愛之懶人包memo

From Linda anuty 

Go deep

壞的時候更要忍

靜君老師：

我們流浪後見。

我們不要再流浪了。

Riot 1961 to 2014, inspired by Jean Dubuffet

お帰り，歡迎回來，等你很久了。

Stranger Than Fiction by Joan Fontcuberta 

at science museum

"...The works inflate truth to its bursting point, where the artist sets up a tug-of-war between our beliefs and scepticism.... it also compels us to suspend our belief and join him on his remarkable journeys into his fictional worlds." It is ironically funny that half way through the exhibition, I switched my point of view from 90% doubting into 50% believing in his humorous 'lies'. Perhaps I rather believe in unreasonable(?) wonders in the world than blocking all kinds of possibilities. After all what I do most of the time is to 'make believe'. In photography, seeing in never believing, that is the core message Joan wanted to convey. 

Recently, I have been thinking about how does 'mind' work, this is due to the influence of Eckhart Tolle, the author of Practicing the Power of Now. To understand his theory(again, not a very suitable choice of word), one must lift its mind off the control centre of the body and soul... because mind is a self-projected illusion, which does not represent your very own being. What one feels/ thinks/ sees does not always reflect ourselves truthfully, whether it is an in-bound communication among oneself or an out-bound one to the others. Especially under the illusion of 'time' that mind likes to play tricks, which causes one to constantly stuck in the past or future, but present. In other words, we lock ourselves into the prison and throw the key away. Perhaps what is stranger than fiction is when one is blessed to live in the moment but resist to do so. 

喜歡的影片，從主題，音樂，畫面到技法。
我不特別喜愛懷舊風格的作品，但是這段影片有一種經過細膩考慮的質樸科技感讓畫面和音樂搭配的恰到好處。

Desert Island Feeling by Mutual Benefit from Nathaniel Whitcomb on Vimeo.

Martin Creed at Hayward Gallery

The impressively playful room of balloons. As it turns out, Creed is obsessed with collecting things, creating pattern in things, oh yes, and mathematics lol.

容許不明白的空白是雲門式的堆疊，九歌以人為本，讓我再次有機會看見用力與美的純粹，展現對天地之間的慈悲為懷。
一氣呵成的堅強團隊在倫敦發光發熱，好引以為榮噢 - - - - - Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan at Sadler's Wells Theatre

Yes, David Bowie is here

How inspiring can a single person be? After all of his achievements since the 1970's, he is continuing on making world a better place. Not only is he a musicians, he is also a writer, an actor, a painter... he is truly an artist. He is so huge, yet he says 'you are all wonderful, give me your hands' in his concerts. I guess, what is great about David Bowie is that his work understands mankind, evokes response, and he understands these response too. He is such a big man with a big heart. Sometimes I wonder, what can textile do for this world apart from the practical reason... isn't it quite a romantic reason in itself already?

Lost in Lumière

Light Show at the Hayward gallery was magical. Did not realise that watching an exhibition could be purely about experiencing the matter of subject. Light has such an influence on human perception and emotion. The show is curated in a playful, creative and interactive way, it allows viewers to linger in the movement and atmosphere that each specific installation creates. 

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.

Review of Contemporary Art In Paris Vol.1

On every Thursday 16.00-19.00 I'm taking lesson around Paris. Literally- on the streets, and the galleries within the city. On the first day, we went to five galleries around Belleville, which is an area I have yet to discover. Frankly speaking, without Timothy's (course tutor) guide, I would not have found out these hidden places by myself. I am only going to record what I find interesting and memorable. 

The exhibition Villa Surprise by Charlotte Moth at Galerie Marcelle Alix. I was not impressed by the photography showed there, because I cannot read the message Moth was trying to deliver through the image, besides, aesthetically, I think they can be done by an average photographer.  I am interested in the short films Study for a 16mm film, and Unexpected Lights and Colours (a Sculpture Made to be Filmed). In these two short films, I again, have absolutely no idea what Moth is trying to convey. But it was a very pure way of showing unexpected images without any distraction, such as the sound of a projector, narrative, or background music. I like the way she uses light so subtly that it flows with the simple movements in the shot. 

We were lucky enough to have Patrice Joly- one of the curators of the exhibition Circumrévolutions at the Carré de Baudoin to explain his perspective. He wanted to present the concept of the infinity of political and physical revolution throughout past and present. Various artists come to realised this concept through wall of posters, installations, short films, or graphic images. There is an on-going project, called Jardin révolutionnaire avec moins de couleurs et plus de fleurs, 2010, by Alexandre Périgot. How it interacts with the present is that whenever there is a revolution in the world, the artist would take out one of his flowers from the vase, and add a new carpet instead. (this is how I understood from Patrice, but it seems to be contradicting with the title of the work...) I actually have doubts in this art work. I think the idea makes sense, but there are simply too many holes in the art work that does not make it as profound as it could be. Side notes: Mai 1968 en France- it began as a long series of student strikes then evolved into the first wildcat general strike in France ever. It brought the economy of an advanced industrial country to a virtual standstill. Without it, France will never be the same France we see today.

Lastly, SHANAYNAY PARIS is a small art space which is very artsy and open to public. Artsy in a way that each work has significance behind it, but it's a confusing at the same time. Open in a way that I even checked out a book from the library without leaving my contacts. I guess, we all have hopes that world is better place than we imagined.  Besides the art work in the galleries, I often pay attention to the funny things on the street; whether they are obvious or not. Those are the moments that made you smile, and believe that art is everywhere. 

Arts X Crafts X Designs

There are so many museums in Paris. Besides the well-know ones such as Musée du Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Musée de l'Orangeri, Centre Georges Pompidou...etc. There are lots to discover. I have been visiting museums regularly, but I am far behind on the reflection updates. Anyways, one at a time- Musée des Arts et Métiers, aka Museum of Arts and Crafts.

Ever since The Age of Discovery, and The Industrial revolution. The Western Europe has been considered as the one of the most developed culture in the modern age. The museum of Arts and Crafts is the place to house those inventions throughout the historical movements. I can still recall when I was a teenager, studying world history in Taiwan. I learnt all about those eras through text books, but now I  can see the document and collection display in front of me is very thrilling. The experience gave my chills. 
Without knowing history, it's almost impossible to become a true innovator. So many great things have been created, what is there for us to imagine of? Design is a relatively new concept since modernity. Designers' job is to create object that goes along humanity, or sometimes help people to become a better version of themselves. This is what I believe in.

Immersion Culturelle

Last week was the intensive week about French culture and the language. It's the perfect class for all the exchange students and the international students at ENSCI. It consists 13 of us- just the right amount. The topics covered in class are very diverse; most importantly, it's all in French. Sometimes I'm at the top of my learning curve; yet sometimes I'm not even in the loop. Overall, I finally am making some progress. Besides, it's great to know more about the country I'm living in- Paris is amazing!!! But by the end of the week, I'm simply relieved that I can have some peace of mind.

This image is from my journal a while ago, I think it totally tells my story here in Paris.

- What is it? May I have it?

- It depends. My dear.

/

- Qu'est que c'est? Je peux l'avoir? 

- ça dépend. Ma chérie.

Shocking paintings at the Centre Pompidou

 MATTA (Roberto Antonio Sebastián MATTA ECHAURREN, dit) L'étang de No,1958

MATTA (Roberto Antonio Sebastián MATTA ECHAURREN, dit) Etre en situation,1957

Bling Bling For Real

Biennale Des Antiquaires Paris 2012, Grand Palais.

It cannot get more glamorous! All the top luxury brands in the world come to showcase their most exquisite jewellery, furniture, artefact, and antique collection. I'm just very glad that I'm in Paris to see them for myself.