創作《Vertical Horizon》，並很快風靡於網絡，得到了大批讀者的關注。通過與一位當地出版商的合作，將這個系列的作品集結推出了一本精裝書，從此之後，我就一直在參與這個項目。

Neocha: What inspires and intrigues you the most about the city? What kind of beauty have you observed in this concrete jungle you live in now?

Romain: For me, the beauty of the city is in its raw and chaotic character. You can feel that Hong Kong has grown organically and extremely fast, which has led to some remarkable contrast between old and modern architecture. The topography of Hong Kong is also special. It’s a piece of land made up of many highlands and mountains. The landscape this city was built on forces it to develop itself within a small confined area. You can see an extremely dense pack of buildings lying in between the water and green mountains covered by greenery. I like the contrast between architecture, between city and nature. That’s what inspires me the most.

Neocha: 這個城市哪裡最為吸引和啟發你？身處於這個鋼筋水泥叢林里，你發現的是一種怎樣的美？

Romain: 對我來說，這個城市的美在於其原始和混沌的狀態。你可以感覺到香港已經有序并飛速地發展起來了，也因此造成了這里傳統與現代建築的強烈對比。香港的地勢也非常獨特，這里高地群山眾多，導致了這個城市不得不在有限的空間中發展和建設。在鬱鬱蔥蔥的群山和水域之間，常常會看到極其稠密的建築群。這種建築之間的對比，城市與自然的對比，都是最能帶給我靈感的地方。

Neocha: What are your feelings about the blue hour? How rare is it to see in Hong Kong and how long did it take you to finish the project?

Romain: To me, the blue hour has a really magical atmosphere. Indeed, everyday at dusk you see daylight fading and street lights lightning up, until the moment when it is perfectly balanced. But the blue veil that envelops the city doesn’t appear every day. It’s actually quite rare in a city like Hong Kong, where the air is either too polluted or too misty to let the magic happen. You need some specific weather conditions for it. This kind of rarity makes the moment truly special. For this project, the most time-consuming part was not the actual shooting, but the scouting. Most of the photos were taken from residential buildings, so I needed time to get access and explore them. It took me roughly ten months of scouting and two months of shooting to finish this project.

Neocha: 你對“藍色時刻”有何感受？在香港看到這種時刻的頻率高嗎？完成你的整個系列作品花了多長時間呢？

Romain: 在我看來，“藍色時刻”真的是有著魔法般的魅力。雖然每天的確都能經歷黃昏後，光線漸暗、城市華燈初上的變化時刻，直至所有光影和諧統一，但是那種藍光籠罩整個城市的氛圍並不會每天都出現。實際上，在香港這樣一座城市，這種時刻相當少見，因為這裡的空氣要么污染太嚴重，要么過於霧氣氤氳，很難得見藍光降臨的神奇時刻。需要天空作美方能遇見。這種稀缺性也讓這樣的時刻變得異常特別。不過對於整個項目，最費時間的還不是實際的拍攝，而是尋找合適的拍攝場景。這些照片都是在居民區拍攝，所以我需要時間走訪和觀察。我花了將近十個月的時間來勘察，然後是兩個月的拍攝時間才完成了這個項目。

Neocha: Are you most fond of architectural photography? What other series are you working on?

Romain: Indeed, architecture has been a big source of inspiration for me these past few years. My three main series Vertical Horizon, Wild Concrete and The Blue Moment are all directly or indirectly focused around architecture. I’m currently working on a few new projects, but it’s hard for me to determine which ones will be finished first. So let’s keep it a secret for now. What I can say for sure is that it will be about Hong Kong, a city that still has a lot untold stories.

Neocha: 建築攝影算是你最愛的主題嗎？還有沒有其他方面的系列作品？

Romain: 建築確實是我過去這幾年最大的靈感來源。我的三個主打系列作品《Vertical Horizon》、《Wild Concrete》以及《The Blue Moment》都直接或者間接地聚焦於建築。我最近正在著手一些新的項目，但現在還沒有決定先完成哪一件。所以暫時還是讓我先賣個關子吧。我能夠保證的是，那一定是關於香港的，這個城市還有很多鮮為人知的故事待人發現。

Website: romainjl.com
Facebook: ~/rjlart
Instagram: ~/romainjacquetlagreze

 

Contributor: Anastasia Masalova

網站: romainjl.com
臉書: ~/rjlart
Instagram: ~/romainjacquetlagreze

 

供稿人: Anastasia Masalova

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Organic Farm

November 23, 2016 2016年11月23日

Having previously completed impressive architectural and interior design projects throughout China such as Beijing’s Rongbaozhai Coffee Bookstore, Arch Studio was commissioned to design Organic Farm, a 6000 square meter compound located in the outskirts of Tangshan City’s Guye District. The distinct architectural design stands out amongst the sprawl of villages and private residences in the surrounding area. As the name suggests, the main purpose of the building is to function as a processing workshop of organic food. Raw materials are sent from organic producing regions across the China are processed and packaged to be retail-ready. Many of the organic products here are then transported to homes and supermarket all throughout China.

建筑营在国内有着诸多令人惊叹的建筑和室内设计作品，像是北京荣宝斋咖啡书屋。这次建筑营在唐山古冶区设计了占地6000平米的有机农场。被村落和房屋环绕的这座独特建筑更显独树一帜。如其所名，建筑的基本功能是有机粮食加工作坊，原料来自于分散全国各地的有机粮食原产区，在这里完成粮食的收集、加工、包装流程，再将成品运送到各大超市和家家户户。

The design concept behind this building is inspired by siheyuan, a traditional residential design where a large courtyard is flanked by buildings on all four sides, a design commonly sees in northern China. Organic Farm’s skillfully executed this traditional architectural style on a much larger scale. In doing so, they’ve create a natural atmosphere and a functional workspace that allows flexibility. The self-contained compound is at the same time able to harmoniously coexist with the surrounding natural environment.

这座建筑的设计理念来自四合院，四面民居中心庭院，一个在中国北方较为常见的传统民居设计。有机农场巧妙地把这种传统建筑风格放大。用这种方法，他们创造了自然的氛围和灵活多变的工作空间。实现自给自足的同时又与周围的自然环境和谐共处。

The entire compound is split into four enclosed, relatively independent buildings: a material storage, a mill, an oil pressing workshop, and a packing area. The inner courtyard is the grain-sunning ground, and a convenient work cycle line is formed around the inner courtyard. The exterior of the buildings are corridors that connect the four areas and leads to the food processing workshop.

整座建筑可以细分为四个相对独立的建筑，分别是原料库、磨坊、榨油坊、包装区。内庭 院作为粮食的晒场，围绕内庭院形成便捷的工作循环流线。建筑的边界是联通四个分区的外部游廊，也通向粮食作坊。

The central courtyard spans out around the Organic Farm unintentionally, forming a multilayered area that fulfills the need for natural ventilation, natural lighting and views of a workshop. The organic relationship between the courtyard and each building creates functional areas of various sizes: small corridors, medium-sized rooms, and large workshop are all able to fit under one big roof, allowing for even more flexibility while meeting the functional needs of the building.

中心庭院向建筑四周错落延伸，拓扑组合成为多层次的庭院空间，满足厂房的自然通风、采光及景观需求,保持良好的室内外空间品质。院 与房的有机联系使得建筑在一个完整的大屋顶下产生多种跨度的使用空间：小尺寸的走廊、 中等大小的房间、大规模的厂房，可以弹性的适应加工作坊的复合使用要求。

Lightweight, easily processed, and easily installed, wood was the main material of choice. Because it sits on a 60cm cement base, the building appears to floating above the ground due to the 60 centimeter cement base that it sits on, which also allows the wooden structure to be moisture proof. At the same time, this design choice hides pipelines and various fixed equipment, allowing for a cleaner visual presentation to visitors.

由于木材的轻质,快速加工安装的特点以及自然的材料属性,设计选择了胶合木作为主体结构。建筑仿佛“漂浮”于地面之上，坐落在60公分高的水泥台基上，以使得木结构与室内地面产生更好的防潮性能，同时可以隐藏一些固定设备管线，给观者带了视觉上更清新简约的感觉。

The thoughtful designs employed by Arch Studio, such as the material choice and structural shape, all flawlessly work together and has resulted in a warm, natural, and comfortable working atmosphere.

建筑营带来的细致的设计，从材料的挑选和结构上的考究，相辅相成。空间、结构、材料以及层次性的室外庭院共同塑造出这个农场温暖、自然、内外连续的工作场景。

Website: archstudio.cn

 

Contributor: George Liu Zhen
Photographer: Jin Weiqi
Images Courtesy of Arch Studio

网站: archstudio.cn

 

供稿人: George Liu Zhen
摄影师: 金伟琦
图片由建筑营设计工作室提供

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Birdstriking 所有的吵闹都消失在节奏里

November 21, 2016 2016年11月21日

 

无法观看？前往优酷

The term birdstriking is aviation jargon that describes the collisions between birds and aircraft in mid-flight. The collisions may be intentional or unintentional, and can sometimes cause damage to the aircraft. When Hefan, the guitarist, vocalist and one of the founding members of the Beijing rock band Birdstriking, first heard this term, he thought to himself, “How can a bird, an animal of just flesh and blood, damage a gigantic airplane that’s made of metal and steel? That is really pretty amazing.” Moving at 80 kilometers per hour, birds can actually generate 216,000 newtons of force on impact. After learning about this, Hefan gained a newfound respect for energy and life. He hopes that the band’s music can generate the same amount of energy, and make a similar kind of impact on listeners.

鸟撞这个词是一个航空的行话，讲的就是鸟撞飞机。这个撞可能是有意识也可能是无意识的，有时甚至能撞坏飞机。当吉他手和主唱，也是创始人之一的何凡，第一次听到这个词的时候，当时他就想，“血肉之躯的鸟怎么可能把钢铁飞机撞坏呢，这现象真是够牛逼的。” 鸟飞行的时速有80公里每小时梦产生21.6万牛顿的力量。何凡知道这事后，对生命的力量产生了新的敬畏。他希望鸟撞的音乐也带给听众同样的能量，冲撞进人们的内心。

Take a listen to some select tracks from Birdstriking below:

 Birdstriking – Yuntianming

 Birdstriking – Magpie

 Birdstriking – No More Rock and Roll

下面是鸟撞的几首精选歌曲：

 鸟撞 – 云天明

 鸟撞 – 喜鹊

 鸟撞 – No More Rock and Roll

The band was formed in 2009, when Hefan met Wang Xinjiu, the band’s original drummer and now guitarist. Later, the original bassist Yang Fan joined the group, and the three of them became the first iteration of Birdstriking. With the addition of a few new band members and some shuffled roles, the group sounded even better and with a fuller, more layered sound. When they are crafting songs, they will often have clashing ideas, but for the group, this is all part of the fun. On the new album, there are the lyrics “Half-hearted conversations and sincere smiles / disagreements fade away in the rhythm”, which they say perfectly summarize the band’s state of mind. As for their style, is it grunge? garage? punk? psychedelic? Hefan likes to think of it as just being indie rock. For him and the rest of the band, it doesn’t matter what genre they are classified under. After all, isn’t enjoying the music the most important thing?

鸟撞在2009年成立，当何凡遇到了当时的鼓手现在的吉他手王欣九，后来贝斯手杨帆加入了乐队，三人成为鸟撞乐队最早的阵容。后来也加入了几名新团员以及一些人员变动，让这个乐队创作更丰富了，也更有层次了。大家在写歌的时候想法有更多的碰撞，也更好玩儿了。在新专辑里，有句歌词：“无心的对话和真心的微笑，所有的吵闹都消失在节奏里。” 完美地概括了鸟撞乐队的状态。至于他们的风格，是垃圾摇滚吗？车库摇滚？朋克摇滚？迷幻摇滚？何凡认为就是独立摇滚，无需在意风格，喜欢就好。

The new album, which will be released next year, was produced by Ricky Maymi, the guitarist for The Brian Johnstown Massacre. He was also the tour manager for the band’s 2015 North American tour. The decision to have him help them produce the album came very naturally. One day when they were on tour, Ricky asked the band, “Who’s producing your next album?”. The band just said, “We want you to produce it,” and he said okay. Whether it was in music or in everyday life, Ricky would give the band a lot of inspiration. On tour they would often just chat and joke around, so it was only natural to have him produce the album too.

明年会推出的新专辑，由Brian Johnstown Massacre的吉他手Ricky Maymi制作。他也是鸟撞2015北美巡演的巡演经历。决定让他来帮助鸟撞制作的新专辑是非常随性的。巡演中的一天Ricky问鸟撞：“你们下一张专辑谁制作？”鸟撞说：“我们想让你制作。”然后他说好的。无论是音乐还是日常生活，Ricky都给了乐队很多启发。巡演中大家也经常聊天和开开玩笑。这专辑让Ricky制作也是自然而然的事儿了。

Hefan says, “The new album is meant to be inspirational, and is dedicated to every young person who feels confident about the future. It’s like a promise to the future. All five of us in Birdstriking are around 25 years old. We all feel like kids who are entering the next stage of adulthood, and right now we are slowly conforming to societal expectations. During this time in our lives, it feels like we‘re just trying to express ourselves, but venting isn’t cathartic enough. To make actual changes to the world, there needs to be action. When a person is dreaming, no matter how good they feel about the dream, it won’t affect reality in the slightest bit. We need to wake up, get our blood flowing, and use our brain and our own two hands to turn our dreams into something real.”

何凡讲：“新专辑是一张鼓舞人心的专辑，它唱给对未来充满信心的年轻人，像是对未来宣誓。鸟撞的五个人都是25岁左右，刚刚进入成人社会的青年，慢慢的将要变成这个社会的主题。在这个过程中，我们发现仅仅单纯的表达和宣泄远远不够，更多时候还要做出行动才能改变世界。一个人在梦中，不管他的梦多么踌躇满志，梦境不会对现实产生丝毫的作用。我们要做的就是起床醒来，让血液驱动身体，用头脑加双手将梦境中的愿景实现。”

Next year will be an important year for Birdstriking. The band’s new album will be released early in the year, and they’ll also be touring and attending lots of music festivals. They hope that more people outside of China will start to fall in love with Chinese bands. Bassist Zhou Nairen really wants to keep making more music that the group can be proud of, and hopes that Chinese rock will only get better over time. In recent years, many live houses in Beijing that have been around for a long time have ominously started to close. From watching gigs at these venues, to actually playing at them, there is a sense of emotional attachment for the band to these places. At the moment, it is unclear how this all will affect Beijing’s music scene in the future. Birdstriking just hope that more Chinese young people who love rock music can pick up an instrument and form bands of their own. This, for them, is the most important thing.

明年对鸟撞来说会是很重要的一年。乐队的新专辑会在明年发行，也会开始巡演和参加很多的音乐节。他们希望更多外国人会开始喜爱中国的乐队。贝斯手周乃仁也希望能够制作更多乐队可以引以为傲的音乐，希望中国摇滚可以走的更好。在最近的几年里，北京以前开了很久的live house都关门了。从最早看演出到后来自己演出，对北京这些大大小小的场地多少有些感情。鸟撞希望更多中国喜欢摇滚的年轻人，可以学一门乐器，组个自己的乐队。对他们来说，这就是最重要的事儿了。

Facebook: ~/birdstriking

 

Contributor, Photographer & Videographer: Leon Yan

 

供稿人，图片摄影师与视频摄影师: Leon Yan

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Echoes of Solitude

November 21, 2016 2016年11月21日

Gurgaon-based visual artist Pragya Bhargava believes that nature is intrinsically linked with culture, and that these are two major components which have shaped our society and way of life. Through observing the natural elements that impose their influence on landscapes over time, she endeavors to explore the vital connection between the connection between the two, a connection that has become largely overlooked and ignored. In attempting to fully visualize and present this vital connection to her audience, her art often blurs the boundaries between photography, printmaking, and drawing. Recently, we talked to Pragya about her work and some of the underlying themes behind it.

Neocha: How has living in India influenced you as a photographer?

Pragya Bhargava: Being based in India has had a significant impact on me as a photographer. The diversity in landscape and the richness of history and culture prevalent in Indian society is an anchor for my photographic practice. With the knowledge that human history has been written several times over on the same piece of seemingly uncluttered land, the resolved nature and settled wisdom of the land around me grounds my practice and leaves me in awe.

Neocha: How long have you been doing photography and how would you describe your photographic style?

Pragya Bhargava: I have been practicing photography for eight years now. But to define or describe a photographic style, I feel, requires many more years of experience and practice. At this point, I find my photographic style to be based largely on intuition. Photography is essentially drawing with light, and every subject demands a certain kind of light, in order for it be presented for what it looks and feels like. I shoot mostly on a 5D Mark III and prefer working with natural light. For the process of shooting, I follow my instinct to shoot the experience of my subject. Although I usually tend to keep distance between the camera and my subject, there is always a sense of comfort in the frame. For the outcome, it is absolutely essential that I be satisfied with the work before I present it to an audience.

Neocha: Where is your favourite place in India for shooting landscape photography, and why?

Pragya Bhargava: I like being on the road. The landscapes you encounter on road trips can hardly ever be listed on a map or bound in a book. This is why I rarely plan my destinations or make advance bookings when I’m out shooting landscapes. I decide the terrain I want to shoot and set out in that general direction. Most of my traveling is by road and the landscapes punctuate my travel. Sometimes I gaze, other times I halt, but it’s not every time that I shoot.

Neocha: Are there any challenges you face when shooting landscape photographs, and what are they?

Pragya Bhargava: Recreating experience is an important part of my practice. Therefore, the biggest challenge for me with landscape photography is being able to do justice to the experience of landscapes. Visually, I may be able to portray what I see but the challenge lies in capturing the timelessness and ephemerality of landscapes while maintaining their tangibility, omnipresence and incorporating their multifaceted character, due to the years of layering and transformations landscapes have undergone, in a single frame.

Neocha: How far do you go in post-production?  How important is post-processing in making a landscape photograph?

Pragya Bhargava: The landscapes define how far I go in post-production. With the aim to reproduce an experience and recreate an atmosphere, I use every tool at my disposal to get there. But there’s a fine line in processing that lies between under and over processing and I need to be on it. My process usually involves shadow recovery, highlight and contrast adjustments, levels and colour balance, preserving details in the extreme points, mostly during raw conversion itself. A raw image file is only half baked, processing and post-processing completes the process. They are tools, like the camera itself to translate ideas into finished products. Each of them have an equally important role to play.

Neocha: Who do you count among your biggest influences, photographically or otherwise?

Pragya Bhargava: The photographs of Ansel Adams and Cory Richards and the paintings of J.M.W. Turner have been huge inspirations for me, but Leonardo da Vinci has been the most significant influence in my life, especially professionally. Da Vinci was a polymath. To a layman who wants to understand him and his work, his ideas might seem all over the place, yet it was cohesive in his mind. In my journey as a student of science, I have a Bachelors in Fine Arts and a diploma in dance. I’m currently studying physics in order to learn more about geophysics to gain a better understanding of landscape dynamics to enrich my practice as an artist. I look up to Da Vinci and take inspiration from him and the thoughts he left behind in his works.

Neocha: Do you have guiding principles that you follow when you’re making pictures? Is there an underlying philosophy that binds all your work together?

Pragya Bhargava: It’s more of a routine now. I do my ground research, assess the situation, make myself comfortable with the situation and with the subject so they don’t feel like an outsider. I look at the light, the subject, my equipment, and consider my aim but stay flexible. I prepare for my shot and follow my routine to capture what I intended to shoot, but as a photographer, I’m not stubborn about the shooting. I’m prepared for the unplanned and to let go if chance offers an alternate opportunity. For me, instinct has always been a better guide than planning. What probably binds my work together is that no matter what I’m shooting, I try to remain true to my subject. I try to understand my subject first, taking its various facets into consideration, and try to present it with all its intricacies.

Neocha: You’ve also created conceptual works like Ode to the Landscape and The Yellow Brick Road, which still contain a strong focus on landscape. What is the allure of landscapes for you?

Pragya Bhargava: Every artist needs a muse and mine happens to be landscapes. The enigmatic character, constant change and ubiquitous grandeur of landscapes is what attracts me to them. For me, they are like people but infinitely more complex. I have an unfaltering need to understand their personality, history and character. Sometimes these landscapes seem to talk directly to me as a sensory experience or feelings they evoke, while other times I feel the urge to read into things that are left unsaid, thinking in terms of the stories that might have been.

Website: pragyabhargava.com

 

Contributor: George Liu Zhen

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Between the Shadows

November 18, 2016 2016年11月18日

 

无法观看？前往优酷

Sabera Shaik has always been in love with shadows. As the founder and theatre director of Masakini Theatre Company, she sees the white screen to be an infinite canvas on which she’s able to paint with light, or rather the lack thereof, as opposed to brushes. To this purpose, she uses everything that casts interesting shadows, from the bodies of her actors, to water bottles, pillows covered in sequins, and more recently, paper cutaways inspired by wayang kulit.

Sabera Shaik telah lama jatuh cinta dengan bayang-bayang. Sebagai pengasas dan pengarah teater Masakini Theatre Company, beliau melihat layar putih itu ibarat sehamparan kanvas yang tiada batasnya, di mana beliau dapat mewarnainya dengan cahaya, atau sebenarnya menampan cahaya, dan bukan menggunakan berus. Demi mencapai tujuan ini, beliau menggunakan apa sahaja yang dapat menampan cahaya menjadi bebayang menarik, dari tubuh para pelakon beliau, hingga ke botol air, bantal bersarung labuci dan yang terkini, potongan kertas yang diilhamkan daripada wayang kulit.

Wayang kulit, otherwise known as shadow play, has gone through some rough times in Malaysia. Unlike in Indonesia where it seems to still flourish, Malaysian wayang kulit was banned in 1990 in Kelantan, a state where the art had previously thrived, being performed by Muslim dalangs or storytellers. Since wayang kulit’s stories were mainly based on the Hindu epic Ramayana, they didn’t align with the political vision of the state, and hence, this centuries long tradition was deemed un-Islamic and outlawed.

Wayang kulit, yang merupakan persembahan seni bayang, telah melalui waktu-waktu yang mencabar di Malaysia. Tidak seperti di Indonesia, di mana ia masih lagi berkembang mekar, wayang kulit di Malaysia telah diharamkan pada tahun 1990 di Kelantan, sebuah negeri di mana seni ini pernah menguasai satu ketika dahulu, dipersembahkan oleh tok dalang atau tukang cerita. Oleh kerana kisah-kisah wayang kulit kebanyakannya berdasarkan epik Hindu, Ramayana, ia tidak sejajar dengan wawasan politik negeri tersebut, maka tradisi yang telah berusia berkurun-kurun ini dianggap sebagai tidak mengandungi unsur-unsur ke-Islam-an dan telah diharamkan.

Sabera regards all art as sacred and thinks theatre is nurturing for the soul. With such strong sentiments, she couldn’t just let wayang kulit vanish. Sharing the same mentality as many other performers in Malaysia, she believes that we have to keep building on the traditional arts, so they can evolve and continue to stay relevant for the future generations.

Sabera menganggap semua bentuk kesenian sebagai kudus dan merasakan teater adalah sesuatu yang memupuk jiwa. Dengan sentimen yang sebegitu kuat, beliau tidak sanggup membiarkan wayang kulit terhapus begitu sahaja. Berkongsi mentaliti yang sama dengan ramai lagi penggiat seni di Malaysia, beliau percaya bahawa kita perlu terus membangunkan seni tradisional, agar ia dapat berevolusi dan kekal relevan untuk generasi masa depan.

“These days people need visual things – it’s such a visual world,” says Sabera, and it seems like she’s really onto something. In the world of Instagram, Netflix and Hollywood blockbusters, our brains are conditioned to absorb visual cues. But movies may be an expensive pastime, especially if you want to entertain a family of five in Malaysia. Wayang kulit, rich with teachings and whimsical images, is perfectly positioned to be a hit in the country. “There should be a lesson in it too so that kids go back and think – hey, what happened in that story, what does it actually mean? Because everything is too literal nowadays. People don’t have to think anymore.”

“Dewasa ini orang ramai memerlukan sesuatu yang visual; dunia ini sesungguhnya amat visual,” ujar Sabera, dan nampaknya beliau benar-benar berniat besar. Dalam dunia Instagram, Netflix dan filem pecah panggung Hollywood, fikiran kita telah diajar untuk menyerap bayangan-bayangan visual. Namun filem merupakan waktu lapang yang mahal, apatah lagi jika anda mahu mencari hiburan untuk sebuah keluarga sebesar lima orang di Malaysia. Wayang kulit yang kaya dengan pengajaran dan imej-imej yang pelik, telah diletakkan pada posisi terbaik untuk digemari ramai di negara ini. “Seharusnya ada pengajaran di dalamnya supaya kanak-kanak dapat mengimbas kembali dan berfikir: Eh! Apakah yang terjadi pada kisah itu? Apakah maksud sebenarnya? Kerana segalanya terlalu harfiah dewasa ini. Orang ramai tidak perlu berfikir lagi.”

Sabera feels that the lack of education in liberal arts is one of the biggest pains of Malaysia, a manifestation of a concealed ailment, one that if ignored for long enough can harm the country. “Tradition and culture keep the family grounded, so you don’t lose your identity and your ethics. History is what you need to be able to go forward.”

Sabera merasakan kurangnya pendidikan dalam bidang seni liberal menjadi duri dalam daging di Malaysia, sebuah manifestasi penyakit yang disembunyikan, yang mana jika dibiarkan cukup lama, mampu memudaratkan negara. “Tradisi dan budaya menjadikan keluarga berpijak di bumi nyata, agar anda tidak kehilangan identiti dan etika anda. Sejarah ialah apa yang anda perlukan untuk menolak anda melangkah ke hadapan.”

With this in mind, Sabera and her crew set on a journey to popularise shadow theatre and bring it under the roofs of community halls and everyday homes of Malaysians. “If you do something that’s modern and make it beautiful and visual, it will captivate children, and so far, children seem to love the shadows.”

Dengan minda yang tertanam dengan semangat ini, Sabera dan krew beliau melangkah dalam sebuah perjalanan untuk mempopularkan teater bebayang dan dan membawanya di bawah naungan dewan-dewan komuniti dan kediaman biasa di Malaysia. “Sekiranya anda melakukan sesuatu yang moden dan jadikan ia cantik dan visual, ia akan menambat hati kanak-kanak, dan setakat ini, kanak-kanak nampaknya suka pada bayang-bayang.”

Website: masakinitheatre.com.my

 

Contributor, Photographer, and Videographer: Gloria Kurnik

Laman web: masakinitheatre.com.my

 

Penyumbang, Jurufoto, Juruvideo: Gloria Kurnik

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

KLEX

November 17, 2016 2016年11月17日

The Kuala Lumpur Experimental Film, Video & Music Festival (KLEX) is a grassroots and artist-run international festival of experimental cinema and music. The event was founded in Malaysia back in 2010 by a cross-disciplinary group of local artists, and returns this year in its seventh edition as KLEX 2016: SPARK on November 24 – 27th, 2016. The festival aims to function as a platform to introduce and promote contemporary experimental cinema and music from the Asia region and beyond to a mostly Malaysian audience and to cultivate greater understanding, learning and creative exchange among local and international experimental art communities. Some of the festival components include: KLEX open programmes, international guest programmes, a non-camera film workshop, artist lectures, and many audio-visual and music performances.

Pesta Filem, Video & Muzik Eksperimental Kuala Lumpur (KLEX) merupakan pesta filem dan muzik ekperimental antarabangsa yang dikelolakan oleh para artis dan golongan akar umbi. Acara ini diasaskan di Malaysia pada tahun 2010 oleh sekumpulan artis tempatan daripada pelbagai disiplin, dan kembali tahun ini dalam edisi ketujuhnya sebagai KLEX 2016: SPARK pada 24-27 November 2016. Pesta ini bermatlamat untuk berfungsi sebagai platform untuk memperkenalkan dan mempromosikan filem dan muzik eksperimen dari benua Asia dan selanjutnya kepada penonton Malaysia pada umumnya dan untuk memupuk pemahaman, pembelajaran dan pertukaran kreatif yang lebih giat di antara komuniti seni eksperimen tempatan dan antarabangsa. Antara komponen pesta ini termasuklah: Program terbuka KLEX, program tetamu antarabangsa, sebuah bengkel filem bukan kamera, syarahan artis, dan pelbagai lagi persembahan audio-visual dan muzik.

In its run, KLEX has curated and showcased experimental films, videos, music and performances from all around the world – from all across Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, North and South America. The festival features KLEX Open Programmes with work selected from an open call, and International Guest Programmes that are curated by international artists invited by KLEX. In addition to the screening programmes, KLEX’s music and audio-visual performance programme has become a very integral part to the festival since 2011. In 2014, KLEX launched its music and performance lab series Serious Play Improv Lab (SPIL) to facilitate collaborations among musicians and performers through improvisation.

Dalam tempoh kewujudannya, KLEX telah menghasilkan dan memaparkan filem, video, muzik dan persembahan eksperimental dari seluruh dunia – dari serata Asia, Afrika, Australia, Eropah, Amerika Utara dan Selatan. Pesta ini memaparkan Program Terbuka KLEX dengan hasil karya yang dipilih daripada jemputan terbuka, dan Program Tetamu Antarabangsa yang diolah oleh artis-artis antarabangsa yang dijemput oleh KLEX. Sebagai tambahan kepada program tayangan, program muzik dan audio-visual KLEX juga telah membentuk bahagian yang penting dalam pesta ini sejak tahun 2011. Pada tahun 2014, KLEX telah melancarkan siri makmal muzik dan persembahannya, Serious Play Improv Lab (SPIL), untuk memberi ruang kerjasama antara pemuzik dan penghibur melalui kaedah improvisasi.

This year, the festival events will take place at several artist-run independent art spaces in Kuala Lumpur: Lostgens’ Contemporary Artspace, Findars and Da Huang Pictures. KLEX 2016 is made possible with the support of these venues, and also from the Goethe-Institut Malaysia, Next New Wave and the Korean Association of Film Education (KAFE). This year’s festival has received over 250 submissions via the open call, from Malaysia and other countries from around the world, including Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Iran, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, the UK, USA, and Vietnam.

Tahun ini, acara pesta ini akan diadakan di beberapa ruang seni bebas yang dikendalikan oleh artis di Kuala Lumpur: Lostgens’ Contemporary Artspace, Findars dan Da Huang Pictures. Sokongan tempat-tempat ini, dan juga daripada Goethe-Institut Malaysia, Next New Wave dan Persatuan Pendidikan Filem Korea (KAFE) telah memungkinkan KLEX 2016 untuk direalisasikan. Pesta tahun ini telah menerima lebih daripada 250 penyertaan melalui jemputan terbuka, dari Malaysia dan negara-negara lain dari seluruh dunia, termasuk Argentina, Belgium, Kanada, China, Perancis, Jerman, Jepun, Iceland, Indonesia, Itali, Iran, Mexico, Filipina, Singapura, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, Amerika Syarikat, dan Vietnam.

The theme of this year’s KLEX 2016 is “spark”. A spark, by definition, can start a light, a fire, an electric current, an interest, or a relationship. It is that very crucial moment when things ignite and simply “happen”. It could take the form of a few sparkling lights, or it could erupt into majestic fireworks. Just like how a person can’t clap with one hand only, it takes two to come into contact with one another in order to generate a spark. And when they come together and suddenly ignite, something unexpected happens, something that couldn’t have existed without them coming together in the first place – a truly magical moment!

Tema KLEX 2016 tahun ini ialah “spark” atau “percikan api”. Percikan api, mengikut definisi, boleh mencetuskan cahaya, api, arus elektrik, minat, atau perhubungan. Pada suatu detik penting itulah segalanya menjadi bernyawa dan “hidup” dengan begitu sahaja. Mungkin ia akan membentuk beberapa percikan cahaya, atau mungkin juga ia meletus menjadi bunga api yang maha hebat. Seperti juga bagaimana kita tidak boleh bertepuk sebelah tangan, dua jiwa diperlukan untuk berhubung antara satu sama lain lalu mencetuskan percikan api itu. Dan apabila mereka bersatu dan tiba-tiba meletus, sesuatu yang tidak dijangka berlaku, sesuatu yang tidak mungkin akan wujud tanpa mereka bersatu pada mulanya – suatu detik yang sesungguhnya ajaib!

Previously known as just an experimental film festival, in 2015 KLEX modified its official festival name to “Kuala Lumpur Experimental Film, Video & Music Festival”, to broaden its scope and include experimental music in its programme. For KLEX founder Kok Siew Wai, music has always been an integral part of KLEX’s identity and vision. This year, the festival has a varied and splendid international line-up of experimental artists and musicians, including Asger Thomsen (Denmark), C-drÌk (Belgium/Germany), Charlotte Clermont (Canada), Dharma (Singapore), DJ Urine (France), Ikbal S. Lubys (Indonesia), Liu Fangyi (Taiwan), Nous perçons les oreilles (Canada), Paul Timings (New Zealand), Riar Rizaldi (Indonesia) and Yngel (Denmark).

Sebelum ini dikenali sebagai cuma sebuah pesta filem eksperimental, pada tahun 2015 KLEX telah mengubah nama pesta rasminya kepada “Pesta Filem, Video & Muzik Eksperimental Kuala Lumpur”, untuk meluaskan lagi skopnya dan memasukkan muzik eksperimental dalam programnya. Bagi pengasas KLEX Kok Siew Wai, muzik merupakan sebahagian daripada identiti dan wawasan KLEX yang penting. Tahun ini, pesta ini mempunyai barisan artis dan ahli muzik eksperimental antarabangsa yang pelbagai dan hebat, termasuklah Asger Thomsen (Denmark), C-drÌk (Belgium/Jerman), Charlotte Clermont (Kanada), Dharma (Singapura), DJ Urine (Perancis), Ikbal S. Lubys (Indonesia), Liu Fangyi (Taiwan), Nous perçons les oreilles (Kanada), Paul Timings (New Zealand), Riar Rizaldi (Indonesia) dan Yngel (Denmark).

In addition to the scheduled performances and screenings, there will also be a non-camera film workshop, which will teach different ways to create or destroy images on 16mm film, with clear leader film and found footage – all without the use of a camera! The participants will bring their own materials such as ink, pens, newspaper, plastic bags, hole punchers, and so on. The workshop will experiment with and push the possibilities of image-making with hand-drawn animations, abstract textures, and other analog techniques. Be sure to check out the KLEX website for more details on this year’s festival!

Sebagai tambahan kepada persembahan dan tayangan yang dijadualkan, terdapat juga bengkel filem bukan kamera, yang akan mengajar cara-cara yang berbeza untuk mencipta atau menghapuskan imej pada filem 16mm, dengan bahagian pangkal filem dan kaki filem dijumpai yang nyata – semuanya tanpa penggunaan kamera! Para peserta akan membawa bahan-bahan mereka sendiri seperti dakwat, pena, surat khabar, beg plastik, penebuk lubang, dan sebagainya. Bengkel ini akan bereksperimen dan mengusulkan kemungkinan dalam pembuatan imej dengan animasi lukisan tangan, tekstur abstrak, dan teknik-teknik analog yang lain. Pastikan anda melayari laman web KLEX untuk maklumat lanjut mengenai pesta tahun ini!

Website: klexfilmfest.com
Facebook: ~/klexfest

 

Contributor: Leon Yan
Images Courtesy of KLEX

Laman web: klexfilmfest.com
Facebook: ~/klexfest

 

Penyumbang: Leon Yan
Imej Sumbangan KLEX

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Travel Photographer Asia 2016

November 16, 2016 2016年11月16日
Tailor Net by Raiyani Muharramah, Vietnam

In close collaboration with FUJIFILM X, Travel Photographer Asia is an annual travel photography event that includes a photography contest, photo talks, classes and workshops run by world-famous photojournalists and documentary photographers. The 2016 photo competition was a big success, with powerful entries ranging from the cities of Bangladesh to the wilderness of Indonesia.

Shy by Md Rashid Un Nabi, Thailand
Morning Bliss by Darren J. Bennett, Taiwan
Crazy Journey by A.M.Ahad, Bangladesh

Travel Photographer Asia was recently rebranded as the Travel Photographer Society. The relaunch establishes them as a global community that welcomes photography enthusiasts of every calibre, as long as they share an eagerness to explore the world at large.

Wild Ride by Alexandra Novitske, Jordan
Ganesh Festival by Alain Schroeder, India
The Walesharks of Cenderawasih – A Stormy Day by Alex Varani, 1st Place Winner, Indonesia

For the TPA 2016 photo contest, hundreds of professionals and amateurs competed in five major categories: People, Daily Life, Sense of Place, Nature and Beautiful Home. The submissions unveiled the most intriguing and beautiful moments of each participants journeys through Asia.

Ballooning Cappadocia by Andrei IIiescu, People Choice Award 1, Turkey
Larung Gar Night by Paul Ratje, People Choice Award 2, China
Content Life by Kajan Madrasmail, Beautiful Home Category Winner, India
Fire Ritual by Steve Reynolds, Merit Prize 1, India
Alone by Etienne Bossot, Merit Prize 2, Vietnam

The winners of the 2016 photo contest received Fujifilm camera equipment, a cash prize, prints in PHOTOBOOK Malaysia, free entry into the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, as well as entry into the OBSCURA Festival Masterclass, one of the most premier Malaysian photography festivals. All the prizes were spread between the winners of the five major categories.

Celebrating Victory by Md. Khalid Rayhan Shawon, 1st Runner Up, Bangladesh
Hands by Sanjay Ramani, 2nd Runner Up, India
Window on Poverty by Yap Kok Hing, Cambodia

Beyond the prizes alone, the champions were given an opportunity to participate in the specially curated exhibition at MAPKL, one of the leading art galleries in Kuala Lumpur. Besides the winners from the five major categories, TPA 2016 also selected 50 photographs to be showcased in MAPKL art gallery’s White Box exhibition space.

Fisherman Family by Zarni Myo Win, Myanmar
Life and Lines by Probal Rashid, Bangladesh
Congregational Prayer by Noor Gelal, Bangladesh
Peaceful Morning by Handi Laksono, Myanmar
World Ejtema by Md Rafayat Haque Khan, Bangladesh

Since its initial launch in 2015, Travel Photographer Asia Award has been steadily gaining popularity across Asia, and even began to accept submissions from the Middle East and Australia. The new upcoming Travel Photographer Society Awards 2017 will broaden its boundaries even further by opening its doors to the entire world. Early bird entries for the new contest will begin from November 19th. The four categories for TPS 2017 are Landscape & Environment, People and Culture, Travel and Documentary, and Street.

Celebration by Shashi Sharma, India
Oath by Parish Paradkar, India
A Mother’s Sacrifice by Mohamad Taqiuddin Bin Awang, Malaysia

The upcoming competition will select the best 45 photographs to be on display alongside the future winners of the four major categories at MAPKL art gallery again this year. The selected photographs will be on display between April 27th and May 7th, and the actual award ceremony will take place on May 4th. To find out more about the details and entry rules of Travel Photographer Society Awards 2017, you can visit their official website here.

 

Fisherman in Action by Achmad Mikami Sumawijaya, Indonesia
The Horse Man by Gunarto Gunawan, Indonesia

Website: travelphotographersociety.com

 

Contributor: Anastasia Masalova
Images Courtesy of Travel Photographer Society

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢