Elizabeth in China » art

Optimus Update

Elizabeth — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 14:51:16 +0000

He’s still there! More evidence that the Kunming Optimus Prime actually exists. Brought to you by Jeremy Productions.

Transformers. More than meets the eye.

Clowns in China

Elizabeth — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:23:42 +0000

I spotted two clowns on bikes yesterday. Their bikes are really hard to miss — like two-storey bicycles — and they were packed with their instruments and luggage. I’m not sure what happens if they get stopped at a red light. Anyway, they must be members of the Clyclown Circus featured on Even Pay’s blog. (She heard about them from this online account of their recent visit to Beijing.) How exciting! They really did make it to Kunming!

This photo is from the Cyclown Circus website — not my actual siting. I saw a woman and a man just before noon on Friday headed east on 文林街 Wen Lin Jie crossing 建设路 Jian She Lu. Unfortunately, since I didn’t run after them, I’m not really sure where they’re performing or if they’re even still in town. Anyone out there know?

Kunming Bubble Children

Elizabeth — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 14:14:44 +0000

Another movie brought to you by Jeremy Productions. No children were (physically) harmed in the making of this film.

Apparently this is called “水步行球” or “Water Walking Ball” and a popular activity this holiday season. So if you’re in Kunming (Yunnan Province, China), be sure to swing by Green Lake Park and invest your 10 kuai ($1.25 US) for three minutes of fun.

His Sharona

Elizabeth — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 14:04:18 +0000

Jeremy made some movie magic.

This is footage from a student presentation we stumbled into. October 1st is National Day, so this is, um, celebratory. The music happened accidentally, but it works so well. Enjoy!

Good Eats, No Meats

Elizabeth — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 07:27:24 +0000

I returned to Nordica for dinner last night with some friends. We intended to catch their weekly BBQ, but we got there too late so we ordered off the menu. I had a very tastey mushroom quiche with a side salad for 18 RMB, and we shared a bottle of white wine (the brand was Great Wall, I think?) for 80 RMB. For dessert, everyone got a brownie except Karina who ordered the carrot cake which came with a great citrus frosting. Yum! Recommended, but next time I think we should arrive closer to 6:00 p.m. so we can do the BBQ (35 RMB) — of course, I might prefer the quiche to the meaty BBQ.

We poked around the loft area a little after dinner. There were several galleries/bars/tea houses that had a crowd — primarily local, from the looks of things. The paintings were not overwhelming, but it was really exciting to see art happening in Kunming. There were some really cool spaces — converted old buildings — and lots of nooks and crannies with very colorful, comfortable-looking courtyards. I would really like to explore the area more during the light of day.

Anyway, it was great to play after a brutal week of classes. The expectations at this level are a lot higher. I’m writing tons — both practicing characters and I have two essays due next week. Whoah! I was so exhausted by the end of classes on Friday, I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I need to learn how to pace myself. I totally neglected to study for my Friday classes so I was embarassingly ill-prepared — which of course made even more anxious during class. Bah. I think it’s surmountable, but I need to get my act together. Thank god I have the weekend to regroup.

Jeremy had a potluck dinner with his classmates last night. He prepared jambalaya with little shrimp (a New Orleans dish) as well as a treat for Roshashana, apples and honey. How very ethnic. That, of course, was the name of the game — everyone brought food from their home country. Sounds like it was an incredible feast! Jeremy especially enjoyed Caroline’s contribution of cheese and French bread. Sounds heavenly.

Contagious Love in Kunming

Elizabeth — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 00:45:18 +0000

I attended the opening of an art exhibit this weekend. Wow, Nordica is a real art center with a gallery and performance space. I was really impressed. The reception was for Contagious Love, an exhibition about AIDS in China. HIV/AIDS education is really growing in China, but from some of the stories I heard the other night we have a long way to go. HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through sex, yes, but it can also happen by sharing needles. In fact, this is what scares me a lot. Hospitals here have been found to be using dirty needles: China’s dirty needles risk ‘daily’ infection, BBC News, November 2002 – sorry this link is blocked for those of you in China). Anyway, there is a lot of focus on Yunnan Province because the cases of infection are expected to double by 2010.

Here’s an interesting article from The Toronto Star about Bill Gates giving gobs of money to help prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS in China. (It also refers to President Hu Jintao’s recent visits to AIDS patients.)

This exhibit is a great introduction to some of Kunming’s really talented artists. I took photos of a couple of my favorite pieces. Of course I wanted to get more shots, but my little camera clunked out after a while. Anyway, I also got a couple shots of the space as well.

The Contagious Love Exhibition runs through October 12 at Nordica in Kunming, Yunnan. Here are directions to Nordica.