Back The Sudden Change
-- The artistic inspection of the ecology of the nature and
humanity in the Three Gorges reservoir area
Submitted by ZhouBin / Chengdu Up-On Live Art Space
Yangtze River is China’s most significant river; its river system is a huge natural eco-system, it has bred the important civilization of Yangtze River, and also carried the long, unique memory and history of humanity.
All the changes started from the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River was cut in the middle, the water level raised sharply to 175m, the appearance of the Three Gorges river system completely changed, many historical sites and ancient towns sunk, millions of people were forced to leave their hometown which generations have lived in, the natural ecological problems and broken memories of humanity that resulted were cruel. We hope to use an artistic approach to reflect and question this kind of occurrence.
For this project, we will be inviting 6 contemporary artists from different countries in Asia (1 each from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and China), spend 10 to 15 days in Three Gorges reservoir area, and through site visits and intense interaction with the local people, feel and understand the massive changes that took place there, and finally, use an artistic approach to illustrate their stands and thoughts.
We think that through the implementation of this project, we are able to encourage artists in Asia to get involved and use an artistic approach to show their stands and thoughts about our greatly changing society.
We hope that we would be able to get support from ANA for our project!
Our address: No.8, China Chengdu Zong Nan Zheng Street,
Building 6 Unit 4 No. 14
Telephone / Fax: 86-28-85232691
E-mail:changanke@163.com
Contact Person: ZhouBin
Application Date: 28 November 2007
Project Aim
As the economy is rapidly developing in Asia, similar problems of the loss of humanity and environmental difficulties that are caused by the construction of China’s Three Gorges Dam would soon occur in different countries. We hope that through the implementation of this artistic project, we can successfully encourage Asian artists to actively intervene in our greatly-changing realistic society by showing their stands dynamically using their artistic creations.
Project Explanation
First stage: This project is an artistic proposal planned and implemented by Chengdu Up-On Art Live Space, we would be inviting 6 Asian contemporary artists and at least 5 voluntary China artists to stay at China’s Three Gorges reservoir area for 13 days, and through site visits, have a deeper and multidimensional understanding of the massive influence brought by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam to the local natural environment and humanity’s memory. Throughout this process, the artists would be using their artistic techniques to create and complete their works on the spot.
Second stage: Cooperate with Chengdu’s exhibition space to carry out the theme exhibition of this artistic project; demonstration exchange of the artists’ works would take place in the forms of installations, pictures and videos, thereafter, we hope that artists involved in this project can contact their countries’ exhibition space so as to do a tour exhibition.
Third stage: Publish a literature picture book on this artistic project.
Implementation
First stage – Gather preparation: Invite 6 artists to gather and stay at Chengdu for 2 days, we would be fully prepared with information about the Three Gorges reservoir area, so as to allow the artists to discuss the entire project at length and have a detailed understanding of the project. Then the artists would fully analyze the feasibility of their work plans and prepare the materials and other resources for their works.
Second stage – Preheating preparation: Travel from Chengdu to Chongqing and stay for 1 day, visit China Three Gorges Museum, carry out a deeper discussion and understanding about Three Gorges reservoir area, then complete the last preparation work.
Third stage – Inspection creation: Travel from Chongqing to the core area of the Three Gorges reservoir area, stay in Wanzhou for 3 days, Fengjie for 2 days and Fengdu for 3 days. The artists would be carrying out their inspections and work creations there.
Fourth stage – Return: From the reservoir area, return to Chengdu, passing by Chongqing, altogether 2 days of journey and accommodation.
Fifth stage – Work organization: The preparation work in Chengdu by the artists before the completion of their work for exhibition. Stay for 3 days.
Sixth stage – Project exhibition: Exhibition would be held for 10 days. Based on their personal situation, artists can choose to stay in Chengdu for a few more days. We would try our best to arrange free accommodation for the artists at friends’ working studios or cheaper hotels (expenses have to be paid by the artists themselves).
Seventh stage - Publication of the literature picture book: ZhouBin of Chengdu Up-On Live Art Space would be responsible for the completion of this part of the work, need 30 days to complete, the literature picture book would be initially fixed as 148x210 (mm), 96 pages of color printing.
Project Timetable
First stage – Gather preparation: 6 – 8 May 2008, artists gather at Chengdu.
Second stage – Preheating preparation: 8 – 10 May 2008, travel from Chengdu to Chongqing, stay for 2 days.
Third stage – Inspection creation: 10 May 2008, travel from Chongqing to Three Gorges reservoir area. 10 – 13 May, carry out inspection creation in Wanzhou. 14 – 16 May, carry out inspection creation in Fengjie. 17 – 19 May, carry out inspection creation in Fengdu.
Fourth stage – Return: 20 – 21 May 2008, return to Chengdu from the reservoir area, passing by Chongqing.
Fifth stage – Work organization: 22 – 25 May 2008, the preparation work in Chengdu by the artists before the completion of their work for exhibition.
Sixth stage – Project exhibition: 26 May 2008 – 4 June, project exhibition and seminar.
Seventh stage – Publication of the literature picture book: 26 May 2008 – 26 June 2008, manage the publication of the literature book of the project.
Project Product
a)Video information and image record of the entire project
b)Literature picture book of the project
c)Information of media news reports
Project Target Audience
Due to the realistic social significance of this project, we hope that other than the professionals from the arts scene, we would also be able to attract a larger group of audience from the public to view the works by the artists. Hence, follow-up mass media reports of the following exhibitions, publication of the literature picture book and before and after of the project are important.
How are you going to spread the message of your project to the target audience
Through topic exhibitions, literature work publication and tracking reports on the internet, newspapers to spread the message of this project.
How do you think your project would be able to create the cultural impact you desire
The topic of this artistic project very typically targets the reality, it eyes a very urgent problem that will soon occur to the rapidly-changing Asia, and we are inviting artists who are from different countries and use different artistic approaches to create. Differing regional identities, cultural social backgrounds and artistic approaches would let us look forward to their performances.
How will your project develop your art form
This project invites artists who adopt different approaches for their creations to do their work on the spot, live. After spending 20 days together, the artists would have had multidimensional deep interaction with one another. All these would allow the artists involved in this project and people who have received the message of this project to benefit greatly.
Please state your other projects or past works of your collaborators
a) Regarding our website: Our website www.up-onspace.com is currently under construction, it would start working from 26 January 2008
b) Regarding Chengdu Up-On Live Art Space: Chengdu, other than Beijing, is China’s most involved city in the field of performance art. In a bid to promote live performance art in China, Chengdu Pu Live Art Space was established in Chengdu on June 2007 by performance artist ZhouBin and Liu Cheng Ying. In November 2007, the Art Space cooperated with Japan’s artist SHIMODA Seiji and completed the 3rd China-Japan Performance Art Exchange Project. Chengdu Pu Live Art Space has changed name to Chengdu Up-On Live Art Space in January 2008 and is currently cooperating with Singaporean artist, Lee Wen in organizing Chengdu 1st UP-ON International Live Art Festival. We would be inviting 30 artists from all over the world to participate in this event, which would be held in Chengdu in October 2008.
c) Regarding the organizer of this project – ZhouBin: Began the artistic creation of performance art and organizing of performance art activities from 1998./ Planned the first performance art activity in Xi’An “Staying with Water” in 2000./ Planned performance art activity “Inside and Outside the Wall” in Shanxi in 2001./ Planned performance art exhibition “Jie Dian” in Chengdu in 2002./ Participated and organized the 1st China-Japan Performance Art Exchange Project in 2003./ Participated and organized “OPEN” International Performance Art Festival in 2005./ Planned and organized the 2nd China-Japan Performance Art Exchange Project in 2006./ Planned and organized “Eight Directions” Performance Art Exchange Exhibition in 2007./ Planned and organized the 3rd China-Japan Performance Art Exchange Project in 2007.
d) Cooperating websites:
99 Art Network http://www.99ys.com
Art Alliance Network http://arts.tom.com
Ya Chang Art Network http://www.artron.net
e) Cooperating exhibition spaces:
A Thousand Plateaus Art Space (Chengdu) www.1000plateaus.org
K Gallery (Chengdu) http://k.99ys.com
f) Cooperating newspaper media:
Chengdu Business Paper http://news.cdqss.com/html/2008-01/18/node_2.htm
West China City Daily http://www.wccdaily.com.cn/new/html/hxdsb/20080118/index.html
Chongqing Business Paper http://cqsb.cqnews.net
g) Cooperating television media: Chengdu TV