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Son of Shanghai Techno

June 17, 2016 2016年6月17日

 

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Ma Haiping (aka MHP) is a Chinese electronic musician and producer currently signed to D Force Records. Known as the “son of Shanghai techno,” MHP believes that the possibilities are endless when it comes to electronic music. In 2012, MHP released The Chinese Connection on vinyl through the Detroit label Cratesavers International, making him the first ever Chinese electronic musician to have work released in Detroit, a city that many consider to be the birthplace of techno. Before all this, in the early days of MHP’s 12 year-long musical journey, he first experimented with rock and roll, then dabbled with avant-garde music, and finally honed in on electronic music. In recent years, MHP’s focus has completely shifted to house and techno music. He says that what drew him to producing music in the first place was the sense of joy that he has always felt in music, and the vast amount of creative freedom he’s able to exercise.

在大福唱片上海电子音乐人MHP (马海平) 的眼中，电子音乐具有着无限的可能性。享有“上海techno之子”美誉的他，曾在2012年通过底特律厂牌Cratesavers International发行了自己的黑胶唱片《四方来朝》，使他成为第一个在Techno音乐发源地发行唱片的中国电子音乐人。在十几年的音乐生涯中，从最初的实验摇滚到前卫音乐、实验电子，再到近几年的电子舞曲house、techno等，MHP在创作上涉猎诸多。对他来说，引导他音乐创作的，是音乐自身的趣味性和探索空间。   

In April of 2016, MHP released his first full-length debut album Folding Traces. This was the first time he has ever released music through a domestic record label. Folding Traces is a conceptual album that uses the cityscape of Shanghai as the foundation of the work, and MHP builds on it by channeling cinematic sci-fi vibes throughout the LP. Folding Traces starts off with “Entrance to My Emotions” – a sleek track filled with jazz trumpet sounds. But in the subsequent tracks, MHP quickly whisks listeners away into a meticulously crafted, complex, and futuristic soundscape. The album concludes with “Melbourne Sunlight”; a collaborative track with folk musician Wang Meng that gently eases listeners back into reality. Folding Traces is a compilation and auditory reinterpretation of MHP’s past, present, and vision for the future.

2016四月，MHP第一次在国内厂牌下发行了名为《折叠痕迹》的电子概念专辑。这张专辑以上海为背景，科幻为意向，从结合了爵士乐的《情感入口》开始，在几首电子舞曲非常自然地过渡中，音乐家带着听众进入一场未来都市之旅，最后再以一首和民乐演奏家王萌合作的《墨尔本日光》将听众慢慢拉回现实之中。在整张专辑中，MHP以自己的过往、现在和追求构成了他个人作品的独特性。

Listen below to a few select tracks off of MHP’s Folding Traces:

MHP – Entrance to My Emotions
MHP – Motor City Remix
MHP – Manifesto of Futurism
MHP – Melbourne Sunlight

以下曲目节选自《折叠痕迹》，欢迎试听:

MHP – 情感入口
MHP – 速度之城
MHP – 未来主义宣言 (节选)
MHP – 墨尔本日光

Born and raised in Shanghai, MHP believes that his music preferences and creativity are closely tied to the city. In the last 200 years, Shanghai has not only developed into an important port city and hotspot of commerce, but it has also evolved into a hub of contemporary Chinese pop music and culture. “Cultures that were considered avant-garde and hip entered the region after the 1980s. In the late ‘80s, the local news program Shanghai Zaocheng even ended their show with Kraftwerk’s ‘Autobahn’,” he says. MHP’s earliest encounters with electronic music can be traced back to around this time, although back then, he didn’t know that it would later become such an important part of his life.

土生土长于上海的MHP认为，他在音乐上的偏好和创作离不开这座城市。自两百多年前开埠以来，上海除了发展成为一个港口大都市，也成为了中国近代流行音乐与文化的发祥地和重镇。“一些前卫时髦的文化，很早就进入我们80后的生活状态里。《上海早晨》(一档新闻节目)在80年代末的结尾曲就是Kraftwerk的《Autobahn》。”他对电子音乐最早的接触可追溯至这个时期，尽管当时他并不知道那是什么。 

Shanghai is known as a melting pot of Eastern and Western cultures and living there exposed MHP to music from both cultures. But the different styles of music weren’t the only things that influenced his sound. “Shanghai used to air a lot of sci-fi shows from other countries. Such as the classic series The Time Tunnel. I was watching these shows when I was seven or eight.” MHP grew up reading Science Fiction World, a monthly science fiction magazine published in China, and novels published during America’s Golden Age of Science Fiction. Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein are three authors who influenced his work the most. Believing that these sci-fi stories were closer to prophecies of the future rather than fiction, his perception of the world was in turn completely altered. The futuristic and technological vibes of his music can all be attributed to his love of science fiction. In Folding Traces, the track “Manifesto of Futurism” is a tribute to the cult classic sci-fi film Blade Runner, and even the album name is a reference to the origami unicorn at the end of the movie.

生活在这样一个中西文化碰撞的最前沿城市，他接受到的熏陶并不只是音乐上的。“上海以前有很多引进的科幻动画片，包括一些老的经典科幻剧集，像《时间隧道》等。我七、八岁就看过 。”在美国科幻黄金时代三位代表作家作品和《科幻世界》中成长的他，视科幻小说为一种预言小说，并相信科幻影响了他对世界的观察方式。他音乐作品中的未来主义色彩便是来自对科幻的爱。在《折叠痕迹》中，他更是用《未来主义宣言》致敬经典科幻电影《银翼杀手》，就连专辑命名灵感之一也来自该影片结尾处的独角兽折纸。

MHP graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy with a degree in fine art; the influence of that can be seen in his album name and album artwork, which allude to the Cubism movement of the 1910s. As someone who frequently visits museums, MHP says that visual art also serves as inspiration for his music. In fact, besides producing music, MHP also gives lectures at various art academies. MHP tells us that studying visual art has not only contributed to him gaining a better understanding of melody and rhythm but has also helped him to understand the importance of presenting his musical works as a well-composed story that could invoke images and memories in the minds of listeners.

《折叠痕迹》的名字和封面设计灵感的另一来源，则是1910年左右在西方现代艺术史上出现的立体主义。这位毕业于上海戏剧学院舞台美术专业的音乐人表示，现在的他仍然经常出入美术馆，并从视觉艺术中获取音乐创作灵感。事实上，在从事音乐创作的同时，他也在美术院校担任讲师。MHP告诉我们，对视觉的研习让他在旋律和节奏之余，更注重对音乐的文学性、故事性、画面性的表现。

Ever since techno emerged from Detroit, it has evolved and shapeshifted as the genre passed through different regions. MHP hopes the genre can change and inherit a unique form that China can call its own. But he tells us, Chinese listeners generally have negative preconceptions about electronic music, seeing as it’s a relatively new form of music that has only recently started developing in the country. Taking into account the preference for melody that Chinese music tends to favor, the new album steered away from the heavier elements of techno music while still following the standard 4/4 techno rhythm. Purposefully, this new album incorporates more melodic elements into the overall composition.

Techno自在底特律诞生后，在不同地区的发展中都形成了独特的面貌。MHP希望它在中国也可以形成独具一格的场景。他告诉我们，中国听众对发展历史并不长久的电子音乐通常存在着误解和偏见。因此他根据中国听众对旋律的关注，在新专辑中并未选录比较重型的techno曲目，而是选择保持techno4/4的节拍上对旋律进行了更强的创作。

Devoted to his mission of promoting techno music, MHP has been digging into his own past with hopes of finding a link between his personal experiences and Western music; he believes this will help him create techno sounds more suitable for a Chinese audience. After winning Douban’s Abbey Road Music Award for two consecutive years, MHP re-enrolled into the Shanghai Theatre Academy for his MFA in contemporary art. MHP plans to produce more music similar to the tracks on Folding Traces in the future, and try to make techno a more widely accepted form of music in China.

带着一种推广音乐的使命感，他现在正在慢慢挖掘曾经在他身边发生的事情，在自己身上找到和西方音乐的连接点，从而在创作上做到更本土化。在连续两年获得阿比鹿音乐奖之后，目前的他回到上海戏剧学院攻读当代艺术MFA。接下来他还将创作更多像《折叠痕迹》这样为中国人所设计的techno音乐，以进一步地将这种音乐在这片土地上推广开来。

Soundcloud: ~/mhp
Douban: ~/mhpmhp
Weibo: @MHP_

 

Contributor: Banny Wang
Videographers: Gerhan, Damien Louise
Photographer: Banny Wang

Soundcloud: ~/mhp
豆瓣: ~/mhpmhp
微博: @MHP_

 

供稿人: Banny Wang
视频摄影师: Gerhan, Damien Louise
图片摄影师: Banny Wang

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Watercolor in Motion

June 10, 2016 2016年6月10日

Woody Allen’s films are known for their sense of humor, quirky dialog, thought-provoking scenes, and jazz-filled classic soundtracks. There are many people who consider Woody Allen’s movies to be masterpieces and highly inspiring works of art. One of those people is Tu Qian, a graphic designer who graduated from the Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Born in Shanghai and now based in London, this artist’s long-standing infatuation with Woody Allen’s movies directly translates into her creative work – a continually growing collection of animated GIFs that reproduces some of her favorite moments from Woody Allen’s films.

美国导演Woody Allen的电影一向以其标志性的风格为人所知，幽默、喋喋不休、知识分子气质、背景的爵士乐……均是他作品的粉丝们所欲罢不能的。来自上海、现居伦敦的涂迁也是这众多粉丝中的一员。毕业于圣马丁艺术与设计学院，现为平面设计师的她，制作了一系列基于Woody Allen电影的GIF动图，以她自己的角度表现了电影作品里无处不在的细腻。

“His films are all superb, and he makes it seem so effortless,” she says admiringly. “Take the Money and Run, which came out in 1969, was a film that Allen wrote, directed, and starred in. That film really opened my eyes.” Tu Qian has since been selecting her favorite scenes from Woody Allen’s movies and transforming them into animated watercolor GIF images, starting with Take the Money and Run (1969), to Love and Death (1975), to the more recent Magic in the Moonlight (2014). These films, and all the others in between, have been an important part of Tu Qian’s growth as an artist.

“他电影的画面有种随随便便的好看。”这位设计师说道，“1969年他自己演的《Take the Money and Run》让我开了眼。”于是，从《Take the Money and Run》、1975年的《Love and Death》，到2014年的《Magic in the Moonlight》等多部电影中，涂迁选择了给她留下深刻印象的片段，进行了二次创作。

“I spend time thinking about things like: ‘If I could only draw one scene from a movie, which would it be?’. For example, the scene in Vicky Cristina Barcelona where Vicky was sitting alone by the sea probably doesn’t seem like anything special, but I was able to feel her emotions through the movie screen. In that moment, she wasn’t Scarlett Johansson, and she wasn’t Vicky, but she was just a regular person I could relate with – just a sad girl who was trying to cope with her sorrows on the beach,” Tu Qian says. Different people naturally have different interpretations of the films. The specific scenes that Tu Qian has recreated over the years are special to her, and reflect her own unique personal viewing experience.

她说: “我会想一想，如果一部电影只能画一张，那我会画哪张。比如Vicky独自在海边坐着的场景，没什么特别的 ，但我觉得我隔着屏幕感到了她的情绪，在那分钟她不是Scarlett Johansson也不是Vicky，她就是和平常人一样难过了会去海边发呆的小姑娘。”正如每个人对电影有着不同的理解，她对这些片段也有着自己的选择标准。

Tu Qian also admits to a fascination with the work of American abstract painter Mark Rothko, and Russian painter Kazimir Malevich, the originator of the avant-garde Suprematist movement. “(In their work) the color choices and composition emits a very raw sense of emotion and an emphasis on purity of form,” she says. The influences of these two artists are subtly at play in her work. It can be seen in the large canvas of color she frames her subjects in, and also in the orderly way she uses movement to bring her characters to life.

涂迁深深着迷于美国抽象派画家Mark Rothko，以及俄国画家和至上主义艺术奠基人Kazimir Malevich的作品。她告诉我们: “（他们作品里的）颜色和构成让我觉得他们的东西里有很多情绪、纯粹感知的重要。”涂迁大块色彩平铺的画面里，以及那些从具体故事情节中抽离出来的动作中，这个系列视觉和叙事风格中都或隐或现两位艺术家的印记。

Even though Tu Qian’s signature style and her obsession with creating animated GIF images all originated from her love of Woody Allen’s movies, she has been moving towards different subject matters lately. Her Fog series is a collection of images that beautifully captures the essence of various animals simply through their silhouette and movement, and her Daily (E)motion series is also continually growing with new works being added periodically.

带着这种艺术风格，和她对loop这种表现形式的着迷，在由Woody Allen电影启发出来的系列之后，她继续挖掘创作题材。于是这就有了接下来表现动物动态的《迷雾》系列，以及后来的《Daily (E)Motion》系列，并且一直不停在扩展中。

Tu Qian’s ability to poetically capture a sense of ambiguity in both mood and movement in her infinitely looping GIFs leaves a lot of room for the viewer’s imagination to take over. And as humble as she is skilled, Tu Qian lightheartedly pokes fun of her own work by saying, “When you see the first one, you’ll find it interesting. But by the time you see the tenth one, you’ll find it boring.”

”你看第一个的时候会觉得有趣，看到第十个的时候就会觉得无聊。”涂迁对于自己的超短篇水彩动画打趣地评价道。但是有趣的是，她笔下那些不明确的动作和不明确的情绪，在一遍又一遍的loop中，似乎也有了一种独特如诗般的意境。

Website: ~/tuqian
Tumblr: ~/12amto12pm

 

Contributor: Banny Wang

网站: ~/tuqian
Tumblr: ~/12amto12pm

 

供稿人: Banny Wang

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Monster Muji

June 3, 2016 2016年6月3日

Meet Mao Guan Shuai, a Chinese artist who’s able to integrate the imperfections of wood as a central part of his stunning sculptures. Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang, this skilled artisan now works under the moniker Guaishou (aka Monster). “The soul and essence of a tree can be found in all its imperfections,” he says. The gaping mouth of a figure seemingly frozen in an endless scream, and a series of human forms with damaged physiques – these are just some of the ways he’s reimagined what might be viewed as flawed material by others. Through a meticulous process of cutting, chiseling, chainsawing, sandpapering, and carving, Guaishou liberates these lifelike figures that have been hiding in these blocks of wood all along. His fascination with woodworking led to him starting his personal studio Guaishou Muji in 2013. In the beginning, he was only creating simple and practical products such as spoons and plates, but over time, his creations eventually evolved into the wildly creative and innovative works of art that he is known for today. Neocha recently had the chance to talk to Guaishou about his creative process and his growth as an artist.

“树的结疤更像是树的灵魂。”他说。于是这些结疤在他手里，成了一个人在呐喊的口，成了一个人千疮百孔的躯体……削、凿、电锯切割、砂纸戳刀打磨，他对作品的处理方式从来不拘一格。他符号化的作品中充满了木头重新绽放的生命力。他是木作工作室“怪兽木记”的创立人——怪兽。怪兽本名毛冠帅，浙江宁波人，环境与艺术专业出身，自学木作。2013年工作室成立时，怪兽仅年方四五。从最初制作勺子盘子摆饰等小器物，到雕塑等艺术类木作创作，我们与怪兽谈了谈他的创作和其成长过程。

Neocha: How did you become interested in woodworking?

Guaishou: I first encountered woodworking during the junior year of college. I later found myself once taking notice at how the furniture looked in a restaurant; they were old, simple, and rather quaint. I thought to myself: “Wouldn’t it be great if I made my own furniture one day?” That’s how it all began. Of course, you can’t just make a piece of furniture right away as an amateur woodworker. I first started with simple things like spoons and plates. I referenced woodworking tutorials and guides online, bought some basic tools, and just started working towards figuring it all out. I’m really particular about how the wood is treated. It’s a big part of how it is presented to people. So I’ll take many steps to ensure that it’s done just right. But of course, there are only so many ways of finishing wood. I suppose this was one of the reasons that I started doing woodwork – because it’s rather simple. It’s unlike other crafts such as pottery that involves more complicated processes. For woodworking, you just need a little motivation and your own two hands.

Neocha: 你最初是怎么进入木作这个领域的呢？

怪兽: 我大学三年级时第一次做木头，之前完全没接触过。有次去餐厅，注意到里面的家具很古朴很好看。我当时就想，如果自己有一天可以做家具也很好。当然，一开始就做家具也不可能，所以就从勺子、盘子之类的开始。我参考网络上的制作教程，买了很简单的工具，就开始纯手工制作、摸索。我很注重作品的表面处理，因为这也是最终呈现给大家的，所以会用很多不同的处理方式。但做木头终归也就是这些手法，这也是我做木头的一个原因，就是它比较简单，不像陶瓷等还需要烧制，只要有点动手能力你就可以去做。

Neocha: In the beginning, you wanted to create things that had practical uses – but now your vision has shifted towards favoring creativity over practicality. What were your creative outlets prior to this?

Guaishou: I used to love photography and illustration. Photography is my favorite, but I’ve been interested in illustration since I was a little kid. It’s funny how making wooden spoons led me to discover a new means of creative expression. I am still making spoons, but I’m making artwork like sculptures as well. Maybe it’s because there are so many people making practical things that it has made me want to do something different. I suppose I’m just following my heart. I’m the kind of person that does whatever pops into my head, and I feel like that spontaneity translates into my style.

Neocha: 从最初想做实用家具，到后来发现自己更倾向于创作。这种创作欲的来源是什么？在这之前你的创作方式是什么？

怪兽: 之前我很喜欢摄影和画画。摄影是我的最爱，画画则是从小就开始的。做勺子把我带到现在这条路上，让我发现新的创作语言。我依然在做勺子，但是做勺子的同时也可以做艺术化的雕塑啊！可能是因为做勺子的人多， 所以我想做点不一样的东西。也可能只是我在追随自己的内心。因为我就是想到什么就去做，然后逐渐形成自己的风格。

Neocha: You mentioned that it sometimes takes many unsuccessful attempts before you can complete a piece of work. Is this common for your work?

Guaishou: Not always. When I first started carving sculptures the initial attempt would often be a failure or end up being something I’m not proud of. Once I’ve done it a few times, the later productions will be error-free. But whenever I start on a new series of work, I’ll face a new set of problems. So before I even begin any actual physical work, I first form a clear concept and draft a rough sketch. If it is something I’m really interested in creating, I’ll make it happen no matter what. If I don’t succeed the first time, I’ll try again and again. For me, the ability to turn my ideas into something tangible is the most fascinating thing about my creative process. I really enjoy the creation process. I often take a little time to admire and appreciate the finalized work before moving on and fully devoting myself into the next project.

Neocha: 你提到有些作品做几次才做成，这在你的创作中是一种常态吗？

怪兽: 不完全是。比如有些人像雕塑，我刚开始做的时候，会经历第一遍做坏掉，或者不满意的情况。同一类型的作品到后面一般不会出差错了。然而创作一个新系列时，又会有不同的问题出现。基本上，在制作之前，我会先构思好，画出设计手稿。只要是我想做的东西，我都会把它做出来，一遍不行就两遍。把脑中的设想变成现实的时候，对我来说就是创作过程中最有意思的事。我很享受创作的过程。一个作品实现的时候，去欣赏去看，然后再投入到下一个创作中去。

Neocha: What do you consider to be your three favorite pieces of work thus far?

Guaishou: One of my favorites is the sculpture of a peeing dog. When I started creating my canine series, this peeing dog was the first piece I completed. You can’t identify it as a specific breed, and the ambiguous nature of it is a form of symbolism in a way. The act of peeing to mark his territory is also symbolic. This is my favorite piece out of my entire canine collection.

Another favorite of mine is a portrait of a human face. The contour of the face is created with iron wires, and the facial features are made with wood. The nose, eyes, and mouth were created quite abstractly. I was inspired by Picasso. This is also another collection of work that relies on heavy symbolism.

Lastly is a piece of work called Xiaosideren. Out of all of my works, I had the most trouble with this particular series. It is also quite different from my previous work. I wanted these sculptures to give a sense that the person is vanishing. It represents a change from the present to the future. Some viewers thought it looked like a person who was slowly disappearing and fading away, but other people instead saw a person being reconstructed and being made whole again. Different people will have different interpretations. In the end, this piece of work is a statement about the dynamic process of undergoing change.

Neocha: 到目前为止，你个人最喜欢的是哪三个作品？为什么？

怪兽：第一个是那个在撒尿的狗，我当时开始做一个犬的系列。这只在撒尿的犬，是这个系列中的第一只。它模糊了品种，是符号性的一只狗，但是它在撒尿，在给领地做标记，完全是符号性地。这也是我在犬的系列中最喜欢的一个作品。

第二个作品算是一个人脸的形象。外围的铁丝，作为脸的轮廓，木材部分是五官，鼻子眼睛跟嘴巴都很抽象。灵感来自毕加索的绘画。这也是一个符号性的东西。

第三个作品叫做《消失的人》。做这个作品经历的失败次数属我创作以来之最。不同于我平时的人像，我希望它给人一种正在消失的动态感。它是从某个现在时刻进行到未来时刻的一个变化的过程动态。作品出来后，有人觉得是人在逐渐模糊至看不到，有人觉得是它是在重组一个人……不同的人可以有不同的解读。但不管怎样，它反映的都是一个变化，一个过程，一种动态。

Neocha: Can you describe your typical day for us? How much of your day is spent working?

Guaishou: I am only focused on woodworking nowadays. My average day begins with me going to the studio at around 8 a.m. and working until 11 a.m. I’ll then go home for lunch and resume working at 1 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. My work day is usually about seven to eight hours long. But if there’s work I didn’t finish in the day, I will stay in the studio until it’s finished. For all my pieces, I always hope to finish in one day and not drag it out to the next day. Then later at night, I like to read and think about potential ideas for new creations.

Neocha: 你现在每天的生活 / 工作状态是什么样的？

怪兽:  我现在就只专注木作这件事。平时每天大概8点多去工作室，工作到11点多，回家吃午饭，下午1点钟再开始工作，到5点半。通常每天7-8个小时左右的工作时间。如果有白天没做完的工作，我就会在工作室继续完成它。在创作上，我总是希望一天的事情可以一天做完，不想拖到第二天。到了晚上，就看书看资料，构思一些新的东西。

Neocha: Having worked with wood for three years now, do you feel like there’s a common subject that you find yourself gravitating towards? Why is that?

Guaishou: My favorite subject is humans. I enjoy finding different ways to present the human form. The entire body, only revealing half of a body, experimenting with different techniques, and so on. My creations tend to only have two eyes and a nose, and they’re typically genderless individuals. I tend to incorporate symbolism in all of my work related to humans, but the use of symbolism is quite common in my work. When people look at artwork that’s presented like a human, they’ll often see their own likeness in the work. Different people will extract different meanings from the artwork. Portraits will resonate with more people; this is why they they’re so appealing to me.

Neocha: 创作这么久以来， 你有没有特别专注的某一个主题？为什么？

怪兽: 我最喜欢创作的是人，用不同方式去表现人，全身的，半身的，各种不同制作手法……我创作的人，脸上最多只有两只眼睛一个鼻子，没有明显的性别倾向。我希望做出来的人都是具有符号性——这个是我作品里很统一的一点。人看人像作品时，常常会往自己身上靠，不同的人有不同的理解，但人像的确可以让更多的人产生共鸣，这就是我喜欢的理由。

Last month, the Weizaiweizai art gallery in Shanghai held a solo exhibition of Guaishou’s work. This small art gallery hidden away on Anfu Road had to end the exhibition prematurely because nearly all of Guaishou’s work sold out faster than anticipated. Guaishou is already preparing for his next exhibition that’s planned for early next year. So be sure to keep your eyes peeled!

在刚刚过去的五月，上海的画廊“未在 味在”举办了怪兽的个人作品展。尽管安福路上的这个画廊连极为低调、颇为难找，这次展览仍然因为展品几近售罄，不得不提前闭幕。现在的他已经开始为明年年初的展览创作新的一批作品，令人不禁好奇和期待！

Weibo: ~/gsbest

 

Contributor: Banny Wang
Images Courtesy of Mao Guan Shuai

微博: ~/gsbest

 

供稿人: Banny Wang
图片由毛冠帅提供

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The Creations of Minifanfan

May 19, 2016 2016年5月19日

Eng Gee Fan creates under the fitting, self-given pseudonym of Minifanfan. This 152cm tall Malaysian Chinese artist is a self-professed lover of “minimalism,” “bob cuts,” and “tomatoes” – her unorthodox list of interests is quite revealing of her quirky personality. But besides being well known for her cute illustrations, she also handcrafts cards, pins, and pillows that feature the recurring characters from her fantasy world. Minifanfan likes to describe her illustrations as “happy drawings for happy people,” and her ultimate goal is a rather simple one: she wants to spread joy and happiness to people through her art.

Eng Gee Fan berkarya dengan nama Minifanfan, yang dicipta sendiri dan sesuai dengan nama asal beliau. Dengan ketinggian 152cm, artis Malaysia berketurunan Tiong Hua ini mengaku sebagai pendukung minimalisme, gaya rambut “bob cut” (potongan serkup) dan tomato – senarai minat beliau yang tidak ortodoks memperlihatkan personaliti beliau yang agak berlainan. Tetapi, selain terkenal kerana ilustrasi beliau yang kelihatan comel, beliau juga menghasilkan kraftangan berbentuk kad, pin dan bantal yang memaparkan watak-watak yang sering muncul dalam dunia fantasi beliau. Minifanfan memerihalkan ilustrasi beliau sebagai “lukisan menggembirakan untuk orang yang gembira,” dan matlamat utama beliau agak mudah – beliau ingin menyebarkan kegembiraan dan kebahagian kepada orang lain melalui karya seni beliau.

Minifanfan traces her great love for illustration all the way back to her childhood days when she would watch the Sailor Moon anime series. She would later go on to major in visual communication in art school. During her studies, one of her professors continuously encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone; his encouragement helped Minifanfan come into her own as an artist. Heeding his advice, she began attending art markets and it was there that she discovered her interest with handcrafted items. In her early days as an artist, Minifanfan was content with just knowing people enjoyed her work; but in recent years, she decided to focus on seriously pursuing art as a full-time job. Slowly but surely, Minifanfan began building a cute imaginary world populated with her diverse illustrated characters.

Minifanfan belajar komunikasi visual semasa di kolej, tetapi menjejak kembali minat beliau terhadap ilustrasi semenjak zaman kanak-kanak lagi sambil menonton anime Jepun, Sailor Moon. Ketika di universiti, salah seorang profesor beliau secara berterusan telah menggalakkan beliau keluar daripada zon selesa beliau, dan Minifanfan percaya ini telah meninggalkan kesan ke atas dirinya, yang berkekalan hingga ke hari ini; Pada sekitar waktu inilah beliau mula berjinak-jinak dengan pasar seni, di mana di situlah beliau menanam minat dalam ilustrasi dan barangan kraftangan. Pada mulanya Minifanfan berpuas hati setakat ada beberapa orang yang meminati hasil karya beliau. Tetapi selepas menamatkan pengajian, beliau memutuskan untuk menumpukan sepenuh perhatian untuk menjadikan seni sebagai kerjaya sepenuh masa. Secara perlahan-lahan namun pasti, Minifanfan mula membangunkan dunia khayalan comel yang dihuni oleh pelbagai watak ciptaan beliau.

Minifanfan now spends her days with her boyfriend living a calm and quiet life in Perlis, the smallest state in Malaysia. Their house is home to two dogs and seven cats – she admits that most of her animal-centric illustrations were inspired by her pets. Even though her illustrations are still an important part of her life, she has started placing more focus on her handcrafted products. “Besides only drawing, every artist should also be able to create real tangible work with their own two hands. The advanced state of technology today allows us to easily create and design, but products that are handcrafted can’t be replaced by technology,” she says. Despite initially creating her handmade products with restrictions due to budget, her cute DIY creations are now widely praised and has garnered attention from an international audience.

Minifanfan kini menghabiskan hari-hari beliau bersama teman lelakinya di negeri Perlis, negeri terkecil di Malaysia. Mereka juga membela dua ekor anjing dan tujuh ekor kucing. Kebanyakan ilustrasi berasas haiwan beliau diinspirasikan daripada haiwan peliharaan beliau ini. “Selain sekadar melukis, seorang artis hendaklah juga mencipta hasil kerja yang nyata dengan tangan mereka sendiri Teknologi maju pada hari ini membolehkan kita mencipta dan mereka bentuk dengan mudah, tetapi produk yang dihasilkan dengan tangan tidak dapat digantikan oleh teknologi,” ujar beliau. Dengan permulaan yang sederhana dalam menghasilkan produk buatan tangan beliau dengan modal yang terhad, hasil karya beliau kini mendapat pujian meluas dan telah mendapat perhatian daripada peminat di persada antarabangsa.

“I think that I succeeded in becoming an artist because of my optimistic outlook,” Minifanfan says. Sadly, she speaks of not having a particularly happy childhood. But instead of letting that dampen her spirits, she actually considers it to be the reason for her fascination with the notion of happiness and a source of motivation. “I told myself I can’t make everyone happy, but I have the ability to make myself happier,” she says. Although Minifanfan understands that there is no formula to becoming a successful artist, she believes her optimism and gratitude greatly contributed to her own creative growth. With enough persistence and motivation to create, you can overcome any hardships as an artist, she says.

“Saya rasa saya berjaya menjadi seorang artis kerana pandangan luaran saya yang positif,” ujar Minifanfan. Malangnya, kehidupan zaman kanak-kanak beliau tidak begitu bahagia – tetapi daripada ia melemahkan semangatnya, beliau menganggapnya sebagai sebab mengapa beliau teruja dengan gambaran sebuah kebahagiaan dan juga menjadi sebab beliau ingin menyebarkan kebahagiaan. “Saya berkata kepada diri saya sendiri, saya tidak dapat membahagiakan semua orang, tetapi saya mampu menjadikan diri saya sendiri lebih bahagia,” ujar beliau. Walaupun Minifanfan memahami bahawa tiada formula untuk muncul sebagai artis berjaya, beliau percaya sikap optimis dan rasa syukur beliau adalah unsur utama yang menyumbang kepada perkembangan beliau sebagai seorang artis. Dengan ketabahan dan motivasi yang mencukupi untuk berkarya, anda mampu mengatasi apa-apa sahaja kesukaran hidup sebagai seorang artis, kata beliau.

Many artists, especially independent ones, face the challenge of negotiating a fair price for their work and struggle to make sustainable income off of their art alone. There are very few artists that are fortunate enough to live a comfortable life off royalties and commissioned works. Minifanfan is no exception to these hardships. Her advice for younger artists that plan to pursue their art full-time is for them to have another source of income on the side. “I put my work in creative markets, sell and ship out my own products, license my art, and do commissioned work. I will sometimes even work outside of my signature illustrative style for commercial jobs just to make some extra money. With the internet nowadays, it’s possible to discover different methods of earning money. Staying resilient and being able to adapt quickly are important traits for artists in this era.”

Ramai artis, terutama artis bebas, menghadapi cabaran dalam merunding harga yang wajar dengan usaha dan susah payah mereka, untuk menjana pendapatan lestari daripada karya seni mereka semata-mata. Terdapat sebilangan kecil sahaja artis yang cukup bernasib baik dapat hidup dengan selesa hasil daripada royalti dan tempahan. Minifanfan tidak terkecuali daripada menghadapi jerih payah ini. Nasihat beliau kepada artis-artis lebih muda yang memburu kegiatan seni sebagai kerjaya sepenuh masa ialah agar mereka mencari pendapatan lain sebagai tambahan. “Saya meletakkan hasil karya saya dalam pasaran, menjual dan menghantar produk saya sendiri, melesenkan karya saya dan menerima tempahan. Kadang-kadang saya akan menghasilkan karya berbeza daripada gaya ilustrasi tersendiri saya demi kerja-kerja komersial semata-mata untuk memperoleh wang tambahan. Dengan Internet pada zaman ini, ia telah memungkinkan kita untuk meneroka kaedah lain untuk memperoleh pendapatan. Mengekalkan ketabahan dan mampu menyesuaikan diri dengan pantas adalah sifat penting untuk para artis pada zaman ini.”

Minifanfan feels like the creative community in Malaysia isn’t that active when compared with other countries. Malaysian companies don’t respect creatives as much as they should and that results in creative work being severely undervalued. Despite these harsh realities, she expresses optimism for the future of Malaysia’s creative scene. In her view, Malaysia is a very ethnically diverse country, and this represents an untapped well of diverse creators. She urges artists to decline unfair compensations for their creative work and help foster healthy competition that will ultimately benefit the developing creative scene in the region.

Minifanfan merasakan bahawa komuniti seni kreatif di Malaysia tidaklah begitu aktif jika dibandingkan dengan bandar raya antarabangsa yang lain. Syarikat-syarikat di Malaysia tidak menghargai seni kreatif seperti sepatutnya dan ia menjadikan nlai karya-karya seni berada di bawah daripada yang sepatutnya. Walaupun menghadapi kenyataan yang menduga ini, beliau melahirkan rasa optimis terhadap masa depan dunia seni kreatif di Malaysia. Pada pandangan beliau, Malaysia merupakan negara berbilang bangsa, dan ini mewakili sekelompok pekarya yang berkepelbagaian, yang masih belum diserlahkan bakat mereka. Amaran beliau ialah agar para artis tidak menerima imbuhan yang tidak wajar untuk hasil karya kreatif mereka demi memupuk persaingan sihat yang akhirnya akan dapat membantu perkembangan dunia seni kreatif.

In the future, Minifanfan plans to recreate some of her favorite films and songs in her signature illustrative style. On top of that, she will also start working on even more diverse handcrafted products. For The Handmade Fair, which takes place in England in September, she will be working alongside three other independent brands under the name Twinkle Fingers. The small group will be representing the Malaysian handcraft scene in all of its glory. With whatever free time she has left in this busy year, she hopes to continue improving on her craft and see where her creativity takes her.

Untuk masa depan beliau, Minifanfan merancang untuk menghasilkan semula filem dan lagu kegemaran beliau dalam gaya ilustrasi beliau yang tersendiri. Selain itu juga, beliau akan mula menghasilkan lebih banyak kepelbagaian barisan produk kraftangan beliau. Untuk Pameran Kraftangan England, beliau akan bekerjasama dengan tiga jenama bebas lain di bawah nama Twinkle Fingers sebagai mewakili dunia kraftangan Malaysia yang serba gemilang. Dengan masa lapang yang dapat beliau asingkan pada tahun yang sibuk ini, beliau berharap untuk terus memperbaiki karya kraf beliau dan melihat sejauh mana daya kreativitinya dapat melangkah.

Website: minifanfan.com
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Instagram: @minifanfan
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Contributor: Banny Wang
Images Courtesy of Minifanfan

Laman web: minifanfan.com
Facebook: ~/minifanfan
Instagram: @minifanfan
Etsy: ~/minifanfan

 

Penyumbang: Banny Wang
Imej adalah dengan ihsan Minifanfan

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LIARBEN’s Street Art

May 13, 2016 2016年5月13日

As an eight year old, Phan Minh Tuan was mesmerized by something he had never seen before while watching the 1998 adaptation of Godzilla. It wasn’t the gigantic monstrosity from the sea, the state of the art CGI, nor the complete destruction of Manhattan. Instead, his most vivid memory of the movie was a work of graffiti that briefly appeared on screen. Later in 2004, as hip-hop culture began to spread and gain popularity in Vietnam, the graffiti scene came along with it. Tuan fell deeper and deeper in love with street art from there onwards. Now creating under the monikers LIARBEN and LIBE, his graffiti can be found all around the world. Tuan’s “burners” use his signature style of combining the letters to form a caricature: the letter L contorts into a single arm; the letter I becomes the character’s head; the letter B turns into the character’s buttocks; and the letter E twists into a set of legs.

Lúc tám tuổi, Phan Minh Tuấn đã bị mê hoặc bởi một điều gì đó mà trước đây anh chưa từng thấy khi xem bộ phim chuyển thể năm 1998 Godzilla. Điều đó không phải con quái vật khổng lồ từ biển khơi, công nghệ đồ họa CGI tiên tiến, cũng không phải cảnh Manhattan bị hủy diệt hoàn toàn. Thay vào đó, ký ức sống động nhất của anh về bộ phim là một tác phẩm graffiti xuất hiện ngắn ngủi trên màn hình. Sau đó vào năm 2004, khi trào lưu văn hóa hip-hop bắt đầu lan rộng và được phổ biến tại Việt Nam, graffiti cũng xuất hiện. Từ đó, Tuấn ngày càng say đắm nghệ thuật đường phố. Giờ đây sáng tác dưới biệt danh LIARBEN và LIBE, những tác phẩm graffiti của anh có thể được tìm thấy khắp nơi trên thế giới. Những tác phẩm “nóng bỏng” của Tuấn sử dụng phong cách chữ ký kết hợp các chữ cái để tạo nên một bức tranh biếm họa: chữ L vặn vẹo vào một cánh tay duy nhất; ký tự I trở thành đầu của nhân vật; chữ B biến thành mông và chữ E xoắn lại thành đôi chân.

Currently based in Ho Chi Minh City, LIARBEN works as a professional illustrator nowadays. But besides creating commercial work, he still regularly makes street art and works on community-driven projects. His recent #friendshipintheair project combines his illustrative and graffiti know-how with various inspirations from everyday life; his past relationships, the people he’s met, and situations he’s encountered have all been brought to life through this project. “Graffiti is a means of expression, to connect me with the rest of the world. I found freedom and I view life more directly through this practice,” he explains. ”To me, practicing street art is like breathing.” Neocha recently talked to LIARBEN about the current state of the creative community in Vietnam and society’s preconceptions about graffiti.

Hiện làm việc tại Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, ngày nay LIARBEN hoạt động như một họa sĩ minh họa chuyên nghiệp. Nhưng bên cạnh việc sáng tác các tác phẩm thương mại, anh vẫn thường xuyên sáng tác nghệ thuật đường phố và tham gia vào các dự án hướng đến cộng đồng. Dự án #friendshipintheair gần đây của anh kết hợp bí quyết minh họa và graffiti với những nguồn cảm hứng khác nhau từ cuộc sống hàng ngày; mối quan hệ của anh trong quá khứ, những người anh đã gặp và những tình huống mà anh gặp phải đều đã được đem lại sức sống qua dự án này. “Graffiti là một phương tiện diễn đạt, kết nối tôi với phần còn lại của thế giới. Qua đó tôi tìm thấy tự do và tôi nhìn nhận cuộc sống thẳng thắn hơn,” anh giải thích. “Đối với tôi, thực hành nghệ thuật đường phố giống như hơi thở.” Gần đây Neocha đã trò chuyện với LIARBEN về tình trạng hiện tại của cộng đồng sáng tạo tại Việt Nam và định kiến của xã hội về graffiti.

 

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Neocha: What kind of topics or themes do you typically explore in your graffiti?

LIARBEN: I draw farting characters, which describe the relationships of individuals with the outside world. I think that none of us are alone in this world, just that we often don’t show any compassion, not even small acts of kindness. The farting depicted is a statement about what you’re receiving from society and what you’re giving back in return. I’m not a Buddhist, but to a certain extent, I believe in the reincarnation of everything.

Neocha: Những loại chủ đề hoặc đề tài nào mà thường khám phá trong các tác phẩm graffiti của mình?

LIARBEN: Tổng thể bức tranh vẽ là một nhân vật đang đánh rắm để diển tả về các mối quan hệ của thực thể và thế giới bên ngoài. Tôi nghĩ là không ai trong chúng  ta cô đơn trong thế giới này, chỉ là ta không biểu lộ một sự chia sẽ nào dù chỉ là một hành vi nhỏ. Hành vi đánh rắm thú vị cho tôi suy ngẫm về việc phải chăng bạn đang tiêu thụ một món quà xã hội một cách đơn lẻ và tặng lại kết quả món quà cho thế giới xung quanh. Tôi không hẳn là một người đạo Phật, nhưng ở góc độ nào đó tôi tin và Luân Hồi của vạn vật.

 

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Neocha: What’s the creative scene like in Vietnam? In your eyes, how has the creative scene developed in the country during the last few years?

LIARBEN: I’m not too sure how to answer, but I feel more comfortable and energized as more and more artists appear in Vietnam with new material and means of expression. I started studying art five years ago when I was an art student at the Fine Arts University of Ho Chi Minh City. Nowadays, there aren’t many events or exhibits I’m particularly interested in, but I can appreciate the hard work people put in. I can see that focusing on the development of art is necessary, but in Vietnam, the amount and variety of art is still very limited. But many more art centers are being established to help develop the art scene out here, and I feel they’re actually quite effective in connecting artists and audiences.

Neocha: Môi trường sáng tạo tại Việt Nam ra sao? Theo anh, môi trường sáng tạo trong nước đã phát triển như thế nào trong những năm qua?

LIARBEN: Tôi không chắc chắn về điều này để đưa ra được một câu trả lời. Nhưng tôi cảm thấy thoải mái với môi trường ở Việt Nam, Có thêm năng lượng khi càng nhiều nghệ sỹ xuất hiện ở Việt Nam với nhiều nguyên liệu cũng như phương tiện để họ thể hiện. Tôi bắt đầu học nghệ thuật và quan sát nghệ thuật từ 5 năm trước khi còn là một sinh viên nghệ thuật của trường Đại Học Mỹ Thuật TpHCM , không có nhiều sự kiện tôi cảm thấy thật sự thu hút nhưng mọi người vẫn đang làm việc rất siêng năng và tôi thấy việc tập trung vào phát triển nghệ thuật là cần thiết, mà việc này tại Việt Nam còn rất hạng chế. Nhiều trung tâm nghệ thuật cũng được lập ra nhằm phát triển nghệ thuật và  điều đó cũng mang lại những hiệu ứng tốt trong việc kết nối nghệ sỹ và người xem.

Neocha: What has the general feedback about your work been like? How does Vietnamese culture as a whole affect your work?

LIARBEN: I receive many different comments about my work, but no matter what they are, I perceive them as something that creates good energy for me to continue pushing on. The media in Vietnam tends to report on all the negative aspects of graffiti, so sometimes I do get a lot of criticism from people around me. On the other hand, there are times when I’ve asked for permission to draw on some walls and was protected by the homeowners from the police bothering me. The support of these people makes me really happy and also helps me have more confidence in my work. The history and culture of Vietnam always inspires me to create. I think that many Vietnamese people believe in the concept of “beauty, goodness, and truth”, so most of them are very open-minded, which has a positive impact on my creative work.

Neocha: Phản hồi chung về tác phẩm của anh ra sao? Văn hóa Việt Nam nói chung ảnh hưởng như thế nào đến tác phẩm của anh?

LIARBEN: Tôi nhận được những bình luận nhiều hướng khác nhau về công việc của mình, nhưng cho dù là chiều nào thì tôi đều thấy nó tạo ra năng lượng tốt để tôi tiếp tục công việc này. Truyền thông ở Việt Nam vẫn còn hạn chế và đa phần phản ánh sự tiêu cực của graffiti, nên việc tôi làm đôi lúc những nhận nhiều bình phẩm không hay từ nhiều người xung quanh. Song Song đó, một vài lần khi tôi xin phép được vẽ ở một số mảng tường trong thành phố và được gia chủ bảo vệ tôi khi cảnh sát làm phiền, điều này khiến tôi rất cảm động và tin tưởng hơn vào công việc của mình. Văn Hoá Việt Nam hiện tại ( ý tôi là luôn cả lịch sử) luôn tạo ra cảm hứng cho tôi vẽ tranh và làm nghệ thuật. Tôi cũng tin người Việt Nam yêu sự “Chân Thiện Mỹ” và đa số mọi người cũng rất cởi mở, điều này cũng có nhiều tác động tích cực đến công việc sáng tạo của mình.

Neocha: In your opinion, how do you feel graffiti affects society?

LIARBEN: People may or may not like graffiti, but most of us do not deny its increasingly popular presence in most cities. I think in our modern time graffiti has become a feature of urban culture and is integrated into the city. On one side, you can see an advertising panel with letters and eye-catching effects designed to attract attention and promote brands. On the other hand, there are also texts or images, like graffiti that don’t promote anything but still attract your attention. I do not want to express a positive or negative opinion about graffiti, but I feel like it creates a balance for the consumption of society in modern day.

Neocha: Theo anh, anh cảm thấy graffiti ảnh hưởng ra sao đến xã hội?

LIARBEN: Chúng ta có thể thích hoặc không thích graffiti, nhưng hầu hết đều không phủ nhận sự xuất hiện của nó ngày càng phổ  biến ở hầu hết mọi thành phố mà bạn đặt chân đến. Tôi nghĩ graffiti ngày nay trở thành một sự đặt trưng của văn hoá đô thị và nó cũng đánh dấu sự hội nhập của thành phố đó. Ở một mặt bạn có thể thấy một Paner quảng cáo với các chữ và hiệu ứng bắt mắt nhằm thu hút sự chú ý để quảng bá nhãn hàng, ở một mặt khác đồng thời cũng có những con chữ hay hình ảnh không để quảng bá điều gì nhưng vẫn thu hút sự chú ý từ bạn, tôi nghĩ thế. Tôi thấy những điều đó mang tính xã hội, khi mọi người hằng ngày tiếp xúc với một cá tính đơn lẻ và vô nghĩa ở nơi công cộng. Tôi không muốn đề cập về sự tiêu cực hoặc tính cực của Graffiti, nhưng tôi thấy nó tạo được một sự cân bằng cho xã hội tiêu dùng và đồng bộ như  ngày nay.

Neocha: Have you collaborated with artists from different countries?

LIARBEN: I have collaborated with many foreign artists. I think this is also an indispensable part of today’s graffiti culture. Graffiti began from New York, but at this moment, it has become a globally recognized culture. We collaborate through our illustrations as if we are chatting in a common language. I feel it’s interesting because the background of whom you are working with doesn’t make a difference, only the exchanges with your collaborator during the creation process matter.

Neocha: Anh đã từng hợp tác với các nghệ sĩ đến từ các quốc gia khác?

LIARBEN: Tôi đã từng cộng tác làm việc với nhiều nghệ sỹ nước ngoài , Tôi nghĩ đây cũng là một phần không thể thiếu của văn hoá graffiti ngày nay. Graffiti bắt đầu từ NewYork, nhưng vào lúc này , văn hoá này mang tính toàn cầu nên việc chúng tôi cộng tác vẽ cũng giống như chúng tôi đang trò chuyện bằng một ngôn ngữ chung. Tôi Cảm thấy thú vị về việc này, bởi vì ở đây không có sự khác biệt  lớn về xuất thân của người mà bạn đang làm việc , chỉ có việc trao đổi trong quá trình bạn cộng tác với bạn vẽ.

Neocha: What’s on the horizon for you? Can you tell us about some of your future projects?

LIARBEN: I do not know for sure about what’s on the horizon. I do know that I need to learn more and practice more. Currently, I’m working on personal projects like Cô Mía. In the future, I would like to run workshops that are related to street art and graffiti. In my opinion, people just need to learn how to have fun and live well, and that’s the mentality that I want to share with the world.

Neocha: Với anh sắp tới sẽ có những sự kiện gì? Anh có thể cho chúng tôi biết về một số dự án tương lai?

LIARBEN: Tôi không biết chắc chắn về Horizon , tôi cần phải trao dồi thêm và thực hành nhiều hơn nữa. Hiện tôi vẫn đang chạy một số dự án cá nhân  như Cô Mía. Trong tương lai tôi cũng muốn chạy những chương trình liên quan đến nghệ thuật đường phố và graffiti. Theo tôi Môi trường nào cũng khắc nghiệt, chỉ là chúng ta học cách chơi vui cùng với việc sống hay, và đó là điều tôi muốn chia sẻ.

Instagram: @LIARBEN
YouTube: ~/LiarBenful
Blogspot: ~/LiarBen

 

Contributor: Banny Wang
Images & Videos Courtesy of LIARBEN

Instagram: @LIARBEN
YouTube: ~/LiarBenful
Blogspot: ~/LiarBen

 

Người đóng góp: Banny Wang
Hình ảnh và Video Được sự Cho phép của LIARBEN

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Moonassi, a Man with No Identity

May 12, 2016 2016年5月12日

Moonassi is the pseudonym of award-winning graphic artist Daehyun Kim, and is also the name of an ongoing illustration series that he first conceptualized in 2008. In Korean, moonaa is phonetically similar to a phrase that means “there is no such thing as me” or “emptiness”, while “-ssi” is a common suffix used when people address one another in Korea. He explains, “When people call me Moonassi, it’s like they are calling out to someone who has no identity.”

Moonassi 는 수상 경력의 그래픽 아티스트 김대현의 필명이며, 대학 졸업 후 처음으로 개념화했으며 현재 계속 진행하고 있는 일러스트레이션 시리즈의 제목이기도 합니다. 한국에서 무나는 “나 같은 건 없다” 혹은 “비어 있음”을 의미하는 단어와 비슷한 발음이며, “씨”는 한국에서 다른 사람을 칭할 때 일반적으로 사용하는 접미사입니다. “사람들이 나를 Moonassi 라고 부르면 아이덴티티가 없는 누군가를 큰 소리로 부르는 것과 같아요.”

Daehyun studied oriental painting and graduated from Hongik University in Seoul. It was there where he first learned about Eastern philosophies. The development of Eastern aesthetics and philosophies have close ties to Buddhism and one of the most well-known Buddhist teachings is kong or “emptiness,” which has become the core of Moonassi’s entire body of work.

김대현은 동양화를 전공하였으며 서울에 있는 홍익대학교를 졸업하였습니다. 그는 이곳에서 처음으로 동양 철학에 대해 배웠습니다. 동양 미술과 동양 철학의 발달은 불교와 밀접한 관련이 있습니다. 가장 잘 알려진 불교의 가르침 중에는 공 혹은 “비움”이라는 것이 있는데 Moonassi 의 모든 작품 세계는 이 개념을 중심으로 삼고 있는 것 같습니다.

Fitting to his name, the characters that populate Moonassi’s work are all without identity. These characters are all drawn with similarly curved outlines, the same expressionless faces, and the same nondescript clothing. The inexpressive facial features of his characters are influenced by his fascination with ancient Buddhist art where the divine entity is often shown in a state of deep meditation with an impassive mask-like face. Moonassi believes hiding the emotions of his characters makes it impossible for viewers to ascertain whether the depicted scene in his surreal illustration is “good or bad,” and by dressing these figures in minimalistic black clothing, he shifts the viewer’s attention towards the movements and actions of each character. Time, location, and gender are also amongst the information that Moonassi purposefully omits from his work.

그 이름에 아주 걸맞게도 Moonassi 의 모든 작품에서 표현되는 캐릭터에는 아이덴티티가 없습니다. 이 캐릭터들은 모두 유사하게 윤곽은 곡선으로, 표정 없는 얼굴, 특징 없는 의상으로 그려져 있습니다. 곡선 윤곽으로 그려져 있습니다. 캐릭터의 표정 없는 얼굴의 이목구비는 고대 불교 미술의 매력으로부터 영향을 받았는데, 신성한 존재는 감정 없는 가면 같은 얼굴을 하고 명상에 깊이 빠져 있는 상태로 불교 미술에 나타나곤 합니다. 캐릭터의 감정을 숨기면 그림을 보는 사람들이 비현실적인 일러스트레이션에서 묘사한 장면이 “좋은지 혹은 나쁜지” 알아낼 수 없을 것이라고 Moonassi 는 믿고 있으며, 단순한 검은색 의상을 입혀서 각 캐릭터의 움직임과 동작에 초점을 맞춥니다. 시간, 위치, 성별 같은 정보도 Moonassi 가 자신의 작품에서 의도적으로 배제하였습니다.

Moonassi’s black-and-white images are simple yet powerful, created as an homage of sorts to the negative space commonly seen in oriental art. At the same time, his images also channel the Buddhist philosophy of “emptiness”. Unlike Western culture, the Buddhist idea of “emptiness” doesn’t hold any negative connotations, but instead represents infinite possibilities and an “awakened mind.” Moonassi’s minimal style allows his art to be easily accessible to a wide audience. Yet, the alluring sense of mystery that his surreal world gives off beckons them to look beyond the surface of his art.

Moonassi 의 흑백 이미지는 심플하지만 강력하며, 동양화에서 흔히 볼 수 있는 여백에 대한 일종의 경의를 표시한 것입니다. 동시에 그의 이미지는 “비움”이라는 불교 철학을 전파하고 있습니다. 서양 문화와는 달리 “비움”이라는 불교적 개념에는 어떤 부정적인 의미도 담고 있지 않으며 대신에 무한한 가능성과 “깨어있는 마음”을 나타냅니다. Moonassi 가 작품에서 사용하는 미니멀한 스타일 덕분에 문화 장벽을 깨고 더욱 다양한 사람들에게 어필할 수 있었습니다. 신비롭고 매혹적인 감각을 통해 창조적으로 동양 철학의 이미지를 변화시켜서 Moonassi 는 사람들을 비현실적인 단색의 세계로 끌어들입니다.

“The worm, the deer eye, Tao, Emmanuel Levinas, Eric Rohmer, and Hong Sang-soo. You and me, the stones and the wind, the earth and the moon,” Moonassi cites a wide spectrum of influences, ranging from the tangible to the abstract. “I collect ideas and feelings, day after day” Only after piecing together these cluttered concepts and carefully deliberating how best to present the idea will Moonassi finally begin working. At times, his artwork is intended to be a visual representation of a message he wants to get across, but other times, his creations are much more spontaneously, simply based on fleeting images and scenes in his mind.

“벌레, 사슴의 눈, 도(道), 에마뉘엘 레비나스, 에릭 로메르, 홍상수. 당신과 나, 돌과 바람, 지구와 달”. Moonassi 는 실제로 있는 것부터 추상적인 것까지 자신에게 영향을 미친 것들을 광범위하게 제시합니다. “저는 날마다 아이디어와 감정들을 수집해요”라고 Moonassi 가 말합니다. 이런 복잡한 개념들을 짜 맞추고, 아이디어를 어떻게 가장 잘 나타낼지 신중히 생각한 이후에만 Moonassi 는 작업을 시작합니다. 가끔씩은 자신이 전달하고자 하는 이미지를 시각적으로 나타내도록 의도적으로 작품을 만들기도 하지만 그 외에는 더 단순하게 순식간에 머릿속에 떠오른 이미지와 장면에 따라 작품을 만들어냅니다.

In the beginning, Moonassi didn’t think his drawings were anything special or unique. He humbly says that all he had accomplished was stay persistent and maintained a clear vision on the type of work he wanted to create. Much like his curious fans, he himself also wonders when the Moonassi series will be fully completed. “I’d also like to know how the Moonassi series ends. It will only end when I stop having new ideas and stories. I’d like to try something else for sure, but let see where this brings us.”

처음에 Moonassi 는 자신의 그림이 특별하거나 독특한 작품이 될 거라고 생각하지 않았습니다. 자신이 해낸 것이라고는 끊임없이 작업하는 집요함과 그리는 방식 및 만들어내고자 하는 그림에 대한 분명한 비전을 갖게 되었다는 것이라고 Moonassi 는 솔직하고 겸손하게 말했습니다. 궁금증이 많은 팬들처럼 Moonassi 자신도 Moonassi 시리즈가 언제 완결될지 궁금해했습니다. “Moonassi 시리즈가 어떻게 끝날지 저도 알고 싶어요. 새로운 아이디어와 이야기가 떠오르지 않게 되면 그때 끝나게 될 거예요. 분명 다른 것도 해보고 싶지만 이것이 우리를 어디로 데려다줄지 한 번 기다려보죠.”

Aside from his personal illustrations, Moonassi has created commissioned work for the New York Times and even album art for various musicians. He has a devoted fanbase intrigued and inspired by his work – there has even an entire dance routine choreographed around his art. Moonassi’s work has been exhibited in Seoul, New York, London, amongst other international cities.

Moonassi 는 개인적인 일러스트레이션 외에도 뉴욕타임스의 의뢰를 받은 작업과 여러 뮤지션들의 커버 아트 작업도 하고 있습니다. 그에게는 아주 관심이 많고 그의 작품에서 영감을 받는 헌신적인 팬들이 있습니다. 그의 작품에 맞춰 연출된 안무도 있을 정도입니다. Moonassi 의 작품은 서울, 뉴욕, 런던, 기타 다른 도시에서 전시되었습니다.

Website: moonassi.com
Facebook: ~/daehyun.moonassi
Tumblr: moonassi.tumblr.com
Instagram: @moonothing

 

Contributor: Banny Wang
Images Courtesy of Daehyun Kim

웹사이트: moonassi.com
Facebook: ~/daehyun.moonassi
Tumblr: moonassi.tumblr.com
Instagram: @moonothing

 

기부자: Banny Wang
이미지 제공 Daehyun Kim

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The Art of Collecting

May 6, 2016 2016年5月6日

 

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Meet Kumkum Fernando, an artist who expresses his creativity through very unlikely means – by collecting seemingly random objects. His personal bio proudly states, “as far as he could remember, he had been a collector. Be it stones, spoons, bottle caps, ostrich eggs, and much more.” By reinterpreting the intended functions of these common everyday objects, Kumkum is able to combine them cohesively into something completely new. He takes these ordinary items, and through a process of meticulous rearrangement, transforms them into quirky unexpected pieces of art.

Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Kumkum was fascinated with collecting random objects even as a child. Despite having no real purpose for collecting these things, he just considered it something fun to do. As he grew older, Kumkum finally realized why he was so fascinated with collecting these random objects. He was intrigued by their untold stories: where they were from, who could have used them, and where they had been. Neocha recently had the opportunity to speak with Kumkum about his inspirations and creative approach.

Neocha: Tell us a bit about who you are as an artist, and the general concept and philosophy behind your work.

Kumkum: My work is about capturing the beauty and mystery of the forgotten, by telling stories that will bring them to life. I have always made art, even at a very young age. However, I only took it seriously about ten years ago, that was when I started investing money to collect more expensive objects and equipment. Even though it was only a hobby at first, I became more serious about it after receiving requests for a few commissioned projects. So I took my hobby out of my bedroom and into an actual workshop. Since my first show, things have been gaining momentum. I am in the process of putting together a team and establishing an even bigger workshop in order to create more complicated pieces of work.

 

无法观看? 前往优酷

Neocha: What inspired the idea of combining your collection of items together into pieces of art?

Kumkum: I’m inspired by a sense of longing – it can be a longing for something or someone. It’s actually quite sad, but I’m inspired by it. For me, bringing these objects together is like bringing lovers together, who if left alone in the real world would never meet. After I realized this, the entire process became quite addictive, so that’s why I kept doing it.

Neocha: How does Sri Lanka influence your work?

Kumkum: Sri Lanka is filled with many mysterious tales that everyone there grew up listening to – from demon kings, to giants, to strange flying machines, and magical hidden treasures. These strange and magical tales definitely influenced me. I would say I try to capture a bit of Sri Lanka in every piece of my work.

Neocha: Those magical Sri Lankan childhood tales that you grew up with sound intriguing. So how would you say your childhood has affected your work?

Kumkum: When I was a child, my grandmother used to wake me up early in the morning and take me for walks around her garden. She used to tell me all these magical stories about fairies, singing trees, and fireflies as we slowly took our stroll. Sadly, I have forgotten most of the stories, but I know how I felt when I heard them. I attempt to capture that very same feeling when I make my art. I want people to feel a sense of magic and mystery when they see my artwork.

Neocha: Would you mind telling us more Kiko’s Secrets and Mr. Bastian The Time Traveller?

Kumkum: Mr. Bastian The Time Traveller  was my very first show. It was held in November 2014 at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts. All of the artwork in the show was created around quotes from a journal. One of my favorite quote is, “the color of time is yellow, I feel like I have eaten everything in the universe, sometimes windows are better than what’s on the outside.”

Kiko’s Secret was commissioned by the Singapore Art Museum, which was a part of SG50.  I was asked to create a concept for a story that would inspire children to become interested in contemporary art. The entire concept stemmed from the idea of this phrase, “the moon must travel twenty times around the sun before you can tell these secrets to anyone“. The tale was about a boy who keeps a girl’s secrets for twenty years before revealing them to the world.

Neocha: Having worked in Vietnam for so long, and having held exhibitions there as well. Could you share with us what the creative community out there is like?

Kumkum: There’s a growing creative community in Ho Chi Minh City. I notice it growing everyday, from the time I arrived six years back until now. More and more young people are getting into art and music. I get to see portfolios a lot, and the newer portfolios I have been seeing are quite awesome compared to the ones I saw when I first got here.

Neocha: What do you have in the works for the near future?

Kumkum: I’m working on my second solo show at the moment. I’m attempting to create much larger pieces, larger than any other ones I’ve made before. However, it’s taking a lot more time and money than originally anticipated. I expect everything to be finished sometime within the next two or three months.

Website: kumkumfernando.com
YouTube: ~/kumkumf
Instagram: @kumkumfernando

Contributor: Banny Wang
Images & Videos Courtesy of Kumkum Fernando

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Encounters Magazine

May 3, 2016 2016年5月3日

Shin Li, a Beijing-based creative who was originally born in Singapore, is the founder of Original Studio and the creator of Encounters magazine. Graduating with a degree in communications, Shin first established Original Studio with her husband to serve as a kind of platform on which like-minded individuals could connect and collaborate with each other on various creative projects. In 2012, Shin released the first ever issue of Encounters, an independently published magazine that explored creativity, culture, and lifestyle by delving into the untold stories of modern cities and its inhabitants. Encounters is currently published biannually, and it has recently just released its fifth issue.

Shin Lin居住在北京，是来自新家坡的创意人。在大学里研修大众传媒的她，如今与先生共同拥有原味创意工作室（Original Studio），并以此为平台和志同道合的人连接，激荡出创意火花。她的独立杂志《Encounters》也是这种创意连接和分享的方式之一。这本中文名为《邂逅》，创立于2012年的杂志，是一本以“城市、人物、故事”三个焦点来关注创意生活文化的独立双语季刊杂志，平均一年两本，目前出版至第五期。

The design and overall look of Encounters changes to reflect the different central theme of each issue. To emphasize the subject of “everyday life” in the most recent issue, the magazine is designed like a calendar – the pages are bound with a strip of metal and each page has a dotted line that allows it to be easily torn out. Shin admitted that the evolving look and design of the magazine was initially because they lacked a clear direction and concept for Encounters at the time. “Recently, it is beginning to feel like Encounters has found its direction – which is to challenge itself continuously by exploring creative approaches to printing magazines and trying out different ways to present the medium.” Shin believes that modern print magazines shouldn’t only be a medium for transferring information – instead it should be a unique reading experience where the physical movement of flipping the pages and the tactile feeling of paper should be a part of the experience. Her goal is to turn the perception of the magazine as being something disposable into a valued item that’s worth collecting.

《邂逅》每期拥有不同的主题，甚至不同的外型和设计。比如，为了配合“everyday”的主题，第五期的《邂逅》设计成了金属镶边的挂历形式，每页均有为方便手撕的虚线。Shin坦言，外型统一性的缺乏源于最初他们明确概念和清晰方向的缺乏。“到了近期，我认为《邂逅》才真正找到了属于自己的方向，那就是不断地挑战自己以更有创意的方式来思考纸质杂志这个媒介，和如何呈现它。”而事实上，每一期的大胆和迥异正是给读者带来不同惊喜的地方。《邂逅》相信，相较于网络媒体，当代杂志提供的不只是资讯，它应该以纸的触感、翻阅方式等表达方式，为读者提供一个独特的阅读感官体验，从消耗品跃升为收藏品。

The first time Shin ever dabbled in print publication was right before graduating from college. Shin and three of her friends created alter:sg, an independent and alternative travel guide to Singapore. This publication was created not only for travelers visiting Singapore, but for locals as well. This travel guide pulls back the curtains on Singapore, revealing different spots that aren’t generally mentioned by tourist guides, and showcases what they consider to represent the Singapore that they know and love. Working alongside local Singaporean creatives, they reimagined the format that people expected travel guides to be in and included short editorial pieces that detailed some of the quirkier aspects of daily life in Singapore. The book was a huge hit, and its success inspired a continued interest in creating printed publications for Shin and her classmate Cai Weiwei. In May of 2012, their work was accepted into the Tokyo Art Book Fair exhibition. This gave them a major confidence boost and the two compiled a selection of their work previously only available online and turned it into a printed magazine exhibition. And in doing so, they inadvertently gave birth to Encounters. “The original idea to make Encounters a printed magazine was actually quite spontaneous. It was a fortunate accident.”

Shin第一次做书，是大学毕业前夕和另外3位朋友一起做了《alter:sg》，一本有关新加坡的独立旅游指南。这本独立旅游指南的编辑，是为了让到访新加坡的旅人，更是为了当地人，认识到一个与媒体上所渲染的不同的、真正的新加坡。他们联合当地的创作人，抛开列清单的方式，推荐有趣的去处，写作新加坡日常生活中独特有趣的现象。这本指南的出版受到的欢迎，激发了她和其中一位同学蔡薇薇对出版和杂志更深的兴趣，创办《邂逅》的想法便由此而生。2012年5月，第一本书被东京艺术书展接受参展给他们带来了勇气，便将在线收集的内容印刷出来作为新作一同参展。“于是一冲动误打误撞地便促成了《邂逅》变成一个纸质杂志了。”

Encounters has captivated an audience of youthful readers with its uniquely simple and clean design aesthetics. But like other independently published publications, Encounters also faces its share of hardships. The size of the teams for independent publications are generally quite small – and they don’t often work directly with distributors. Instead they have to handle the time-consuming tasks of contacting bookstores one by one and then also shipping it out themselves. This led to the decision to make Encounters available in places like creative markets and book fairs as an alternative method of distribution. “Some customers quite willingly buy mass-produced products with no hesitation, but at the same time they may feel magazines in this price range are too expensive,” Shin says. She has been figuring out ways of showing consumers the value in her magazine, and this has been one of the most challenging endeavors. But being an independent publication also has its perks – there’s no need to answer to advertising companies and you are able to have complete creative control.

现在的《邂逅》用干净有独特的视觉风格虏获大量年轻人的喜爱。但独立杂志的团队通常极小，也没有经销商，要自己一家家地联络书店、发货等，都很耗时间。《邂逅》自然也不例外，参加创意市集和书展就成了最直接的方式。“印象比较深刻的是一些客人会毫不犹豫地购买一些大量生产而成的商品，但是会认为同样价位的杂志很贵。”Shin告诉我们。如何让这些读者看到这本杂志可以提供的价值，成了她最大的挑战。但是同时，一切自己做主，也无需跟广告商交代，这为Shin大胆的尝试提供了更大空间。

With Encounters, Shin Li encourages “regular folks”, as in non-professionals, to submit some of their personal work. But with the rapid development of different social media platforms, her original intent for the magazine has admittedly been dramatically affected. Now, she instead hopes Encounters can raise the question of “what makes a magazine a magazine?”, while surprising readers with her own creative interpretations. The sixth issue of Encounters is currently in the works and will be exploring the theme of “Slow”. Shin is encouraging anyone and everyone to submit their work!

初创办《邂逅》时，Shin希望鼓励”一般人“（素人/非专业人士）投稿，提供一个作品发表平台。但随着社交网络和自媒体的发展，这个初衷在现在的环境的相关度也减弱。现在她希望，这本杂志可以继续为“什么是杂志”这个问题提供新鲜的解答，给读者们带来更多的惊喜，她希望可以继续制作一本本值得收藏的杂志。此外，《邂逅》第六期正在筹备中，主题是“慢”，欢迎大家随时去信投稿！

Facebook: ~/Encounters.Magazine
Behance: ~/EncountersMagazine-Issue-5

 

Contributor & Photographer: Banny Wang

脸书: ~/Encounters.Magazine
Behance: ~/EncountersMagazine-Issue-5

 

供稿人与摄影师: Banny Wang

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Beijing in Bloom

April 22, 2016 2016年4月22日

FLORETTE, also known by ji su hua in Chinese, is a small flower shop hidden away in Beijing, China. It’s not an exaggeration to describe it as being hidden – in order to get there you have to first enter a courtyard in Baiziwan, make your way past a rock climbing activity center, and keep walking until you see a large chimney on the left. FLORETTE is located at the side of this chimney. It’s a small cottage with a red roof that sits independently by itself. Extending from the building and through the courtyard is a path consisting of red bricks that leads visitors into FLORETTE. Nowadays, most of FLORETTE’s business is done online; this physical location is primarily a private workspace for the owner and is only open to the general public over the weekends.

FLORETTE，中文名为“几束花”，是隐藏在北京城内的一个小花店。说隐藏实不为过，进入百子湾的一个大院子后，走过攀岩馆，路过足球馆，直到看到左侧的大烟囱，FLORETTE就在烟囱的旁边。这是一个红顶独栋小屋，红砖道从小屋一直铺到院子外。事实上，FLORETTE的花主要以线上销售为主，于是这个花店平日里主要用于主人私人工作室的办公，周末才对外开放。

The founder Taiwan-born Isabelle Sun and her husband Tim Kwan both come from architectural backgrounds. The two first discovered this cottage by pure chance, and fell in love with it at first sight. Originally used to manufacture miscellaneous car parts, it was later abandoned and neglected. But this cottage had open spaces all around it, there was a large tree and chimney, and the house was built in a perfectly rectangular shape – even the windows are similarly shaped. For these two, the house seemed like it almost came straight out of a fairy tale, especially the simple and minimal facade. After renovations, the 9×9 meter square space was divided into three sections: a flower arrangement area, display aisles, as well as a space for miscellaneous work and flower refrigeration. The height of the building is another reason the coupled loved this location, and so situated right above the refrigeration area is the couple’s private second floor workspace. 

创立人Isabelle Sun来自台湾，与其先生Tim Kwan均为建筑出身。最初发现这间小屋时纯属误闯，却也一见钟情。这里原为汽车零件生产厂房，被废置后破烂不堪，可房子前后都有空地，旁边有大树和烟囱，整个房子方方正正，对称的窗，一如童年画的房子，简简单单。经过两位设计师的一番改造，这个9x9m的方正空间，如今被划为三等份: 花的制作区，过道，剩下的为密集功能区以及鲜花冷藏室。这间旧厂房的高挑高也是这对夫妻喜欢这里的原因，所以在功能区的上方设置有二楼，被用作他们的私人工作区。

Isabelle and her husband grew up in New Zealand. Both of their mothers were stay-at-home moms, and similarly, spent a lot of time gardening behind their houses. Having been influenced by this, Isabelle began viewing plants and flowers as an essential part of her life. After moving out on her own, she would adopt the habit of buying plants. “That way, I would have fresh flowers in my house every week,” she said. After moving to Beijing – a place known for its dry climate, tall buildings, and hectic city life, the lifestyle she was accustomed to became difficult to maintain. Flower shops aren’t common in Beijing and the variety of flowers available are limited, so Isabelle decided to open up her own flower shop.

Isabelle与先生均成长于新西兰，双方母亲也均为家庭主妇，一天中有很多时间是花费在自家大院中剪花修草。Isabelle耳濡目染，也将花花草草视为生活中自然必要的一部分。开始独立居住后，她便开始养成买花的习惯，“接下来一个礼拜家里就都有鲜花了，”她说。直至移居到北京，一座矗立高楼大厦，到处都干燥无比又繁忙的北方城市，她的这一习惯开始受到了挑战。这里的鲜花店并不频见，花的种类也略为匮乏。于是，她便索性开启自己的花店。

In FLORETTE, besides the conventional flowers one can find at most flower shops, Isabelle has a collection of seasonal flowers from around the globe. At times, she even carries wildflowers from Beijing that locals tend to overlook; other times, she will have rarer flowers like the betel flower. Customers can purchase freshly cut flowers and creatively arrange it themselves, but their prearranged signature bouquets are also available. “You don’t just leave flowers there after you buy them. You need to go home, open them, and release them from the packaging the moment you get home – then pick a suitable vase, prune the flowers, and arrange them. Anything with a life force is ever-changing; so after a few days, they will require additional pruning, and the arrangement will need readjusting. Different seasons will bear different flowers, when you put them in your home, you can feel the changing of the seasons and become more attuned to the flow of time.” Through FLORETTE, Isabelle hopes to generate more interaction between people and nature.

在FLORETTE，除了常规鲜花，Isabelle也从世界各地搜罗特别的当季鲜花。有时候，有北京当地不被人注意的小草花；有时候，也会有你完全想不到的槟榔花。你可以在这里挑选已经设计好的精选花束，也可以直接选购新鲜切花，自己发挥创意。“买了花并不是就放着了，而是一到家就需要动手把它们从包装中解放出来。挑选容器，修剪花枝，搭配摆置。有生命的东西是会变化的。所以过个几天，它们需要再次修剪，调整摆放。每个季节都有不一样的花，把它们放在家里，感受大自然的变化，感受时间的流逝。”Isabelle希望，她能通过FLORETTE将这种人和自然的互动以及感受分享给更多人。

“At this market, known as the Woodstock of Eating, over 80% of our customers had never purchased flowers before. They didn’t know what to do with it after they bring it home, I was pretty shocked. Being located in Beijing’s Sanlitun, this event was attended by all of the hippest people in the area, but most people had next to no knowledge about flowers,” Isabelle was surprised about having to explain very basic things as she was selling the flowers, but she was also very welcoming to these first-timers. “In a way, I felt a sense of accomplishment. In other places, I operate strictly like a business and don’t run into these kinds of issues. Here, we are guiding the people who don’t understand, and this creates more interaction between us and the customers. Although it was unexpected, it felt immensely rewarding.”

然而，“在伍德吃托克市集上，我们80%的顾客之前从来没买过花，拿回家里不知道怎么办。我当时蛮惊讶，在北京，在三里屯，这个活动都是最hip的人来参加，但似乎大家对这个概念都非常弱。”Isabelle很意外地注意到，她不得不一边卖鲜花，一边为人讲解这方面的基本常识以及这种生活方式。所以，每位客人的初次尝试都让她备受鼓舞。“某一方面，这让我很有成就感。在别的地方只是单纯的business，不会有这种情况。在这边，我们为不理解的人指导，所以就有更多的互动。这是特别大的意外收获。”她高兴地说道。

Coming from a background of interior design and architecture, complementing space and colors is second nature to her. And as a creative herself, Isabelle is closely knit with the entire creative community. So besides only selling flowers, Isabelle also hosts FLORETTE’s Living Room, a salon that takes place in the shop. The second floor private workspace in FLORETTE transforms into a homely living room, and Isabelle invites various individuals to come in and share their lifestyle philosophies, anything flower-related or aesthetics-related. Besides that, there will often be workshops that people can participate in, which allows them to exercise their creativity in a hands-on manner. Isabelle doesn’t want people to only take photographs of beautiful things, but she also wants them to learn to cherish and appreciate these things. She hopes that these events can be inspirational for their daily lives.

对于作为空间建筑设计师的她来说，空间比例色彩上的搭配都是信手拈来的事。作为创意人，Isabelle和整个创意社区也保持着紧密的联系。除了贩售鲜花，在这里还有“FLORETTE的客厅”，这是FLORETTE发起并组织的聚会沙龙。每每此时，FLORETTE会从工作室变成闲适的客厅，邀请“生活家”们来分享与花、与美，或与生活本身相关的事物。此外，还有各类创意活动让参与者得以亲自动手发挥创意。Isabelle，她希望大家不只是给美好的东西拍照了事，她希望通过这些活动给人们带来更多的生活灵感。

As of now, FLORETTE has already been endorsed by Kinfolk, amongst a few other publications, and praised by people who see the importance in quality of life. It’s no surprise, as this shop is a great place to experience the colors and fragrances of nature amidst the urban cityscape of Beijing. The next time you’re in the area, be sure to swing by and buy a flower or two.

如今的FLORETTE，除了受到诸如Kinfolk以及其他各类媒体的青睐，也受到热爱生活人们的厚爱。如果你也在北京，不妨到FLORETTE感受一下创意，也给自己买几束花，一起享受花的色彩和芬芳，体会自然的美好。

Address:
No. 5 Baiziwan Road, Shimen Village
Chaoyang District, Beijing
People’s Republic of China

Phone:
0086-4008 356937

Website: florette.com.cn
Weibo: FLORETTE-几束花
WeChat: FLORETTE_FLORIST

 

Contributors: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
Photographer: Banny Wang

地址:
中国
北京朝阳区
百子湾路石门村5号院

电话:
0086-4008 356937

网站: florette.com.cn
微博: FLORETTE-几束花
微信: FLORETTE几束花

 

供稿人: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
摄影师: Banny Wang

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SHAO’s Abstract Soundscapes

April 13, 2016 2016年4月13日

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

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

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

SHAO – A. Sensi

SHAO – B. Reflection Pt. 2

SHAO – Digital. Reflection Pt. 1

欢迎试听《Doppler Shift Pt.1》曲目:

SHAO – A. Sensi

SHAO – B. Reflection Pt. 2

SHAO – Digital. Reflection Pt. 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

Contributor & Photographer: Banny Wang

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

 

供稿人与摄影师: Banny Wang

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