Post performance review
I was happy with the performance although I did start a few minutes earlier, which I didn’t think was a problem as the moment just felt right to start. After the performance I was told that it would have been better to start later although no one had told me this in advance. I guess this is just one of those little details that gets lost in translation, although I liked the fact that lots of people turned up later and had missed the party. Dou Dou played the piano really well particularly when I was climbing the ladder. I did get stuck for a moment when I reached the top, however this just added to the uncertainty as to whether I would get over. The event really looked and felt like a strange leaving party, which has to be the ultimate temporary event. I liked how people were not sure when the performance had started or ended this includes myself for example having my picture taken with lots of people and when we were tidying everything away. I was concerned were the drinks table was placed in the corridor and this seemed to keep people hanging around in that area which kept people further away from the main performance space. However at every opportunity in my performance I would intervene myself in-between the audience and used lots of eye contact. The video of the plane being prepared looked really strong projected large scale onto the wall and retained detailed quality. On the whole I was pleased with the outcome of the event, although there are always things that can be improved.
I was happy to work with Dou Dou, which was a completely unexpected partnership, and I felt that he symbolised the youth of China learning the piano as a means to getting to a better life. I could see similarities in him and myself a young artist trying to get somewhere and the possibility we all face of making it and not making it. The bunting I used I had seen many times here as they are used as New Year decorations and I structured them as if they could pull the ladder over which created a dynamic shape and focus for the performance. The video of the plane and the shopping bags again reflected ideas of literally trying to get somewhere through travel and simply wanting to buy more stuff. The frame for my work was the private view and to use the situation as an excuse for a weird party for myself and to explore ways of engaging the audience with me and the work.
Later on in the evening we went to Zhang Xue Qing’s bar called Bosa Novas, which was in another town, she really talked the place down as this little bar she part owns. It was a large lounge bar with karaoke and VIP rooms and we had a room all to ourselves. We played drinking games and sang a few songs I wish I had my camcorder with me as it is really funny how us regular folk entertain ourselves. In the main bar area there was a lounge band playing and Zhang asked me if I wanted to sing on the stage, I was a bit embarrassed when she asked me as I wanted to make it clear to her that I am not a professional singer. However this was not a problem and she was determined to get me up on the stage to sing, as they like to get foreign people up on stage as they are seen as a novelty. The only song I could remember was ‘It’s Now or Never’ the famous Elvis Presley song. When I got up on the stage the band just looked at me and when I started to sing they struggled to get in synch with my out of tune voice. Eventually near the end of the song we somehow pull it together, what a strange performance.
