Life in Paris

Try out new places; be the local tour guide; hang out with friends; do work. Life in Paris is not that different than life in London. 

They are both repetitive but never the same. 

I hope that tomorrow will not be the end of the world. 

A Perfect Night

I just gave my presentation (review of contemporary art in paris) an hour ago, and my heart is still pounding hard from the excitement. I cannot ask for a better ending. I have learnt so much from this class- I see many different contemporary artists' work; what they are concern with;  what message do they want to get across; what medium they chose to express their opinion; how different material works... etc. But, most importantly, I see how people perceive art individually, and how one's word can affect another's point of view. I am used to going to exhibition by myself or with a couple of friends, but I have never gone with  12 artist and designers. Therefore, I enjoy every discussion we had after the visit. I am always inspired by it.
In my opinion, art is about caring- whether it's about an issue, a society, or someone. My way of caring for this class and the classmates are through the postcards I made (in the previous post). They are made of shared moments, then translated into visual pleasure as well as intimate dialogue with one another. Tonight, the postcards took us on a journey of memory, when things match perfectly from beginning to the end. I am really thrilled that people appreciated my work and responded well to it! You guys are wroth all the hard work. 

 All work done by liiah

Designs of postcards

I'm quite excited about what I have done with the materials I gathered throughout the sessions. This Thursday will  be the presentation- I'll then transform these images into postcards for Timothy and the group, as a way of responding the class and the art work we have seen. Each image carries a fragment of memory the group shares together, or my personal reflection upon a specific exhibition or space. 

All work photographed and done by liiah

Holiday Season

Knitting my ass off

Practicing is a long and painful path with no ending. 

In order to get to where I want to be, this is necessary and very important. 

I may not have done the loudest or most creative work in Paris. 

But it has  all been solid and rewarding. 

What's more important is how I evolve from here.

About Art And Response

Gathering 

inspiration and material 

for 

the presentation 

of 

review of contemporary art in Paris.

Image by liiah

A tune to burn me through 2012

Distant Away

 Can't believe that there are only X more weeks before I leave Paris. The fact did not kick into me until I received letters from Caryn (course director at Chelsea) telling all the exchange students about what we need to prepare before we start school in January 2013(!) Even though I miss London, I can't help but feeling sad that I have to say good-bye to the city while I'm just starting to get the hang on the groove here ( I can finally fight with people in French, sort of.)

I saw the photos of the Home And Away exhibition the kids put on back in Chelsea the other day, and I have to admit that I am really really impress by how well the work looks! I know that I might be in a bigger shock when spring term begins.  But till then, I'm gonna work real hard and play even harder!

Distance by liiah

Bon week-end en Normandie

Thanks to Pierre and Olga, I get to have a taste of north of France- Normandy. In a 2-day trip, we went to Mont St. Michel, Caen, and Honfleur. Mont St.Michel is definitely my favourite spot. Even though the wind was killing us, but it was wroth the pain. I much rather walk there than to take a bus to fly through the journey. Eventually I did not have the chance to go into the église abbatiale, which is the highlight of the place, cause they cancel the night tour... Anyway, I guess that will be a good reason for me to come back again.

 Half-timbered house in Honfleur. 

The typical tradition Normandy architecture, where it finds its root in the Celtic farms.

 The three lion is the symbol of Normandy

Review of Contemporary Art in Paris Vol.2

Le Grand Restaurant by Michel Blazy at Le Plateau is definitely one the the exhibitions I will never forget. Because it involves not only visual impact, but also the physical impact. Every art work in the space come from objects of everyday life (things you find in the restaurant), which also have the potential of mutation and deterioration, in other words- the art pieces are always in continual change.  I think the concept and the execution of the collection is quite solid; even though some of the work physically disturbs me, but I believe that is artist's intention to allow the audience to observe the abnormal experience in a restaurant. Besides the intense odour, I like the outcome of how time do its work on matter. 

Another art work I find it powerful is from Les Nouveaux Collectionneurs- un choix d'œuvres du Fonds départemental des Bouches-du-Rhône.  (A body of work chosen from students) I am particularly touched by Les agents oranges (4 éléments de la série) by Valère Costes, 2010. The herbs and the photos are taken from countryside in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military used to spray Agent Orange over Vietnamese forest and rural land to defoliate the soil and to destroy the ability of peasants to support themselves in the countryside, and forcing them to flee to the U.S. dominated cities. This programme resulted in millions of death, birth defects, and health problems. Even in 2008,  Agent Orange sill leaves its scare on the land. There are things that can be forgiven but can never be forgotten. War is one of them.