Monthly Archives: December 2017

Blue & White Porcelain 一副打不碎的青花瓷

December 13, 2017 2017年12月13日

Shann Larsson is a Hong Kong-based mixed media artist of Eurasian descent. Having been raised in Germany, Sweden, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, Larsson’s creative process has been deeply influenced by her exposure to these different cultures. Her latest project, Blue & White Porcelain, is a playing card deck that reflects the influences of her mixed cultural background. While the front-facing graphics and coloration are based on 14th-century Chinese ceramics, the card backs are influenced by modern Scandinavian porcelain, which tends to incorporate abstract and geometric characteristics. Building on the Chinese influences, the graphical elements on the rest of the cards, aside from the aces, are all based on the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.

Shann Larsson是一位现居香港的多媒体艺术家。身为一名欧亚混血，她成长于德国、瑞典、印尼和香港这四个地方，而这样的成长背景也深深影响到了她的作品创作。这在她近期的一件产品设计作品《Blue & White Porcelain》亦能体现出来。在扑克牌的牌面设计上，Shann以中国明朝时期青花瓷的纹样和颜色作为灵感，而牌背则借鉴了另外一种较为现代的瓷器——产于斯堪的纳维亚、独特风格的瓷器，其中包含了抽象元素和几何特征。在图案设计中，Shann还融入了中国的十二生肖，来展现牌面的大小等级。

In the printing process, Larsson used a Spot UV varnish on individual cards and the packaging, which gave it a special coating that augmented the colors of her watercolor paintings; the glossy surface is also a reference to the lustrous qualities of real ceramics. Understanding that design is a balancing act, Larsson finalized the project with the use of the simple, minimal Novecento font, which complemented her complex graphical designs.

在制作产品时，Shann选用了一种叫做局部UV的印刷方式，赋予卡片和卡盒一种微妙的光泽感，这样光滑的触感也正呼应了产品的瓷器主题。为了视觉上的均衡，Shann选用了简洁的字体Novecento，这种干净极简的字体正好中和了牌面上精细又复杂的设计图案。

Blue & White Porcelain recently won a Junior Award at the Red Dot Award: Communication Design event and it’s now available in the Neocha Shop.

《Blue & White Porcelain》还是2017红点奖：传达设计部分的得奖作品！现正于Neocha商店限量发售。

To pay via PayPal or international credit card, please check out through our Shopify. To pay with AliPay or WeChat, please visit our Weidian.

如需使用PayPal或国际信用卡支付，请转至我们的Shopify页面；如需使用支付宝或微信支付，请至我们的微店。

/**/

Sharon Larsson的《Blue & White Porcelain》

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立刻购买

Website: shannlarsson.com
Facebook: ～/shannlarssonsart
Behance: ~/shannlarsson 
Instagram: @shannlarssondesign

 

Contributor: Ye Zi
Images Courtesy of Shann Larsson

网站: shannlarsson.com
脸书:～/shannlarssonsart
Behance: ~/shannlarsson 
Instagram: @shannlarssondesign

 

供稿人: Ye Zi
图片由Shann Larsson提供

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The Moments In Between 王家卫的御用摄影师

December 12, 2017 2017年12月12日

Despite having worked as director Wong Kar-wai’s official set photographer and accumulated years of experience under his belt photographing strangers, landscapes, and countless celebrities, this legendary photographer still isn’t accustomed to being the focus of attention. With cameras turned on him at a recent press conference, he tells the room, “Feel free to ask plenty of questions because I don’t really know what to talk about.”

That’s Wing Shya for you.

他是香港著名导演王家卫的御用摄影师，也曾为张国荣拍过个人写真。他拍过许多明星，也拍过无数路人和风景。但是在面对几个记者的镜头时，他却说，“你们可以多问我一些问题，因为我好像不知道要说什么。”

这就是夏永康。

Wing prefers keeping a low profile and to let his camera do the talking. Even though he’s always on movie sets and working with famous celebrities, he remains humble. “Everyone is busy filming the movie, and I’m there, crouched on the ground, trying to snap a few photos.”

On movie productions, there can be no interruptions when a take begins. It’s only after the director yells “Cut” that any photographs can be taken. As a result, what’s captured is the moment immediately following a take, a split second where the actors let their guards down and show themselves in a more vulnerable state. Wing loves to capture these authentic moments.

夏永康喜欢把姿态放低，躲在镜头背后。虽然时常出没于大牌云集的片场，但通常都是“大家都在拍电影，只有我蹲在地上拍剧照。”

那是身为“剧照师”的工作习惯——在正式拍摄的时候，不能够打扰入戏的演员们，只能在导演喊停了之后再拍。这样一来，镜头会捕捉到情绪和姿态都一下子放松的演员，那照片所呈现的感受，也就常常更为私密。夏永康很享受这样的视角，能够躲到背后记录下人们最真实的一面。

Wing says, “I like to document what happens after we wrap on set. People will often ask me, ‘Everything’s finished, so what is there left to shoot?’ But I pay them no mind and keep shooting.” Wing’s always ready on the side, waiting for the right moment – it’s this patience that has allowed Wing to capture his iconic image of Leslie Cheung in contemplation as the actor waited to begin a take. His understanding on the importance of waiting has also allowed him to document the honest range of emotions experienced by directors and crew members alike on various movie sets.

“I won’t try to overshadow the moment. I always try to make myself as ‘small’ as possible. I just enjoy the process of photography; I want to take in the atmosphere and people I’m photographing.” Wing confesses he won’t even look at photographs he’s taken in the past. For him, photography is about being present – it’s about witnessing the moment in real time. 

夏永康说：“我喜欢拍大家收工之后的状态。大家说，都结束了，怎么你还拍？我就还是拍。”缩在角落，等到最后，或许正因为这样，他拍到过张国荣在等开机时的沉思，也拍到了从导演到工作人员或忙碌或放空的神情，人世百态好像尽在其中。

“我没有把自己放得太大，我把自己缩得很小。我就是享受，享受拍东西的过程，享受当下的那个环境，那些人。”夏永康甚至不看自己曾经拍下的照片，对他来说，拍下的那一刻过去也就过去了，唯独当时当刻、此时此景，才是拍照最真实的意义。

Of course, the subjects, environment, and lighting aren’t always in ideal conditions. Often, Wing has to play around and experiment. “I like mistakes. So a lot of the time, I’ll just have fun and create something out of a mistake.” Wing recalls a time when he was faced with the challenge of shooting in an almost pitch-black room. After improvising and moving light sources around, he ended up taking a three-minute-long exposure. When the photograph was finally developed, he described the shot to be “beautiful, similar to shadows cast by tree branches.”

当然，人物、场景、光线，不可能时时刻刻都完美，这时候夏永康就会想着和光影玩游戏。“因为我喜欢错误。所以常常会在错误中去玩些什么。”曾经有一次，在近乎全黑的空间里摄影，他亲自上阵打光，上下左右移动光源，最后把接近三分钟的长曝光照片洗出来，光影显得影影绰绰，像是“枝叶树林的影子，很好看”。

Wing’s affinity for making mistakes is linked to his love of authenticity. As someone who’s passionate about capturing genuine moments, Wing prefers using film cameras, seeing it as a medium that’s able to better reproduce reality. The inherent constraints of analog film limit how much his photographs can be manipulated in post-production. What’s initially captured with the camera will often be the final result. For Wing, this is infinitely more fascinating.

所谓喜欢错误，其实是因为喜欢真实。夏永康偏爱使用胶片相机，无法加工修改，无需合成处理，照片中定格的瞬间往往就是最终呈现的模样，这对夏永康来说却更为迷人。真实就是有错误的。

Sometimes Wing will design a narrative and a setting to allow his subjects to better ease into a certain mood. But according to Wing, more often than not, he won’t set anything up at all. Instead, he’ll just let his models chat with an assistant, and he’ll start shooting from the side. “When shooting different people, I’ll use different methods.”

夏永康会设定一个剧本和环境来告诉被拍摄的人，好让人进入情绪，去捕捉情感流露的瞬间。但夏永康说，有时候他也不会假设场景，只让助理和那人先聊起来，他在一旁拍，“拍摄不同的人，方法是不一样的。”

These past few years, Wing has started photographing landscapes. Hazy, dark, and cryptic, his landscape photography is representative of the photographer’s own changing outlooks on life. Nowadays, when a day isn’t going right, he’ll embrace it as is rather than lamenting. “When it suddenly rains, I used to blame the weather. But now, I’ll work around the weather’s temperamental nature. I treat the weather as if were my girlfriend.”

For Wing, he sees many of his photos as a direct representation of his feelings at the time of capture. As life goes on, his photography changes with it. But to him, there’s never a need to look back and over-analyze the past – Wing lives and shoots in the present.

 

这些年夏永康也拍风景。镜头对准的内容有时候迷雾朦胧，有时候昏暗晦涩，很难让人不去联想到那是否是因为镜头背后的人产生了心境上的变化。夏永康说，“如果突然下雨，以前我会怪天气，想为什么今天这么不顺利。但现在我会去和天气玩，把它当作我的女朋友。”

但要说什么变化，夏永康却觉得他拍的内容只是当时情景和感受而已，每个阶段都有不同，不曾回头琢磨，也不曾思量过心态的改变——活在当下，就拍在当下。

So when approached with the opportunity to organize a solo exhibition, Wing delivered over 10,000 photographs to Karen Smith, the curator of the exhibition, allowing her to choose which images to showcase. The exhibition isn’t separated by celebrity portraits or personal projects; it spans across different time periods and is difficult to categorize into a single, all-encompassing theme. When asked about this, Wing chuckled, saying, “Theme? It’s hard to paint this exhibition in a single color. If you want to talk about the theme, it would be reality.”

所以在要办展览的时候，夏永康就把一万多张照片统统交管给策展人Karen Smith挑选，最后呈现时既没有刻意区分明星摄影和随手拍的内容，却又都涵盖到了各个时期，他很喜欢，却也让人很难一以概括，用一种相似的底色去描述。对此，夏永康笑着说：“底色？那很难说是一种颜色。要说底色的话，就是真实吧。”

Wing Shya’s solo exhibition is currently on display at the Shanghai Center of Photography. He’s also recently released a personal photography compilation book, which is available for purchase here. 

现在，夏永康的个人摄影展正在上海摄影艺术中心举行，他的个人摄影集也同期发售，点击此处可以购买。

Event: ACTING OUT – Wing Shya
Exhibition Date: 11/8/2017 ~ 1/10/2018
Opening Hours: Tuesday ~ Saturday

Address:
Shanghai Center of Photography
2555-1 Longing Avenue
Xuhui District, Shanghai
People’s Republic of China

Website: www.wingshya.com

 

Contributor: Chen Yuan
Images Courtesy of SCoP 

活动: “越轨・夏永康”
展期: 2017年11月8日——2018年1月10日
时间: 周二至周日

地点:
中国
上海徐汇区
龙腾大道2555-1号
上海摄影艺术中心

网站: www.wingshya.com

 

供稿人: Chen Yuan
图片由上海摄影艺术中心提供

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A Flabjacks Takeover of Shenyang 你这个胖香蕉！

December 11, 2017 2017年12月11日

Over recent years, artist Ton Mak has rallied together a friendly cohort of chubby creatures in her FLABJACKS universe. The latest additions to her imaginary world consist of Sausages From Around the World, a group of emotional sausages hailing from different backgrounds; Fanana, a crew of friendly banana creatures; and Pansy in Pants, who’s described as “an introvert who struggles to change out of her favorite pair of XXXXL underpants.” Having lived solely within the confines of Ton’s sketchbook for the past two years, Pansy in Pants and Sausages From Around the World have recently made their debut at Tales of Creatures From Quite Far Away, Ton’s solo exhibition in Shenyang 1905 Cultural and Creative Park.

近年来，香港视觉艺术家Ton Mak用一系列胖乎乎的可爱角色打造出她的 FLABJACKS世界。这个充满奇妙想象力的世界最近又迎来了新成员：《Sausages From Around the World》（来自世界各地的香肠），这是她根据不同文化背景和深层情感因素创作的香肠形象；《Fanana》，一群可爱的香蕉；以及《Pansy in Pants》，这是“一个内向的姑娘，一直努力减肥想要换掉她最爱的那条XXXXL号裤子”。在创作了两年之后，《Pansy in Pants》和《Sausages From Around the World 》最近终于从Ton Mak的绘画本中走出来，在沈阳1905文化创意园举办的Ton Mak作品展“来自平行世界的小胖团”（Tales of Creatures From Quite Far Away）中首次亮相。

Aside from the abundance of creativity displayed throughout Ton’s work, the most admirable aspect of her art is its sheer purity. FLABJACKS was originally a simple doodling exercise that acted as a form of stress relief. It’s now grown into a world of its own, filled with goofy, plump creatures who are all eager to share their own stories. Despite the success of FLABJACKS and the opportunities that have followed, Ton’s motivation doesn’t stem from the superficial pursuits of fame or money. The ultimate goal for her is and has always been to see people who meet her FLABJACKS characters leave with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

Ton Mak的作品除了展示出极其丰富的是想象力之外，更令人赞赏的是其极为纯粹的风格。最初，FLABJACKS只是她为了缓解压力，随意绘画的涂鸦。之后就像滚雪球一般，慢慢独成一体，形成一个独特的世界，里面充满了胖乎乎的角色，蠢萌蠢萌的，各自分享着有趣的故事。虽然FLABJACKS大获成功，但名声和金钱从来都不是Ton Mak创作的动力。她的最终目标是让大家感受到她在FLABJACKS角色中带来的那份温暖和舒心感。

From the Pansy in Pants series.
From the Pansy in Pants series.
From the Pansy in Pants series.
From the Pansy in Pants series.

By placing the chubby creatures of her FLABJACKS world in familiar scenarios we can all relate to, Ton playfully captures the happiness and drawbacks of everyday life. This is most evident in the newly released Pansy in Pants, which acutely portrays the joys of lazing around at home as well as the anxiety-ridden moments of self-reflection. Fanana and Sausages From Around the World similarly feature personable characters with relatable stories, but these two series touch on the idea of animism, a topic of interest to Ton. Animism is the belief that living beings and inanimate objects alike all have a unique spiritual essence of their own. By reimagining and personifying mundane items and foods as adorable creatures, Ton hopes to redefine the notion of what can be constituted as being truly “alive.”

她把FLABJACKS世界中那些胖乎乎的角色，置于能让观众产生共鸣的熟悉场景中，以幽默风趣的方式，去捕捉平凡生活中的幸福和挫折。这一点在她最新发布的《Pansy in Pants》系列中尤其明显。这一系列敏锐地描绘出宅在家中的慵懒生活所带来的乐趣，以及在自我反省时所产生的焦虑感。而《Fanana》和《Sausages From Around the World》同样呈现了十分可爱的角色，讲述令人产生共鸣的故事，此外还探讨了Ton Mak个人崇尚的“万物皆有灵”的观念，她相信，生命体和无生命的物体一样都有着自己独特的精神。通过将日常的物品和食物幻化成可爱的角色，她希望能够重新定义“生命”的真正意义。

Sausages From Around the World
Sausages From Around the World
Fanana
Fanana
Fanana

Lately, Ton has begun experimenting with introducing a tactile component into her work. At her recent shows, this has been presented in the form of FLABJACKS plushies and bean bags. Her latest interactive offering comes in the form of What’s his face, a pink, furry wall with a friendly face that greets visitors to her Shenyang exhibition, beckoning them to step up and give it a good pet. “It’s sort of like giving a friend a pat on the back,” Ton explains the concept with a giggle.

最近，Ton Mak开始试验创作可触的实物作品。在最近的展览中，她以绒毛公仔和豆袋来呈现出FLABJACKS世界。她最新的交互式作品包括《What’s his face》，一面毛茸茸的粉红色墙壁，上面有一只萌萌的大脸，这是用来迎接她在沈阳举办的展览的观众们，可以直接走近并摸摸这面墙壁。“就像在拍朋友的肩一样。”Ton Mak 笑着解释作品背后的概念。

What's his face?

You can pet the furry wall and experience the whimsical world of the FLABJACKS in person at Tales of Creatures From Quite Far Away, which will be on display at Shenyang 1905 Cultural and Creative Park until January 25th, 2017. For more details about the event, click here or check below.

“来自平行世界的小胖团”展览将于沈阳1905年文化创意园一直开展到2017年1月25日。马上亲临现场，亲自抚摸一下那面毛茸茸的墙壁，体验充满奇思妙想的FLABJACKS世界。有关此次活动的更多详细信息，请点击此处或浏览下方信息。

Event: Tales of Creatures From Quite Far Away
Exhibition Dates: December 1st, 2017 ~ January 15th, 2018
Hours: 10:00am ~ 19:05 PM

Address:
Shenyang 1905 Cultural and Creative Park
No. 8 Xinghua North Street
Tiexi District, Shenyang
People’s Republic of China

 

Website: www.flabjacks.com
Facebook: ~/flabjacksart
Instagram: @flabjacks
Weibo: ~/flabjacks
WeChat: flabjacks

 

Contributor: David Yen
Images & Footage Courtesy of Ton Mak & Shenyang 1905 Cultural and Creative Park

活动: “来自平行世界的小胖团”
展期: 2017年12月1日 —— 2018年1月15日
时间: 早上10:00 至晚上 7:05

地址:
中国
沈阳市铁西区
兴华北街8号
铁西1905创意文化园

 

网站: www.flabjacks.com
脸书: ~/flabjacksart
Instagram: @flabjacks
微博: ~/flabjacks
微信: flabjacks

 

供稿人: David Yen
图片与素材由Ton Mak与铁西1905创意文化园提供

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Between the Keys 最后的打字机

December 8, 2017 2017年12月8日

 

无法观看？前往优酷

“Look at you sir, you looked handsome as a young man,” I remark, glancing at some old photos sitting out on a desk.

Not skipping a beat, Bejon Madan fires back with a grin, “You mean to say I’m not handsome anymore, is it?”

“看，您年轻的时候真帅。”我指着桌上的旧照片说道。

Bejon Madan毫不犹豫地笑着反问道：“那你的意思是说我现在不帅了，是吗？”

At 73 year olds, Madan appears unaffected by his age; a youthful vigor glimmers in his eyes and resonates through his voice. Bejon Madan is the owner of General Office Typewriters, a typewriter repair workshop in Mumbai, India. Located on the fourth floor of an inconspicuous building, Madan’s workshop is a small place with only two windows, which, surprisingly, provides more than enough light for him to work. The shop’s sign, which has turned brown with the passing time, is revealing of the decades that the shop has remained in business. Madan has spent most of his life here and has witnessed the city’s transformation over the course of time, including the unfortunate decline of typewriters.

Bejon Madan已经73岁，但他身上好像根本看不出年龄的痕迹——他的声音和眼睛，也依然闪耀着年轻的活力。他是General Office Typewriters的老板，那是位于孟买一幢老房子四楼的一间小型打字机修理工作室。Madan 的工作室地方很小，只能容纳几个人，工作室的招牌经历了几十年的时光洗礼，已经泛黄。阳光从两个窗口照进来，让他有足够的光线来修理那些打字机。Madan一生中大部分时间都是在这里度过的，在漫长的岁月里，他见证了这座城市的转变。

“My grandfather started this shop in 1960, and after the workload became heavy, he requested for me to join him,” Madan recalls. “I accepted the offer and joined the business back in 1976.” Even now, over so many years, the place still exudes a lingering charm from the heydays of the typewriter era.

Madan回忆说：“我的祖父在1960年成立这间工作室，工作量增大后，他让我帮他一起工作。我答应了，然后从1976年开始就进入这个行业。”最令人难以置信的是，这个工作室至今依然保留着打字机鼎盛时期所展现的古老魅力。

Back in the day, Madan often worked with local, big-name clients, which included the likes of Union Bank of India and The New India Assurance. There was a constant demand for technicians, and they had a massive team of workers under them who travelled the length and breadth of the city keeping typewriters in best health. “Our workers are well trained in spotting typewriter defects,” Bejon proudly says. “There has never been a case where we haven’t been able to figure out a solution. We made sure that your typewriter stays in the best working condition.”

以前，他们服务的客户包括了本地的大牌公司，譬如New India Assurance 和Union Bank of India，工作源源不断地进来，工作室里的员工规模很大，他们穿梭于这座城市的各个角落，确保打字机的出色工作状态。Madan自豪地说：“我们的员工都很训练有素，他们懂得如何查找打字机的故障。从来也没有我们修不了的打字机。我们能确保客户的打字机处于最佳的工作状态。”

I see one of the workers opening a vintage Remington Noiseless to examine an issue, and it occured to me that this was actually my first time seeing the inside of a typewriter. “This young girl dropped by in the morning and gave us this typewriter to repair,” Madan tells me, noticing my curiosity. “It belongs to her grandfather, but she wants to start using it now. People still come in to get their machines repaired, but other people come in just to donate their typewriters. We have a vintage Remington, a Godrej Prima, and a a Brother Charger 11 because some people thought of them as burdens. They don’t understand their real value.”

我看到员工打开一台老式的Remington Noiseless打字机，要查找它的故障。我突然发现，这实际上是我第一次看到打字机的内部。Madan说“一个年轻的女孩上午过来，让我们修理这台打字机。这台打字机是她祖父的，但她想现在开始用。现在依然会有人拿打字机来修理，但也有其他人只是过来捐掉他们的打字机的。我们收到过一台老式的Remington，一台Godrej Prima，和一台哥 Brother Charger 11，因为有些人会觉得它们是负担。他们不知道这些打字机的真正价值。”

When computerization set in, life as Madan knew it would never be the same again. As technology advanced, typewriters faded out of the public consciousness and Madan’s business began to feel the effects. But even now, Madan doesn’t see typewriters as just a commodity – they were a way of life. He sees them as beautiful fragments of the past and the value he attributes them is evident in his persevering efforts to preserve these slices of history.

随着电脑的发展，像Madan这样的人，他们的工作和日常生活都受到了影响，逐渐淡出人们的视线。但对Madan来说，打字机不只是一种商品，它们更是一种生活方式。在他眼中，打字机代表着过去的美丽回忆，他小心翼翼地珍藏这些打字机，可见这些打字机对他来说意义非凡。

There are few places in Mumbai, or other cities in India, where typewriters are still in use, but they’re still clinging on. They might still be found in places like the local courts, notaries, or in a few lawyer’s offices. Though they’re being used less and less, Madan still finds a way to keep his business going. With both a sense of hope and sadness, he says, “What concerns me is how the kids of today may remain unaware of the beautiful yesterday. Beauty never fades; the shine may go but beauty goes on forever and that shall always be the case with typewriters.”

在孟买或甚至是印度的其它城市，还在使用打字机的地方已经越来越少。人们只有在地方法院、公证处或一些律师办事处可能还会看到打字机。虽然人们越来越少用打字机，但Madan仍设法维持着这个工作室。他告诉我们，他觉得很难过，但也充满了希望。“我担心的是，如今的孩子可能没有机会再欣赏到这些美丽的历史。美丽永远不会褪色。光芒可能褪去，但美丽却会一直流传下来，打字机也是如此。”

Contributor, Photographer, and Videographer: Omkar Phatak

供稿人，图片摄影师与视频摄影师: Omkar Phatak

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Lu Yang on Death & Illness 生老病死何足怪？

December 7, 2017 2017年12月7日
A snippet from Delusional Mandala 《妄想曼陀罗》片段

Her works are strange and provocative – she’ll employ a tampon as a skateboard, prescribe artificial nerve stimulation as a means to create mystic states of consciousness, or even choreograph dance sequences using electrical shocks on the corpses of dissected frogs. Born in 1984, new media artist Lu Yang offers a matter-of-fact response to questions about her controversial works: “My works will often incorporate themes of death and illness, but aren’t these things that all living things experience?”

她的作品缤纷诡谲，把生理卫生巾当滑板、用神经刺激模拟妄想状态，甚至把医学解剖后的死青蛙接通电极……这位出生于1984年的新媒体艺术家陆扬，在被问及关于这些近乎禁忌的话题时，只是说：“我作品里面出现很多关于死亡疾病这类信息的体现，但这难道不是我们每一个生物都会经历的东西么？”

A video still from Delusional Mandala 《妄想曼陀罗》截图
A video still from Delusional Mandala 《妄想曼陀罗》截图
A video still from Delusional Mandala 《妄想曼陀罗》截图

The open discussion of death and dying have strangely become taboo subjects in our world. This cultural norm puzzles Lu Yang, who says her befuddlement is similar to how others are unable to understand why she confronts these taboo subjects. Meshing concepts from science, medicine, art, and religion, Lu Yang creates abormal worlds such as Delusional Mandala, a multimedia work that explores nervous system stimulation and thought control as an examination of death and dying.  Much like this project, many of her other works also incorporate a multidisciplinary approach to support her ideas and theories.

奇怪的是，偏偏对这样无可回避的终结问题，人们讳莫如深。陆扬说，这个原因她也不知道，“就像他们不理解为什么我不避讳一样吧。”不仅不避讳，陆扬甚至结合科学、医学、艺术、宗教，来创造了一个“怪奇世界”。《妄想曼陀罗》就是一部这样的作品：通过深部脑刺激，控制情绪和物理思想，进而深入探讨脑死亡。在陆扬的作品中，各个学科交融，各自成为某个理论的辅助理解。

A snippet from Delusional Mandala 《妄想曼陀罗》片段
A snippet from Delusional Mandala 《妄想曼陀罗》片段

Lu Yang is quite introverted and anxious about social interactions. “Normal” activities like traveling, socializing, or engaging in romantic relationships don’t appeal to her. Instead, she immerses herself in sixteen-hour work days. “Perhaps my brain is just wired to create,” she explains. “Working on a computer has a lot of advantages for me; it complements my personality. I’m an impulsive person, so I’m able to execute my ideas quickly through technology. […] Computers allow me to stay at home and just work. I’m happy that I’m able to be a recluse and also be able to support myself.”

打造出光怪陆离“颅内世界”的陆扬其实挺内向的，非常害怕社交。不论是旅游、交际、谈恋爱，那些大家觉得好玩的事一点都无法满足她。她的工作时长，保持每天在16小时。“可能我的大脑结构就是喜欢做作品的大脑吧。电脑对我来说好处很多，太适合我的性格特征了。我是个急性子，电脑可以很快完成我的想法……而且电脑可以让我宅在家里工作，很开心地当个阿宅但是又能养活自己。”

A snippet from UterusMan 《子宫战士》片段
A video still from UterusMan 《子宫战士》截图
A video still from UterusMan 《子宫战士》截图
A snippet from UterusMan 《子宫战士》片段

Lu Yang’s creative work has not only given her a passion to work for, but has also brought her new perspectives. Her UterusMan project was created in collaboration with an asexual Japanese individual who succeeded in the removal of their reproductive organs. For the project, they created a sexless superhero that uses an armored uterus shield and reproductive superpowers to defeat enemies. Doing away with traditional concepts of gender, the animation incorporates reproductive science through a groundbreaking and unconventional way.

而做作品本身给了陆扬以激情，也给了她新的角度。陆扬的《子宫战士》和日本一名成功切除了自己身上性器官的无性人合作，创造了一名无性战士作为主角。说是无性，但它又来源于女性体征的“子宫”，使它身披铠甲，以一系列生物遗传功能的“超必杀”孤勇作战。它消除了二元的性别对立，却把更广泛的生物信息科学问题纳入进来。

A snippet from UterusMan 《子宫战士》片段

The central theme of many of Lu Yang’s works is an examination of human nature or lack thereof. For example, dead frogs are able to dance when stimulated by electric shock, but this kind of display is completely devoid of human nature. Speaking on the distinctions between animal and man, Lu Yang says, “There are definitely differences. For example, the instinct of morality. But it really depends on what perspective you take. If you look at the distinctions through a human-centric perspective, you can find all kinds of differences, but if you look at it from the perspective of the universe, then maybe there aren’t any differences at all.”

陆扬主要的创作理念，有很多都在试图展现生而为人的“本能”：比如死去的青蛙依然能够通过电极反应抽搐“跳舞”——这样的“本能”其实是消除人性的。关于其中人性和动物性的差别，陆扬说：“区别肯定是有的，比如道德感之类？但是看你这个问题基于怎样的基数上看，如果你从人类中心主义看，肯定可以提出各种各样的道理和区别，但是缩放到宇宙范围去看，那可能根本没差别吧。”

A video still from Wathful King Kong Core 《忿怒金刚核》截图

Lu Yang’s work forces us to reconsider our humanism and our preconceived beliefs. She views the world through a detached perspective – for her, art is never done just for the sake of art. “I like to think of these things as works or creative endeavors, I really don’t like to use the word ‘art.’” As for what inspires her, Lu Yang cites a diverse influences, including the likes of manga artist Hiroya Oku, film director James Wan, screenwriter Kankurō Kudō, Japanese writer Osamu Dazai, the theories of behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner, and various religious philosophies. According to her, “The great works that they have created assist me in building a more prolific inner world. They’ll let you come to terms with the feeling of shame you experience in your shell as a human being. It’s fulfilling for me to explore the inner worlds that I’ve created. Through this perspective, the world is a wonderful place.”

陆扬的作品撇开了人类中心主义，也打破了人们惯常的观看习惯。她的视角很宏观，因为艺术并不仅仅是艺术。“我更喜欢把这些东西叫做创作，作品，我非常不喜欢用‘艺术’这个词。”影响陆扬的大师有漫画家奥浩哉、电影导演温子仁、编剧宫藤官九郎，作家太宰治，行为主义心理学家B.F Skinner和很多宗教大德的理论……陆扬说：“他们这些厉害的作者作品，可以辅助我创造更丰富的内在世界，可以让你抛开自己作为人类没有一副好皮囊的羞耻感，遨游在自己创造的内在世界中也很快乐。从这些角度来说，地球很好玩。”

A video still from Crime and Punishment 《陆扬妄想罪与罚》截图
A video still from Crime and Punishment 《陆扬妄想罪与罚》截图
A video still from Crime and Punishment 《陆扬妄想罪与罚》截图

Looking at life from a grander perspective, what is there to fear about birth and death?

Lu Yang’s exhibition, Lu Yang: Encephalon Heaven, is currently on display at Beijing’s M WOODS Museum, see below for details.

的确，跳出地球回头去看，生老病死又有什么可怕的呢？

目前，陆扬这些充满个人风格的作品可以在北京M WOODS – 木木美术馆看到，欢迎大家前往观瞻。

Images Courtesy of M WOODS 图片由木木美术馆提供
Images Courtesy of M WOODS 图片由木木美术馆提供
Images Courtesy of M WOODS 图片由木木美术馆提供

Event: Lu Yang – Encephalon Heaven
Exhibition Dates: October 28, 2017 ~ February 11, 2018
Opening Hours: Tuesday ~ Saturday 10:30am ~ 6pm (Last entry at 5:30pm)

Address:
M WOODS
D-06, 798 Art Zone
No. 2 Jiuxianqiao Road
Chaoyang District, Beijing
People’s Republic of China

活动: 陆扬：脑髓天国
展期: 2017年10月28日 —— 2018年2月11日
时间: 周二至周日 早上10:30 至晚上 6:00（最后入馆时间下午 5:30）

地址:
中国
北京市朝阳区
酒仙桥路2号 中二街
798艺术区 D-06号
木木美术馆

Website: luyang.asia
Vimeo: ~/luyang

 

Contributor: Chen Yuan
Images Courtesy of M WOODS and Lu Yang

Website: luyang.asia
Vimeo: ~/luyang

 

供稿人: Chen Yuan
图片由木木美术馆与Lu Yang提供

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King of Peking 京城之王

December 6, 2017 2017年12月6日

 

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King of Peking (2017) is a new comedic drama set in 1990s Beijing that follows a down-and-out movie projectionist and his son as they try to make it big by starting their own pirated movie company. Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Sam Voutas, the film was inspired by his experience of growing up in Beijing in the 1980s and 1990s and the bootleg film industry that blossomed around that period. Funded in part by crowdfunding campaigns, King of Peking is a heartwarming exploration of father-and-son relationships, morality, and what it means to be an example to others. Neocha had the opportunity for an exclusive interview with Voutas to learn more about the film, his thoughts on the filmmaking process, and his memories of China.

《京城之王》（King of Peking）(2017)是一部以20世纪90年代北京为背景的喜剧片。影片讲述了一名穷困潦倒电影放映员和他的儿子想通过开盗版片加工厂来致富的故事。这部电影由澳大利亚导演司马优（Sam Voutas）担任编剧和导演，灵感来源于司马优20世纪80年代和90年代在北京成长的经历，以及在这段时期内蓬勃发展的盗版电影业。这部电影依靠众筹获得了部分的拍摄资金，是一部探讨父子关系、道德及作为他人榜样的意义的暖心之作。Neocha独家专访了司马优（Sam Voutas），了解更多关于这部电影、他在电影片拍摄过程的一些想法，以及他对中国的回忆。

Neocha: You have a history of working with the same actors and crew on some of your previous films. How did your team first come together?

Voutas: Yes, there’s quite a few of us who’ve worked together before, such as producers Jane Zheng and Melanie Ansley, as well as our sound engineer Jules Ambroisine. The first time we all worked together as a team was on Red Light Revolution, a sex shop comedy we filmed in Beijing at the end of 2009. Even though several years had passed, we approached the crew from Red Light Revolution first for King of Peking. Obviously, due to people’s schedules we couldn’t get all the same people, but Melanie, Jane, and Jules were all on board super early. And also very important for me was getting Zhao Jun, who also starred in Red Light Revolution, back for the lead role. In terms of how we met him, Melanie found him in Beijing’s Penghao Theatre years ago when we were doing auditions. He was in their café, patting a dog, and Melanie just walked up to him and asked if he was an actor. He said no. But luckily the friends who were with him told him to come clean! He went upstairs, auditioned, and nailed it. He’s such a natural, fun actor.

Neocha: 你拍摄的电影常常是和同一班演员和团队合作的。你们这个团队最开始是怎么走在一起的？

Voutas: 是的，我们中有不少人曾经一起工作过，比如制片人Jane Zheng和Melanie Ansley，还有我们的音响工程师Jules Ambroisine。我们团队第一次一起工作，是在2009年底拍摄《红灯梦》（Red Light Revolution）的时候，我们在北京拍摄的一部有关成人用品商店的喜剧片。过了几年，当我们要拍《京城之王》时还是先找了拍《红灯梦》的团队。Melanie、Jane和Jules很早就确认要参与拍摄，但其余的大家各自有自己的工作安排，我们也不能找到全部的原班人马。另外非常重要的是本次饰演电影主角的演员赵骏回归荧幕，他也曾出演过《红灯梦》。我们结缘就是在几年前北京的蓬蒿剧场，我们正在试镜时，Melanie看到了他。他当时正在咖啡馆里，逗着狗玩，Melanie就走到他面前，问他是不是演员。他否认了。还好他旁边的朋友叫他老实坦白！他后来就上楼试镜去了，拿下了那个角色。他是个很真实、很有趣的演员。

Neocha: You started out as a documentary filmmaker before you got into narrative films. What was it like to make that transition?

Voutas: Documentaries are wonderful but I always found them very difficult regarding developing story. You’d have to wait and wait for something interesting to happen to the characters, often waiting weeks, or months even. And sometimes when that wonderful moment arrived, that scene or story turn you’d been waiting for, you weren’t there! Your phone would ring and the character would tell you what just happened to them! The frustration! With fiction, while it still takes a long time, at least from the script stage you can devise a path that the characters will take. You can plot the course more. So I’ve found that fiction film is, for me anyway, a better way to go. At least when something interesting happens to a character, I can be there to film it.

Neocha: 在你拍摄叙事电影之前，你一开始是一名纪录片制片人。对于这种转变，你自己有什么想法？

Voutas: 拍摄纪录片是很棒的，但是我发现，在故事发展方面，它们很难把握。你必须一直等待，等待一些有趣的事情发生在拍摄对象身上，这往往要等上几个星期，甚至几个月。有时，当那个精彩的时刻，那个你一直在等待的一幕或故事的转折点发生时，你却偏偏不在现场！直到你的手机响了，拍摄对象告诉你刚刚发生了什么事，你才知道！真是很有挫败感！而电影虽然也需要很长的时间来制作，但至少在剧本阶段，你可以设计角色的经历。你可以对故事的发展有更多的把握。所以我觉得电影对我来说更为合适。至少当角色发生有趣的事情时，我可以确保自己拍摄下来。

Neocha: What was it like to grow up as a foreigner in China during the 1980s? Looking back, how has that experience played a role in defining your filmmaking career?

Voutas: When I first lived in Beijing in the 80s, there were hardly any cars on the road. The bike lanes were packed with bicycles, but the main roads themselves were mostly empty but for the old buses. If someone in a car drove by, you knew they were a big deal. And if you wanted a burger, there was one hotel in town that could make one. As foreigners, we weren’t able to use the main currency of renminbi. We had to use something called FEC, and that had a different exchange rate even! So very different times. I reckon my perspective has changed primarily because I’m thirty years older. Back then I wanted to just play in the dirt, and now I guess the major change is that I’m playing in the same way, but on film sets. The make-believe element is still there. I’m just playing with different toys and with new friends.

Neocha: 在20世纪80年代，作为一名在中国长大的外国人是什么样的？这段经历对你的电影制作生涯有何影响？

Voutas: 80年代，我第一次到北京生活时，路上几乎没有汽车。自行车道上挤满了自行车，但大路上大多是空的，只有残旧的公共汽车。如果有人开小车经过，你就知道这肯定是个大人物。如果你想吃汉堡，北京市内只有一家酒店可以吃到。同样，作为外国人，我们是不能使用人民币的。我们不得不使用FEC（外汇券）来付钱，它甚至还有不同的汇率！那个时代跟现在真是截然不同。我觉得我的一些观点已经改变，可能主要是因为我已经三十岁了！当时的我只想玩泥沙，现在我想主要的改变是我还是在玩，但却是在拍摄电影时玩。那种“过家家”的元素仍然存在。我只是找到了新的朋友一起玩不同的玩具。

Neocha: Can you tell us about some of the challenges you faced in creating a period piece set in 1990s Beijing?

Voutas: Our film is set in the late 1990s, and what I hadn’t predicted was that so little of 1990s Beijing is left in the city today. We scouted Beijing for a few weeks before we realized the locations simply weren’t there anymore. The old neighborhoods had turned into high rises, so we ended up filming the majority of the movie in Hebei Province. The old cinemas, buildings, amusement parks, we found them out there. It was a very stressful time because without the locations we didn’t have a movie.

Neocha: 你能跟我们分享一下，在拍摄这部以20世纪90年代的北京为背景的电影时你所面临的一些挑战吗？

Voutas: 我们的电影的背景设在了90年代末，而我没有料到的是，90年代的痕迹在今天的北京已经很难找到了。我们在北京找了几个星期，才发现已经找不到那样的拍摄场地了。老街区都变成了高楼。所以，我们大部分场景最后都要去河北拍摄。旧电影院、建筑物、游乐园都在那里找得到。那段时间压力真是非常大，因为如果没有外景拍摄场地，就拍不成这部电影了。

Neocha: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers, in China or otherwise?

Voutas: Be persistent. It’s a long game. It’s okay to make mistakes, to fail even; that’s just called learning. Often it’s two steps forward, one step back, and sometimes you just fall on your face. It’s just the way it is. Just try and tell stories any way you can. Even if you’re shooting on your phone, that’s fine. The important part is to keep on trying, to not take no for an answer.

Neocha: 对中国或其它国家那些有志于拍摄电影的人，你有什么建议？

Voutas: 坚持不懈。这是一场漫长的比赛。犯错误是可以的，甚至失败也行，这就是所谓的学习。你往往前进两步，又要后退一步，有时甚至会跌倒。这就是现实。尽你所能讲故事。就算你只是拿着手机拍摄也没关系，重要的是要继续努力，别放弃。

King of Peking will have an upcoming screening in Beijing, along with a Q&A session with the director. See below or click here for details.

 

Event: King of Peking: Film Screening and Director Q&A

Time: Wednesday, December 13th, 2017, 7 ~ 9:30 pm

Cost: 50 RMB

Address:
The Hutong
1 Jiudaowan Zhongxiang
Beixinqiao, Dongcheng District
Beijing, People’s Republic of China

《京城之王》即将在北京举办放映，现场还会有一个与导演进行的问答环节。浏览下方或登陆网站了解更多。

 

活动:《京城之王》电影放映和导演问答

时间: 星期三，2017年12月13日，下午7点至9点30

费用: 50元

地址:
中国
北京市东城区
北新桥九道湾中巷1号
The Hutong

Facebook: ~/kingofpeking

 

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao

脸书: ~/kingofpeking

 

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

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Tokyo Storefront 东京街头的小店们

December 5, 2017 2017年12月5日

Polish-born and Japan-based artist Mateusz Urbanowicz is the talented illustrator and painter behind Bicycle Boy, a series we’ve previously featured on Neocha. Known for his vivid usage of watercolors and eye for detail, Urbanowicz has worked as the background artist for many anime TV shows and movies over the years, including the critically acclaimed Your Name. This year, Urbanowicz expressed hopes of shifting more of his attention towards personal projects. This reprioritization has led to a continuation of the ten-part Tokyo Storefront series that he released last year. The extension to the series comes in the form of a bilingual book that includes the original ten illustrations along with 40 new drawings.

艺术家Mateusz Urbanowicz生于波兰，目前居住在日本。他也是我们先前报道的另一个水彩画系列《自行车男孩》（Bicycle Boy）的作者。才华横溢的他以细腻精致且清新生动的画风而闻名，更曾为许多动漫和电影创作背景插画，包括广受好评的电影《你的名字》（Your Name）。今年，Mateusz表达了他专注创作自己的艺术作品的希望。他将去年已有10张作品的《东京店面》（Tokyo Storefront）系列进行了增补，并将以双语书的形式面向大众，其中将包括最初的10幅插图以及40幅新创作的作品。

“When I moved to Tokyo more than three years ago, I was really surprised that on my walks I encountered so many shops still in business inside really old buildings. Differently to Kobe, where the earthquake wiped out a lot of these old downtown houses and shops, in Tokyo they still survive,” Urbanowicz recalls, and inspired by their beauty, Tokyo Storefront is his attempt to document these charming buildings.

“我搬到东京的前3年，连散步时都会很惊讶，因为一直会偶遇在那些已经很老旧的建筑中仍在营业的商店。在日本神户，地震摧毁了许多老城区的房子和商店，但在东京它们还屹立不倒。”Mateusz的《东京店面》系列正是想要记录下这些风景。

The majority of the storefronts featured in the book comes from Urbanowicz’s exploration of Tokyo. However, his approach is more than a mere recreation of his observations. In the illustration above, Urbanowicz shares that the signage was already torn down when he showed up in his location hunt. Disappointed, he took a few photos of the shop in its current state and went home to scour the internet for old images of the store. In his final illustration, the original signage has been restored in its retro glory, and as a master of details, a small chair he observed in one of the old photos was also included.

这系列的大多数店铺，Mateusz都是在东京闲逛时偶然发现的，但画中不仅仅只是纪实。正如这张画上方的圆形标志，在Mateusz前去这家店之前，商标就已经不幸被拆了，当Mateusz到达那里的时候只能拍一些照片，再不得不用互联网上找到的旧照片，在画中把商标加上去。而其中一张照片里，商店门前放着一把小椅子，细节如它，当然不能被忽视，Mateusz把它也画了上去。

Commenting on the series, Urbanowicz shares, “I didn’t want to copy all the retro guides that already exist for Tokyo. Because of that we, of course, had to go again to those places, take more photos, and look more closely at the details of the shops. But that also gave us a chance to talk with the owners to learn more about the interesting history behind each of the shops.”

Mateusz表示，“我不想照着市面上已有的怀旧导游册拷贝，因此在创作过程中我们不得不再次走访这些地方，拍下更多照片，关注更多细节。这也给了我们和店主交流的机会，深入了解到店铺背后有趣的历史。”

In the upcoming book, Urbanowicz not only explores Tokyo shop facades but will also include historical details presented in both English and Japanese as well as sketches of shop interiors.

Tokyo Storefronts – The Artworks of Mateusz Urbanowicz is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

在以纸质版面世时，《东京店面》将并不仅仅包含东京的店铺店面，也会有一些店铺的内部插画和文字介绍。

目前，《东京店面——Mateusz Urbanowicz绘作》（Tokyo Storefronts – The Artworks of Mateusz Urbanowicz）系列已经可以在Amazon上预售。

Website: mateuszurbanowicz.com
Facebook: ~/urbanowiczmateusz
Instagram: @mateusz_urbanowicz


Contributor: Chen Yuan

网站: mateuszurbanowicz.com
脸书: ~/urbanowiczmateusz
Instagram: @mateusz_urbanowicz


供稿人: Chen Yuan

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Building Bridges Through Dance Quick Style 在成都

December 4, 2017 2017年12月4日
From left: Suleman Malik, Bilal Malik and Nasir Sirikhan.

Quick Style is an Oslo-based international dance group and creative agency best known for their unique style and infusion of various Asian cultures in their projects, with one of their most notable being the Strawhatz concept. The latest manifestation of their passion for dance comes in the form of Quick Style Studio China, a collaborative studio created with China’s Sinostage, which debuted last year in Chengdu. With this project, they’re eager to show that dance is an activity anyone can partake in as well as showcase the value of dance as an outlet of creativity and self-expression. Since opening, the joint-run studio has often invited international teachers to open a cross-cultural dialogue with Chengdu’s local community using the language of dance. At a time when many are speaking of building walls, Quick Style shows us how we can build bridges through dance and cultural exchange. To better understand Quick Style’s cross-cultural entrepreneurship efforts, we talked to Bilal Malik, one of the three co-founders of Quick Style, to find out more about their work and experiences in China.

Quick Style是来自挪威奥斯陆的一支国际舞蹈团体和创意机构，向来以独特的创意风格和对各种亚洲文化的融合而闻名，其中最为人熟知的莫过于其推出的Strawhatz 舞蹈项目。Quick Style Studio China正是他们对舞蹈那份热爱的最新见证，这是Quick Style和Sinostage合作创办的工作室。从2016年成立以来，这个工作室已经成为一个文化与创意的中心。这个项目背后的理念是，舞蹈属于所有人，可以让人们以充满创意和健康的方式来表达自我。在当下这个人们相互间“筑墙”设防的时代，Quick Style向人们展示着如何建立起沟通的桥梁。为了加深理解Quick Style在跨文化产业上所作的努力，我们和它的创始人之一Bilal Malik聊了聊，试图了解更多关于他们在中国的工作和经历。

Quick Style teaching a class at the studio in Chengdu.
Koharu Sugawara, world-famous dancer and choreographer from Japan leads a class.

Neocha: How did the idea to start a Quick Style dance studio in China come about? What was it about the country that made it stand out as a potential location for your second studio?

Bilal Malik: The idea came about on our first trip to China. We checked out different dance communities and held workshops all over China. We explored the food, culture, music, people, and different places of China; we also met up with dancers around the country. We realized that it was not like Europe, the U.S., or any other Asian countries we have been to. The dancers here had a lot of emotion. We felt that Chinese dancers have a bright future. We also felt that they would bring a new wave of honest flavor to the whole world dance community. We started talking about how Chinese dancers will grow very fast since people had begun to accept the urban dance lifestyle. It was very clear to us that they are on the right track because they bring all kind of choreographers to teach dance across China.

Then on our last trip, we met Koko, the CEO of Sinostage. She had very different moves than anyone else. She has a passion and mindset that we’ve not seen in many people. She thinks about her people and wants to make dance huge in China, to change people’s lives! We connected very easily. Her passion moved us and we decided very quickly to do business and open a collaborative studio together. Our mission is to provide some Scandinavian mindset to the Chinese community. The country has so much potential. After being in China we have learned a lot. We know that we still have a lot more to learn, and we are sure that whatever we do here, it will be game changing for all of us.

Neocha: 怎么会选择在中国开设Quick Style舞蹈工作室？这个国家具有什么与众不同的潜力吗？

Bilal Malik: 我们第一次来中国时就已经有这个想法。我们在中国各地看到了不同的舞蹈团体，也举办过各种工作坊。我们深入地去了解中国的美食、文化、音乐、人以及不同的地方，去认识各地的舞者。我们意识到，这里不像欧洲、美国或其它我们去过的亚洲国家，这里的舞者有很饱满的情感。中国的舞者前景很大，我们相信，他们能给全世界的舞蹈界带来一种更真实的风格。我们开始谈到一旦人们开始接受urban dance的风格后，中国舞者的数量会增长得非常快。我们非常清楚，中国舞者的发展是在正确的轨道上的，因为他们会把不同风格的舞蹈编导都邀请到中国各地去教学。

我们最近一次去中国时，遇到了Koko，她是Sinostage的CEO。她的舞蹈风格和其他人很不同。在她身上，我们看到了很少有的那种激情和心态。她关心她的团队，并希望让舞蹈在中国发展壮大，想要改变人们的生活！我们一拍即合。她的热情让我们很感动，我们很快就决定一起合作，创办一个工作室。我们目标是为中国社会提供一些来自斯堪的纳维亚的想法。中国有这么大的潜力。去完中国后，我们学到了很多东西。我们知道自己还有很多东西要学，也相信，无论我们在这里做什么，这都将改变我们所有人。

Moving in sync - a class with Toby DeeDaran from Oslo, Norway.

Neocha: Can you tell us more about the process of making this project a reality?

Bilal Malik: The process was really interesting when I look back at it. Once we decided to open a studio together with Sinostage, things moved pretty quickly. We got to witness that Chinese people, or especially Koko, do not joke around when they work! We discussed the design and details and she started immediately. Not long after, there we are at the opening. It happened very fast, and we jumped into something very new for all of us. I believe that both parties have learned a lot from the process, and our relationship with Sinostage is still growing every day. Koko is an extremely talented woman and knew our taste even only after knowing us for such a short amount of time. We trusted her on every decision.

Neocha: 能跟我们分享一下是如何实现这个项目的吗？

Bilal Malik: 当我回过头来看，会觉得这个过程其实非常有趣。我们决定和Sinostage一起开办工作室后，一切就进展得很快了。中国人工作时真的很认真，尤其是Koko！我们讨论过设计和细节之后，她就会立即开始行动。感觉一眨眼，我们就到了开幕日。一切都进展得非常快，那是对我们所有人来说全新的体验，双方在过程中都学到了很多，我们与Sinostage的关系也在变得越来越好。Koko是一位非常有才华的女性，在我们相处了很短的时间后，她就已经清楚明白我们的风格。我们很信任她作出的每一个决定。

Welcome to Quick Style X Sinostage

Neocha: You’ve referred to Chengdu as your second home. What is it about that city that makes it so special to you? What traits have you observed that makes it stand out from other cities in China?

Bilal Malik: Chengdu is a special place for us. Of all the places we’ve been in China, Chengdu always treats us well, and we get a different vibe of the city every time we go there. They are definitely leading in terms of style and art. They are open-minded people and the city is growing very fast. There’s always something to do, and we also love the spicy food.

Neocha: 你曾经说过成都是你的第二个家。为什么它对你来说这么特别？就你看来，它和中国的其他城市有什么不同？

Bilal Malik: 成都对我们来说是一个特别的地方。在我们去过的所有中国城市中，成都总能让我们有不错的体验，并且每次去成都，我们都会有不一样的感觉。在时尚和艺术方面，这座城市绝对是领先的。这里的人们思想开放，城市的发展非常迅猛。在这里永远也不会觉得无聊。当然了，我们也很喜欢这里辛辣的美食。

 

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Neocha: Now that Quick Style Chengdu has been open for a year, what kind of changes have you observed in China’s dance scene since?

Bilal Malik: The dance scene has changed a lot in China since we opened the studio. We don’t think it’s only because of us and the dance studio with Sinostage. The whole community is working together every day to make dance huge in China. Right now, China is arranging some of the biggest events, workshops, and TV shows for dance. Sinostage is doing a great job working with everyone, being open-minded, and making the studio open to all kinds of people. I feel that now, Chinese dancers have more confidence and are moving towards finding their own style. More dancers and a higher level of competition both lead to finding an original way of doing things. In addition to this, the dancers put a Chinese flavor into their art and performance, which makes it very unique.

Neocha: Quick Style Studio成立至今已经一年了，这期间你看到国内舞蹈界有没有发生什么变化？

Bilal Malik: 从我们成立了这个工作室之后到现在，中国的舞蹈界发生了很大的变化。当然这不是单靠我们或与Sinostage合作的舞蹈工作室就能带来的变化。而是整个舞蹈界的共同努力，才得以令舞蹈在中国的影响力变得这么大。眼下，中国正在筹办一些和舞蹈有关的大型活动、工作坊和电视节目。Sinostage和所有人的合作都很棒，他们的心态非常包容，欢迎各种各样的人加入。我觉得，现在的中国舞者更自信了，也正在逐渐找到自己独特的风格。越来越多的舞者，越来越高水平的竞争，这些都有助于他们去发现创意。除此之外，他们的作品和表演中因为加入了一些中国风格而变得更加独特。

 

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Neocha: What is the reason behind sending dancers from Quick Style Studio Oslo to Chengdu? Why is this cross-culture exchange so important to you?

Bilal Malik: There are lots of reasons why it’s important for us to send dancers from Oslo to Chengdu. We believe our dancers grow not only in dance by traveling to teach, but grow in a bigger sense by experiencing another culture. Every time dancers from Quick Style come back to Olso, they come back with a bag full of experiences. They become a little bit more mature about their own life. They’ve just spend three months in one of the biggest countries in the world! Being in a place with different language, food, and ways of thinking, they’re challenged by new situations every day. In the end, they come back stronger and see the world differently. In addition to this, the instructors from Oslo represent us in Chengdu. They are there to share with and learn from the other dancers. Overall, it’s a great cultural and artistic exchange.

Neocha:为什么要把Quick Style在奥斯陆的舞者带到成都来？为什么跨文化的交流对你来说如此重要？

Bilal Malik: 之所以把奥斯陆的舞者带到成都是出于很多考虑的。我们的舞者不仅能通过到国外教学来提升自己的舞蹈水平，更能通过体验另一种文化获得更大意义上的成长。每次Quick Style的舞者回到奥斯陆，他们都是带着丰富经验回来的。他们的人生态度也会变得更加成熟。毕竟他们在全球最大的国家之一生活了三个月啊！在这种有着不同语言、食物和思维方式的地方，他们每天都会遇到新的情况，新的挑战。最后，他们回来时会变得更强大，也能够用不同的角度去看待世界。除此之外，去成都教学的奥斯陆舞者就代表着我们。他们去那里是去分享的，也是去跟其他舞者学习的。总的来说，这是一次非常棒的文化和艺术交流。

 

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Neocha: What is your approach to teaching dance?

Bilal Malik: We really do not see ourselves as teachers or our workshops as being regular “dance” classes. We feel that we share ourselves more than teach them something specific. We can’t teach anyone to dance. We believe everyone can dance. We feel sharing ourselves with people in our workshop will open some gate in their mind, to grow or learn something that can make either a small or big change in their life.  We are happy to continue sharing because over the years we’ve witnessed tremendous change in many people lives – that is our biggest motivation today.

Neocha: 你是如何传授舞蹈的？

Bilal Malik: 我们真的不认为自己是老师，我们的工作坊也不是普通意义上的舞蹈课堂。更多的是分享，而不是去教什么具体的东西。你是不能教人跳舞的。因为我们相信，每个人都会跳舞。但是通过分享，我们可以帮他们变得更放得开，去成长或学习，让他们的生活产生或大或小的改变。我们很高兴可以继续这样的分享，因为多年来，我们已经见证了很多人在生活上发生的巨大变化，而这也是我们今天最大的动力。

 

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Neocha: If you think about the bigger picture and the vision for Quick Style, what role does China or Asia in general play in it?

Bilal Malik: For Quick Style’s vision for the future, China – and Asia as a whole – is very important for us. We grew up as Asians in a Western country like Norway. We see ourselves as Norwegian with a unique cultural understanding because of our strong cultural ties through our families. We were lucky to grow up in a place that’s very open-minded. Many people or countries do not have that privilege. We believe we have the experience, knowledge, and sensitivity to build cultural bridges between different countries. Whenever we interact with people, we choose to go deeper and find what people really feel and like because we care about them.

Asia is a very important place for us. You can find inspiration and discover strong cultural roots almost everywhere. We really believe that art is for everyone and that art is a very important thing for the society. This is why we want to make sure we continue to inspire people with our art and keep growing the movement of creative and cultural interactions.

Neocha: 如果你从整体来看，从Quick Style的愿景来考虑，中国或亚洲扮演什么角色？

Bilal Malik: 在Quick Style的未来规划中，中国和亚洲都是非常重要的。我们是在像挪威这样的西方国家长大的亚裔。我们是有着独特文化见解的挪威人，那是我们家庭所带来的深厚文化联系。我们很幸运，可以成长在一个开明的国家里。很多人或国家就没这么幸运了。我们相信，我们有足够丰富的经验、知识和敏感度，去在不同国家之间建立文化桥梁。每当我们与别人互动时，都会真的去深入地了解他们真正的感受和喜好，因为我们真的关心他们。

亚洲对我们来说是非常重要的地区。在这里，你几乎到处都可以找到灵感和发现丰富的文化根源。我们深信，艺术是面向所有人的，对社会也有非常重要的意义。这就是为什么我们要确保自己的作品可以继续鼓舞人们，不断去推进创意和文化之间的交流。

"We believe everyone can dance." - Bilal Malik

Facebook: @thequickstyle
YouTube: ~/TheQuickStyle
Instagram: @thequickstyle
Twitter: @thequickstyle

 

Contributor: Aleesha Suleman
Images & Videos Courtesy of Quick Style & Sinostage

脸书: @thequickstyle
YouTube: ~/TheQuickStyle
Instagram: @thequickstyle
推特: @thequickstyle

 

供稿人: Aleesha Suleman
图片与视频由Quick Style与Sinostage提供

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I, Me, Mine 千面西贡 千面“我”

December 1, 2017 2017年12月1日

Since 2013, the community-run Saigon Artbook has produced more than 3000 copies of its publication, showcasing numerous Vietnamese artists working in a variety of mediums. The 7th and latest edition is a truly laudable endeavor in both form and content. Designer Giang Nguyen has utilized 14 types of paper and experimental printing techniques, pushing the boundaries of what a book can be and how art can be experienced. But underneath the compelling visuals, more substantial is how Saigon Artbook reflects the collective force to actively carve spaces for artistic freedom and tackle diverse subject matters in Vietnam today.

自2013年以来，《Saigon Artbook》已经印刷发行了3000多本，展示了众多在不同媒体领域创作的越南艺术家。而第七期，即最新一期的《Saigon Artbook》在形式和内容上更是值得称道。书籍设计师Giang Nguyen采用14种纸张和实验性印刷技术，突破性地诠释了书的定义，展示出一种全新的艺术体验方式。但在抢眼的视觉效果背后，更重要的是《Saigon Artbook》展现了一群艺术家用自己力量积极争取着自由的艺术创作空间，一同探讨越南当下所面临的各种问题。

Dang Thanh Long, the co-founder of Saigon Artbook and independent publisher inpages, fervently shares the joy of physically coming into contact with works of art. Combining his love for books and a recognized need to document the evolving contemporary art scene, Long has collaborated with a number of local creators, designers, and curators to bring to fruition this labor of love, titled affectionately after the city they reside. Amidst a world saturated with images and lacking institutional support for contemporary art, lies a rising demand for personally curated and self-published content. Saigon Artbook is no doubt at the helm of this movement in Vietnam.

“Young Vietnamese artists now are so much more daring, provocative, almost ‘irritating’ in the way they take on contemporary themes of politics, gender and society,” comments Shyevin S’ng, co-curator of the 7th edition and owner of Vin Gallery. The theme this time of “I, Me, Mine” – despite dealing with introspection – speaks volumes about how the five featured artists think and engage with society.

《Saigon Artbook》和独立出版商 inpages创始人Dang Thanh Long热切地分享着一种直接触摸艺术作品的快乐体验。Long结合自己对书籍的热爱，以及记录不断变化的当代艺术场景的需要，与当地许多创意人才、设计师和策展人合作，共同打造出这本满溢热情的作品，并以他们所居住的城市之名命名。在这个图像泛滥、当代艺术缺乏体制支持的世界中，人们对独立策划和出版内容的需求越来越多。而《Saigon Artbook》无疑是越南国内引领这一股潮流的先锋。

“现在年轻的越南艺术家在探讨当代政治、性别和社会话题时，更大胆、直率，甚至可以说是有挑衅意味的。” Vin Gallery画廊老板和第七期《Saigon Artbook》的策划人 Shyevin S’ng评论道。这期的主题“I, Me, Mine”尽管也是在探讨自省的问题，但更多的是通过五位艺术家是如何思考和与社会互动的。

The work of painter Tran Kim Hoa begins with a resounding quote: “What’s more important than humanity?” What follows is a series of female portraits printed on paper stock with a tactile feel that’s close to canvas. The female body has been historically romanticized in visual arts by male creators but this time Tran decides to take matters into her own hands. Through self-portraits painted by staring into a mirror and quick sketches based on memorable women she encountered in real life and local news, Tran attempts to communicate the idea of truly seeing oneself. To emphasize this concept, reflective paper intended to resemble a mirror sits alongside her works in the book.

画家Tran Kim Hoa的专题部分以发人深省的一句话开头: “有什么比人性更重要？”（What’s more important than humanity?）接着展示了一系列的女性肖像，印于像画布一样充满触感的纸张上。一直以来，在视觉艺术中，男性创作者笔下的女性身体都会被美化，但这一次她决定由自己来作主。Tran对照镜中的自己，创作自画像，或是根据自己在真实生活和新闻中看到的女性形象，描画出一些女性素描速写。通过这些女性画像，Tran试图传达出发现真实自我的想法，为了强调这一概念，在她的画像旁边是一张用来模拟镜子的反光纸。

Constructed by geometric shapes and bold brushwork, Tran’s women don’t follow any notion of Vietnamese female beauty – lithe, gentle and dreamy. The artist could be reimagining her own figure or fusing it with memories of other women who, similarly, are trapped in an abiding definition of femininity and Asian physiognomy that is said to dictate one’s fate. Rather than shying away, Tran unapologetically celebrates features of womanhood normally deemed undesirable: high cheekbones, perky breasts, large shoulders, love handles, and unruly hair. Yet while looking defiant, these figures are submerged in a dusty hue, implying the harsh living conditions that have left physical marks in their bodies. The series’ title Bonsai – which is defined as “the act of growing ornamental, artificially dwarfed trees” – strikes a sobering note about the invisible containers that mold humans into preconceived ideas.

Tran笔下由几何形状和大胆笔触所描画的女性，截然不同于越南对女性美的传统定义——轻盈、温柔、梦幻。这位艺术家既是在重新构思自己的形象，也可能是把这种自我形象与自己记忆中的其他女性相结合，而她们的共同之处，是被传统的女性定义和亚洲那种相信面相决定一个人命运的思想所束缚。对于一些被视为不可取的女性特征：高颧骨、平胸、宽肩膀、突出的肚子和凌乱的头发，Tran没有回避，而是坦然地展示出来。然而，虽然这些画像中的女性看起来自信反叛，但填充的色彩却是暗淡的色调，似在暗示残酷的生活在她们身上留下的印记。该系列画像标题为“Bonsai”，意思是“培植供观赏用的、人为修剪的矮树”，这个如醍醐灌顶般的标题，提醒着人们那些束缚着人类，将所有人打造成固有样子的无形思想模具。

Readers then move to Yatender’s cross-country adventure with her Tinder date in 35mm film. Her visual diary layered with handwritten notes charts a whimsical, bittersweet account of modern dating, toying around with the collision of two people from different parts of the world. She captures her “halfway lover, halfway friend” in private spaces, jotting down her confusion as the relationship advances. In the only photo where both the photographer and her date appear together, the double-page spread can be opened up like doors to reveal the subject’s naked body, their travel itinerary, and their Tinder profiles. The small-sized images that could only be seen by turning pages serve to create an intimate experience of observing someone elses’ life. Overwhelming is a sense of affection, or more precisely, the yearning for it. Lost in the whirlwind of passion, perhaps Yatender has forgotten that this is supposed to be an experiment.

接下来，读者可以看到Yatender用35mm胶片相机记录的她与Tinder约会对象进行的跨国冒险之旅。她的视觉日记上充满了手写的笔记，描述了一段心血来潮的，苦中带甜的现代约会，展示着来自世界不同文化的两个人之间的碰撞。她在私密的空间里，用镜头捕捉这位“朋友以上，恋人未满”的约会对象，记录着随着两人关系的发展，她所遇到的困惑。唯一一张这位摄影师和她的约会对象同时出现的照片被印成折叠的双页跨页，就像是一扇门，读者打开后能看到照片人物的裸体、他们的旅行行程和他们在Tinder里的简介页。通过翻页才能看到的小张图像，营造出一个窥视他人生活的亲密体验。这些作品满溢着饱满的情绪，或者更确切地说，充满了一种渴望。Yatender迷失在激情的旋风，也许她已经忘记这场旅程本应该是一个实验。

Yatender’s compact camera and 35mm film allows her to shoot without too much intrusion and calculation, and as a result, aesthetics takes a back seat to intuition. “Do you decide to make a memory based on the composition of a face between the sheets?” asks the photographer. It is easy to consider Yatender’s work as rebellious against the conservatism in Vietnamese culture especially attitudes to women, or generalize it as a response to the online and/or biracial dating trend. However, her work here is a deeply personal one and only wishes to be seen as an effort to “hold onto things that are important to [her] and for people who are lost”.

Yatender的小型相机和35mm胶片让她在拍摄时不会给人一种侵入的感觉，也不需要过多的算计，因此能呈现出一种自然直觉式的美学风格。摄影师问道：“难道你会想靠床笫之间的一张脸的构图来制造记忆吗？”显然，Yatender的作品是对越南文化中的保守主义尤其是对女性的态度的一种抗议和反叛，也是对网络和/或跨种族约会趋势的一种回应。然而，她的这些作品其实是非常私人的创作，是一种希望“牢牢抓住那些对她来说重要的事物，是给那些迷失的人而创作的。”

More abstract, yet no less resonant, is the work of Xuan Ha (Grandmadeadxh) where lies otherworldly characters, originally existing in black ink on silk, recreated in the book on opaque tracing paper. Her feminine figures are without hair, sunken in mud with eyes closed as if in a state of deep meditation, contemplating the sorrowful cycle of life and death. Performance artist Do Nguyen Lap Xuan tackles the idea of greed in her piece Nothingness, the result of hours of diligently dotting and erasing on paper is presented as a six-page spread. Hoang Nam Viet’s charcoal sketches of daily, yet somehow twisted, postures disrupt the sense of normalcy, showing a man shrinking as he consumes food and one’s face obscured by withering sunflowers.

相比之下，Xuan Ha(Grandmadeadxh)的作品则更抽象，但同样能引发读者的共鸣，其作品中那些超凡脱俗的角色原来是用墨水创作于丝绸上的，在书中被重新印于不透明的描摹纸上。她笔下的女性形象没有头发，凹陷在泥土中，眼睛紧闭，仿佛处于沉思的状态，沉思着苦海轮回。而行为艺术家Do Nguyen Lap Xuan在她的《Nothingness》作品中则探讨了贪婪的主题，这幅由她在纸上不断点画和擦除数个小时而成的作品被印于六页的跨页中。Hoang Nam Viet的炭笔素描展示了平凡但扭曲着的姿势，扰乱了常态感，画中一位蜷缩着的男人正在进食，他的脸被枯萎的向日葵遮蔽着。

Through personal explorations of five aspiring Vietnamese artists, we see various interpretations of the theme of self and its shifting place in different environments. While none of these artists might want to represent Vietnamese youth as a whole, their creative effort does shed light on what it’s like to live in modern-day Vietnam as a young person. The 7th edition of Saigon Artbook continues the commitment to publishing by utilizing printing materials to great effect. Step by step, one page after another, Saigon Artbook pushes the burgeoning art scene forward while documenting it at the same time.

通过探索五位充满想法的越南艺术家的个人世界，我们看到了对“自我”这个主题及其在环境中变化的各种诠释。虽然这些艺术家并不希望要代表所有越南年轻一代，但他们的作品在一定程度上揭示了现代越南年轻人的生活。《Saigon Artbook》第七期继续致力于有效利用印刷材料来制作出版物的理念。《Saigon Artbook》正在一步一步地推动着越南蓬勃发展的艺术场景，同时又在记录着这一进程。

Website: www.saigonartbook.org
Facebook: ~/saigonartbook
Instagram: @saigonartbook

 

Contributor & Photographer: Ha Dao

网站: www.saigonartbook.org
脸书: ~/saigonartbook
Instagram: @saigonartbook

 

供稿人与摄影师: Ha Dao

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