just one of several facilities of this size on the premises. and yes, that's me looking pretty scruffy. i'm pretty sure i was the hairiest man in china during my stay.
24 November 2008
stone yard visit--beijing
just one of several facilities of this size on the premises. and yes, that's me looking pretty scruffy. i'm pretty sure i was the hairiest man in china during my stay.
stone yard visit--beijing
the craftspeople live amongst their work with their families. at lunch time everyone stops at the same time, sits down and eats together. never mind the micro powder dusty bits that permeated the environment.
stone yard visit--beijing
ceiling of one of the warehouse buildings at the stone yard. what do they hang off of those strings exactly? and why wasn't anything hanging at the time of these pictures? strikingly suspicious in my estimation...
dinner at source in beijing
this was the primary reason for wandering into the hutong. this place served one of many incredible meals i ate while in china. i had heard it many times before i went there, but after experiencing it firsthand, i have to agree that "chinese" food in the u.s. is a poor imposter. i'm not even sure how they can call it that. i tried ordering sweet and sour pork everywhere i went, only to draw blank stares from waiters. i wanted to believe it was because i was speaking in english but, in fact, i think i was just asking a stupid question. and no, they don't have such a thing as fortune cookies in china. another made up american food item.
typical hutong courtyard
i'm sure this was dressed up a bit when it was converted to a restaurant, but this is a typical hutong courtyard.
as seen in a beijing hutong
hutongs are the traditional neighbourhoods built in beijing. they consist of smaller courtyard residences linked together by a series of glorified alleys. often the homes are without plumbing and therefore share a neighborhood public bathroom. i experienced one, and despite the squatting toilet, i found the facilities impressively pristine. these neighbourhoods are increasingly being torn down to accommodate new roads and high-rise construction.
the cars parked in the alleyways seemed to all incorporate an esoteric wheel protection system (speculative). not really clear as to what function the placement of debris against the tires of a car might serve. i think it must just be a chinese thang.
11 November 2008
won ju lim: 24 seconds of silence at ucca
this was a fairly ambitious installation from the korean-american artist, won ju lim. it was installed at ullens center for contemporary art, a non-profit exhibition space in the 798 district. born from the collection of the ullens family, the space has been open for only one year and already boasts a strong exhibition history or contemporary chinese and asian art. www.ucca.org.cn
10 November 2008
photo mural
not sure if this is an image from the recent earthquakes in china, but it's very powerful imagery either way.
03 November 2008
an xiaotong at long march project
the same artist who created the small historical tableaus also had this 4 sided (pyramid) video projection of claymation type action. some of the narrative was set in the environments from the sculptural objects and some took place amongst other original stage sets. they reminded me of william kentridge drawings/films in their form (although scultural rather than drawn) and simmering political commentary.
an xiaotong at long march project
even in china we were inundated by daily news of the stock market going down the shitter. it was interesting to find a scale model of the trading floor, complete with the famous bull sculpture, in a gallery in beijing. the artist had several other tableaus that seemed to refer to specific, perhaps esoteric, events or periods of chinese history.
construction around 798
i like construction. i like cranes. i like china. (if a and b, then c). apparently a boutique hotel is being built in the area. not sure if this is it, or not, but how long before beijing gets its version of soho?
luo brothers
take one part kitchy crafty chinese ceramics and throw in a healthy dose of western consumerism send ups and you get the luo brothers.
02 November 2008
gallery interior in 798 district
this is the inside of the space with the concrete wavy doorway. as i may have already mentioned, the spaces are sick.
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