- Venue
- Centre for Chinese Conetemporary Art
- Location
- North West England
I attended the first day at the Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester. It continues here for another day before decamping to Liverpool John Moores University for another two days. The programme is different in each city.
I watched:
Jason Lim make a pyramid of glasses on the edge of a table, which didn't fall down when the table moved slightly.
Lee Wen set fire to a small boat made from the Daily Telegraph, which had a fish in it.
Lee Wen paint the character for 'China' in honey on a sheet of A4. He then tried to lick it off.
Two audience members standing on chairs. One took a photograph of us.
Hao Lang march and exercise on a large mirror while wearing what looked like a swimming cap covered in flowers.
Rosa Mei dance with swords.
A man in a suit covered in tissue paper, acting like an Asian Brer Rabbit, with a whip.
A roll of sellotape stretched around trees to map the path of Jason Lim.
Hao Lang limbering up in a small room while I typed this.
He Chengyao walk around Manchester in a halting and curious fashion, followed by people copying her. Well, mostly copying her.
Light reflected onto the gallery ceiling from shards of mirror broken by Hao Lang.
Lee Wen throw a cabbage back and forth to audience members and then turned into a ball and chain with the judicious use of sellotape.
I heard:
A whistle and the crack of a whip.
Glasses smashing and running water.
“He looked gutted when that tape broke.”
Two people whisper “I appear” in my ear. One of them twice.
A pedestrian say “What's going on here, then?” and “Cheers, mate”, when encountering He Chengyao's followers in the street.
Applause.
Hao Lang explain that in China, children are described as “the flowers of the nation”, which sort of explained his hat.
A gong and a bell.
No announcements.
A mirror get smashed into hundreds of pieces under the determined feet of Hao Lang.
A dead fish described as 'profound'.
Someone say they didn't want to read their fortune.
I read:
My fortune.
Three postcards by Brendan Fan that informed me that an artist may “secretly involve you in a performance without your knowledge”, “ secretly observe and document your reactions to the performances” and “engage you in conversation to divert your attention from something you will regret missing”.
The phrases “Socialism”, “Harmonious Society”, “One Party Rule”, “One Country Two Systems”, “3 Represents”, “Eight Honours Eight Disgraces”, “Scientific Development Concept”, “Freedom”, “Democracy”, “Rule Of Law” and “Peaceful Development”, before they were chewed a bit and spat into the paper boat mentioned above on the 'I saw' list.
Three letters to Des O'Connor.
I wrote:
“Glass = Tension”.
“It's difficult to know when Chinese Dance, kung fu and body-popping start and end”.
“There is a controlled randomness”.
“If art is, as I believe, a cracked and broken language through which otherwise inexpressible ideas can be played out, or a at least rehearsed, then a language barrier, then a further fracture can occur when real language barriers are introduced. Conventions can act as a salve”.
“Assimilation and aspiration”.
“Wedding Reception Tent”. “Brinkmanship”.
“Adding ideas together doesn't make them better”.
I missed:
Yingmei Duan's performance. Sorry.
The end of Jason Lim's piece, but I did see some glasses break.
The repeat of Rosa Mei's performance.
Leung Po-Shan's performance. Sorry.
I took part in:
A round table discussion about Live Art and documentation.
According to the fortune I read, I will not get my wish.
