Friday Funny January 27, 2012

This was exactly what I wanted to see at the end of a character-building day.

My feeling of relief was palpable. 

Elizabeth compares and contrasts January 19, 2012

Didn't you always hate that as an exam question? "Compare and contrast the French and American Revolutions". Groaaannn. You just knew your hand was going to cramp up writing out that answer. Don't worry, no essays required here. 

The places up for comparison and contrast were the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Shanghai Art Museum. Organized by the American Women's Club of Shanghai (AWCS), we started our tour at the MOCA, a former greenhouse inside People's Park. Yes, you have seen People's Park before, just not in its entirety. That's OK, neither have I. Oh, all right, I'll put it on the "To See" list. Here's the tour blurb from the AWCS website:

This unique tour will explore the dynamics between a state institutionalized modern museum and a privately created contemporary museum. Led by Art Historian Julie Chun who has lectured at San Jose State University and curated exhibition and installation in the San Francisco Bay Area, this enlightening walk-through of Shanghai's two museums in People's Park is guaranteed to leave an indelible mark on how you view exhibitions and museums in Asia and elsewhere.

MOCA exterior

The artist exhibiting was Chen Man.

Here's info about her from someone else's website:

Beijing photographer Chen Man (b.1980) is the leading photographer of her generation. Over the past seven years she has contributed to some of the world’s best-known lifestyle magazines and produced acclaimed campaigns for international brands such as Motorola and Adidas.

Chen gained prominence in 2003 when she completed a series of ground-breaking covers for the China-based design and arts magazine Vision. Although then still a student at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, the images she produced crashed the conservatism of China’s media industry at the time and captured the spirit of creative possibility that was driving a new generation of artists and designers.

Chen made eight covers for Vision. Each image is based on an original studio shot that is digitally enhanced in post production. However, it is the eclectic range of motifs and influences in her work, from Mickey Mouse and Manga to the Three Gorges Dam and the Great Wall, that best characterize her aesthetic.

Over the past decade, the growing number of partnerships between foreign and domestic publishers has provided Chen with a wide platform to develop her career. As well as Vision she has produced shoots for Vogue, Bazaar,Esquire, Cosmopolitan and Modern Weekly, among others. The development of Chen’s work can therefore be seen to closely track the development of China’s media and advertising industries as well as the growing sophistication of its art scene, and the frequent points of intersection between the two.

In less than 10 years, Chen has established herself as perhaps China’s most successful commercial photographer, and certainly China’s most successful woman photographer ever.  The latter fact underlines the profound changes that China’s cultural landscape has undergone and the increasingly prominent role that women artists are playing in it.

One of her commercial photos

Another

(Captain Obvious stikes again.)

 The lower level of MOCA.

I took these photos as I went up the ramp that lead to the second level.

On the second level, Chen Man had a series of photos inspired 

by the five traditional Chinese elements.

See if you can figure out which ones are which. I only chose two.

The fantastical take

 The modern take

The shape of the frame hints at the element. I sussed that out all on my own. 

So proud of myself! Doesn't take much, does it?

Got it? The first two were earth, the last ones wood.

 I know you're going to scroll back now and review. Go on. I'll wait.

Before we moved on to the Shanghai Art Museum, our AWCS guide, Julie, told us that the MOCA is a privately owned museum. Bear this in mind as we check out one of the exhibits at the Shanghai Art Museum, just a short walk away. You have seen the exterior of this museum before. Yes, you have. It houses the restaurant Kathleen's 5 and is the former clubhouse of the Shanghai Race Club. 

Here is one interesting detail you haven't seen previously.

A recurring motif on the stair railings

The artist exhibiting on the main floor of the Shanghai Art Museum used pointillism, a relatively modern European technique, to depict traditional Chinese subjects.

I get such a kick out of pointillism.

Some of the pieces were huge.

Now that's a lot of dots! 

There were more paintings on the upper floors, but this exhibit was my favourite at the Shanghai Art Museum. The other pieces of art were interesting, but not remarkable. The overall winner for me was Chen Man's work in the MOCA. Her photos would never have been displayed in a state-owned museum. Although both museums' exhibits had Chinese subjects, one was clearly far more imaginative and provocative. Guess which one I preferred? 

Elizabeth goes to the theatre January 8, 2012

You have to say the title with a fake, poncy English accent. Come on. Humour me. Just do it. See? Wasn't that fun? Guess who got free (my favourite price) tickets to the Grand Theatre to see "African Footprint"? Of course! The Reluctant Relocator! I won, yes, won them. I took my friend Gabrielle with me. As it says on their website, this is what the show was about:

Since its inaugural performance in front of Nelson Mandela and world leaders on Robben Island on Millennium eve “African Footprint” has gone on to become South Africa’s longest running musical, thrilling and entertaining people all over the world. With its raw energy, talent, spirit and passion, “African Footprint” has played to standing ovations in the USA, China, Australia, Monte Carlo, Europe, Israel, India, Mexico, Lebanon, France, not forgetting its home base in South Africa and is now set to embark on a whole new international tour!

An exhilarating journey through Africa’s history, culture and spirit, “African Footprint” has set new standards in the world of dance and music. Its dancers, singers and drummers – drawn from South Africa’s cities, townships and rural areas alike - have gone on to amazing success stories in their own right, proving the power and talent of ‘Africa’s children’…with the show now as much their success as that of anyone else.

Ten years after its World Premiere on the 11th May, 2000 “African Footprint” continues to bring something uniquely African to global audiences and is truly a show that cannot be rivalled, and one that should not be missed.

Even Shanghai has scalpers.  

He was naturally a little hesitant to pose for a photo, 

so I had to make do with blurry.

The Grand Theatre

Remember seeing this before on my post about People's Square?

Sure you do!

Me with my free tickets.

So excited!

African drummers warmed up the audience as they entered the building.

The stage

See how they made Africa look like a foot? You get it? Huh, huh, you get it?

Gabrielle and I really enjoyed the show. It was energetic, imaginative and at times, humourous. "African Footprints" was also a refreshing break from non-stop Chinese culture.

The lobby after the show

Now that I've been once, I might actually come to the Grand 

Theatre again and even pay for it.

Elizabeth stars on TV! January 6 and 7, 2012

Finally! My awesome talent is recognized and I land my own national television show. About time! 

While this would be completely amazing, you all know how modest I am, the truth is being stretched just a tad here. I truly was on national television, but it wasn't my own show. Many of you are crushed, I know. I was one of a cast of dozens who participated in the Stepping Stones performance of "Heal the World". The teaching organization had been asked to do this song as part of the Shanghai Charity Foundation's Annual Charity Gala. We, some volunteer teachers and members of the Shanghai Voice Choir, sang with children from a migrant school where Stepping Stones volunteers teach English. 

My road to fame began on Friday afternoon, January 6th , with my arrival for rehearsal at the Oriental TV Station Theatre. We had to be there for 2:00pm. This is important. We were told to wear smart, casual clothing in bright colours and to memorize the song. Thank goodness it was an extremely abridged version! Later, we were instructed to memorize two lines in Mandarin that would be spoken during the song's lead-in. Yikes! I know, only two lines, but to say them quickly (my personal challenge) and clearly in front of a live audience was a bit unnerving. Can you say lip synch? 

On to the photos!

The main building of the Oriental TV Station

The volunteers in the theatre

Choir members and teachers in front, migrant students behind

On stage!

Yes, it was freezing. In typical thrifty Chinese fashion, the theatre was unheated. 

Everyone wore their coats during rehearsal. This was the first of several. 

Performers did their thing while workers rushed to complete the set.

I'd say there were about ten acts in total, many of them comprised of children, all of them representing charitable organizations hoping to increase their visibility and funding.

Each adult volunteer was partnered with a migrant student.
Song Hai Yun, my little friend, backstage during the second rehearsal.

 After the second rehearsal, we all waited upstairs. 

The students were incredibly well-behaved.

The volunteers in our smart, casual clothing in bright colours

Yours truly with the adorable Song Hai Yun

The students passed the time working in their English exercise books. 

There was a lot of down time. I read my book. 

What were we waiting for? Good question. We were waiting for the 7:30pm performance for the municipal leaders. Yes, it was delayed. We finally got on stage, sang our song and left. It was 9:00pm. Now, who remembers what time I arrived at the station? Yes, seven hours earlier. It wasn't a hard day, but it sure was long!

Saturday January 7th, live broadcast day, we had to be there again for 2:00pm. We had more rehearsals, more waiting and more waiting. At least the theatre was heated that day!

The celebrities and local dignitaries had their photo opp before the show.

The broadcasting truck outside

When it was our turn to perform, live, in front of a studio audience and television cameras, Stepping Stones teachers, choir members and students alike were the pictures of professional performers, especially the students. Song Hai Yun really knew her piece! We all sang like birds and smiled like seasoned vaudevillians. Our 3:19 minutes of fame flew by. 

As I said, the show was televised live that evening on a local Shanghai station called Shanghai TV New Entertainment. I texted all my friends to tell them to watch me, me, me! At 9:15pm, the show was rebroadcast, nationally(!), on Dragon Satellite TV. I raced home to catch it. What follows here are photos that I took off my television. High tech, isn't it? 

This act was the one before ours. I was so impressed.

Fantastic Chinese dancers performing a traditional Thai dance.

All these dancers were deaf. Incredible!

Us!!

I know you're looking for moi.
Look at the left of the screen. See the fellow in the green sweater? Behind him is a man in blue and behind him is me, wearing a red sweater and white top. Look hard!

Us again with photos of migrant students on screen.

Me!!

Us again. You can see we were quite the crowd.

The final act of the show was a blind girl singing. What a voice!
She had a surprise visitor, her favourite celebrity.

Yao Ming is just a little tall.

Very heart warming!

What an experience! It was very interesting to be part of such a huge production and see what went on behind the scenes. I hope that our performance brought much needed recognition to Stepping Stones and the wonderful work it does. 

This just in from Corinne Hua, the founder of Stepping Stones:

The feedback from Shanghai Charity Foundation and Oriental TV station is that we did a great job!  They asked me to pass on their thanks to you all for participating... I think you’ll agree we looked really good!   And the shot of Shanghai Party Secretary Yu Zhengsheng applauding our performance immediately after we finished shows approval for our efforts from the highest possible level – this is very good for Stepping Stones!

Hooray! 

Friday Funny January 20, 2012

These beauties were seen while in Century Park with my good friend, Eliza.

Just yesterday, I also saw a pedestrian-only street entitled "Lie Fallow Street".

Must be a trend.