Cutting edge art
By Jessica Luo & Vivian Zhang
Photos by Yao Fan

一个由视觉艺术家, 作曲家, 出版设计师合作的独特展览"同样响亮又清楚", 对音乐进行了视觉化的阐述. 厦门大学中欧艺术中心主办.



On Friday November 18, 2005, an art event entitled "Loud & Clear Too" took place in Xiamen University Art College. A young musician called Yan Jun was invited to present his own experimental music. After the presentation, five pieces of video art were shown. The event was welcomed by a group of enthusiastic students and teachers.

Experimental music

As Yan Jun gave a live performance of his music, he worked in time with a recording of inverted images of waves on a TV screen. His new style of music is made using simple equipments, or using a contact microphone placed directly on his throat.

On the table were a CD player, a musical instrument known as a "Qing" used in Buddhist and Taoist temple services, a tuning fork (originally used for medical purposes) and a signal generator (also used in physics experiments). According to Yan Jun, what he focuses on is the sound itself, rather than the form of the music. "You see, the equipment I have is very simple, but if I make full use of it, it can produce all the elements necessary for music.


Yan Jun is producing his music.

"What I want to express is the music itself, and usually I don't think a lot about any subtextual meaning to it. I expect the audience can use their own imagination."

Talking about the origins of post-contemporary music, Yan Jun says that at the end of 20th century, some bands in Beijing began to take a great interest in experimental music and started producing their own. Now there are many more opportunities to exchange ideas with musicians abroad. When he chats with foreign friends, he has found that they have a lot in common and their motivation in creating music is the same - pure interest. However, at present there are only a few artists working in this area in China.

Audience response

Merel Van't Hullenaar, an art teacher from Holland, thought that the presentation was very interesting, both for the live performance by a Chinese artist and for the music itself.

"I am sure the music he played here is different from how it would be in Beijing. He didn't bring a finished work here, he came and played live. So the music may have changed somewhat because of the different atmosphere or some other element." She also mentioned that it was the first time she had attended a concert like this in Xiamen.



Video comparison project

The second part of the event was an exhibition of five video pieces. When asked about the purpose of the project, organizer Thora Johansen told us that they wanted to explore the differences between compositions produced by advertising agencies and works by visual artists. The production process involved three parts: visual artists, composers and advertising agencies. The guiding principle was that all three groups worked with a high degree of autonomy. Intriguingly, the compositions produced by the two groups were very similar. However, Thora points out that differences still exist. The videos filmed by the artists had no beginnings and endings, instead showing excerpts from their world. However, those made by the advertising agencies mostly had well defined beginning and end points.

It is a true pleasure to see this contribution to the ongoing debate around art, advertising and music. In a cross-disciplinary and high-level exhibition, the lines between these apparently separate spheres have been explored, blurred and redefined.

Thanksgiving and its origin



What many regard as America's first Thanksgiving took place in December 1621 as the religious separatist Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest. The day did not become a national holiday until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving. 2005 Thanksgiving Day falls on November 24.

●For many Americans, Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday because it typically includes family, friends, food, low stress, and realistic expectations. It's a time to relax and spend time with people who care about each other.

●Americans reach out to family and friends, and let others know they care, as they continue to reassess personal priorities and focus on what is important in daily life.

●An increasing number of companies send Thanksgiving cards to business clients and prospects as a way to thank them and to extend early holiday greetings not tied to specific religious or cultural observances.

●83 percent of Thanksgiving cards are mailed, the highest percentage for any season. Greeting cards providing wishes "across the miles," and "thinking of you" messages are strong sellers.

Celebration

●The holiday tends to include sharing a hearty meal of favorites - turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Home is the preferred place for Thanksgiving.

●Thanksgiving priorities are connecting with and staying close to family and friends. Recent Gallup research says people are most thankful for "family" and "health" at Thanksgiving.

●90 percent of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends, according to Gallup. Nearly 40 percent of Americans plan to have dinner at home, while 51 percent will visit others' homes for the Thanksgiving meal.

●Americans love Thanksgiving because it's about family gatherings, family traditions and a big meal - not about shopping and commercialization. Most find it less stressful than Christmas. Some say Thanksgiving is the only time during the year they take time out to recognize and give thanks for all they have, and to express their love and gratitude to family and friends.


Vocabulary
cutting edge 最前沿的
subtextual 潜台词的
post-contemporary 后现代的
bountiful 丰富的
proclaim 宣告
cranberry 越桔