meeting points and disconnects: the cultural nuances of emotional expression.

Feeling exhausted as Pablo got a fever during the night and couldn’t sleep. He seems better today, but he will have a quiet day today – we got him a few kids DVD’s to keep him occupied. At the moment he is watcing smurfs.

I am starting to map out the work I am trying to do in China. Over the Asialink Residency, I hope to research the cultural nuances of emotional expression. Research has suggested that Chinese expression of emotion is more carefully regulated out of concern for its capacity to disrupt group harmony and status hierarchies. Chinese culture is perceived as collectivist whereas Western cultures are individualistic. In Western countries one expects to maintain eye contact when we talk with people. Because of the more authoritarian nature of the Chinese society, steady eye contact is viewed as inappropriate, especially when subordinates talk with their superiors.

However, in a more globalized world and an integration of different cultures’ ideologies, (Leung and Iwawaki 1998) also theorized that different cultures may adopt similar values during this modernization process. In particular, while the Chinese may adopt more individualistic values, Western countries may adapt to more collectivist values as a result of exposure to each others’ cultures and traditions. How do these emotional expression’s coalesce? In China, ‘venting’ stores in shopping centers are cropping up, kitted out with second-hand mobile phones and TV sets for angry customers to destroy. Patrons can also tear paper, throw plates and pound beanbags for one minute to release tension. News reports suggest that families are hiring professional funeral crying services to cry at their parents’ funerals. Over the residency, I would like to find out more about these ‘services’, their histories and role in today’s world. I would hope to video tape it, to further my cross cultural emotion expression database. These would then become new body of work, most likely video installations.

I am not sure how to begin with this, I need an interpreter, so next week I hope to meet with Platform China to discuss how to start.

1. Women Venting anger
There is store is in shenyang that allows women to smash appliances to vent anger. This will become a video work, shot over two days most likely. The store could be at the Xinglong Big Family Mall in Shenyang Wang Juingyu, could the mall’s business manager? – its on the 4th floor – need to find contact, number and talk to them. Does it still exist? need to talk to Platform China about this.

http://www.womenofchina.cn/html/report/95707-1.htmhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295893/Hell-hath-fury-Rage-cage-opens-Chinese-shopping-mall-women-vent-frustration-men-allowed.htmlhttp://thegloss.com/career/there-is-a-furstration-venting-store-for-women-in-china/http://www.twirlit.com/2010/07/16/women-only-venting-store-opens-in-china/http://cocoperez.com/2010-07-15-china-mall-opens-a-venting-store-for-angry-womenhttp://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/interactive-retail-stores-focus-on-customer-engagement-as-primary-business-
2. Professional Funeral Criers of Chongqing : exploring performed emotion.
Aim is to shoot up to eight performers (separately, not part of funeral) and then weave them together via a 8 channel video installation.
http://www.peopleforum.cn/viewthread.php?tid=103585&extra=page%3D1http://chinglishfriend.com/blogs/danwei/archive/2010/07/23/performing-at-funerals-professional-mourners-in-chongqing-and-chengdu.aspxhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-04/21/content_325119.htmhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/video/video-the-funeral-criers-of-chongqing/article2017477/http://thetorontopost.com/2011/05/10/page/2/
3. PajamasMatt, Tina and Pablo to walk through caochongdi in pajamas. video taken from distance over two nights?> still have to convince Matt.
4. Development -1 long panned shoot of empty city. (need tripod)http://www.neatorama.com/tag/china/page/2/http://www.neatorama.com/2010/12/18/ghost-cities-of-china/
5. Barbers
2 x shoot in barber shop in chaochongdi. preferably male barber shop. need tripod. two hours per shoot. This moves on from shoot in Turkey. Will shoot in six countries.
6. Glasses – need to create 6 x pair of glasses that have mirrors on the inside of the glassware

To ponder is consider something deeply and thoroughly. This intervention allows one to ponder on oneself. Most communication devices allow us to communicate with others. This communication device allows one to communicate with oneself – an intrapersonal communication device. We all have much internal dialogue that happens when we communicate with others. This device allows time to digest this dialogue. The viewer privately contemplates the mirror image himself.

In beijing. We have come here from Istanbul – exhibiting with ISEA.http://isea2011.sabanciuniv.edu/.gonsalves.

I am here with my husband, Matt, and my son, Pablo who is three years old. We are here as part of an asialink residency, based at Platform China http://www.platformchina.org/. The gallery is based Caochangdi Village, Chaoyang District in Beijing.
When we first got here, a bit jetlagged, and still with our hearts in Istanbul, the shock was palpable. When I thought of Caochangdi Village i thought we may be in some sort of compound, as we sort of are, but the village, is a ‘real’ village, and based on the fifth ring road of beijing, which means the center of Beijing is about 50 minutes away I am told. This has been great. Caochangdi is wonderful.

Pablo is loving it. He has gone from lots of cheek grabbing, kissing and hugging of Turkey to feeling like the paparazi has arrived. Yesterday, as we walked through the 798 art district, nearby to Caochangdi Village, he got his photo taken as much as 300 times and thats a low estimate. With his curly blonde hair, he draws crowds. He is used to the attention, we have been traveling with him since he was 10 weeks old. He turns 4 in two weeks.

Beijing has zoned art areas – and we are in the second one. So this little town, with its dusty dirt streets is actually filled full of art galleries. The other zoned area is 798 District, about ten minutes away where we spent the day yesterday – it has so many galleries it makes Chelsea in NYC look dull. Its national holiday week here, so all were out enjoying themselves.

We find the people friendly, and the food has been an adventure. – so far great – but its just point and hope for the best – nothing is in english and no one speaks english. Yesterday my dish arrived full of chicken feet.

Our apartment is a warehouse loft that has the warmth of a communist schoolroom. We know this will be hard living ahead. When we arrived, it was pretty dirty, with a sort of impoverished artist feel which drives me crazy. We have given it a good scrub now. Viki, who seems to be our main contact point has been fantastic. We asked for a couch which will also be utilized for pablo’s bed, a DVD player to keep pablo occupied occasionally, and another quilt as its getting cold, and three more chairs so we can sit down at a table. They have been great with it, but I guess I still get annoyed when artists are presented with accomodation that doesn’t have a great standard. The galleries here are sparkling and clean, and I think the accomodation needs to be too.

We have tried to go the supermarket a few times, but we find ourselves walking out with little – as the diet, and the packaging is so different, its hard to know what to buy and what to eat.I worry a bit about keeping pablo fed with foods he likes, but I guess he will adapt. Milk is harder to come by, there is no bread anywhere, I found something that could be yoghurt. I guess we will work it out over time and find different places to shop.

Pablo has been making friends fast. When we sit to eat, he befriends everyone and the next minute they are all running wild – in and out of shops, into homes, down alley ways – with matt chasing them all. Pablo running about with the kids draws more attention and more photos from everyone.

We have a norwegian curator next door, so tonight we are heading to the fodder factory for dinner. http://www.thebeijinger.com/directory/Fodder-Factory. We have been here twice, and the food has been excellent.