Oct 11, 2010 | Society
During the State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002 former United States President George W. Bush first employed the term “Axis of Evil” in order to link together three nations he accused of aiding terrorism and seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction. The culprits, Iran, Iraq and North Korea, still bear that moniker in pop global culture and struggle to show a favorable side of their governments in international media. Rarely are chances given for these nations to present themselves in a better light on a world stage. The 2010 Shanghai World Expo is just such an opportunity and the three “Axis of Evil” pavilions are clearly planned to pitch an enticing and optimistic view of the countries in question. Luckily the largely domestic Chinese audience has a healthy appetite for spin and are greatly distracted by occasions to shop for exotic gifts at pavilion stores. Tens of millions of visitors now get an opportunity to see a new face of the “Axis of Evil” that was constructed on their own terms under the auspices of the Chinese government.
Sep 21, 2010 | Counterfeit Paradises, Society
The Water Cube on Beijing’s Olympic Green is easily one of the most enthralling aquatic centers on the planet. Its bubble-like exterior is almost as recognizable in China as the Mao portrait hanging above the Forbidden City. However, ever since Michael Phelps walked away with eight gold medals in 2008, the Beijing municipal government has struggled to make the complex a commercially viable venture and just recently placed all their hope in an incredibly ornate theme park. The “Happy Magic Water Cube, Beijing Water Cube Water Park,” now dominates the southern end of the structure and caters to an emerging urban elite who can afford the hefty entry price. The water park epitomizes the fantastical escapism so sought after by a burgeoning moneyed class in Beijing. Here one can slip into a state of reverie and forget about the smog-covered skies and endless traffic jams just outside the aqua-blue cellular membrane encasing the Happy Magic Water Park. It is the ultimate leisure playground in a country still coming to grips with profound social inequalities.
Sep 15, 2010 | Society
This weekend marked the inaugural Miss Laowai China Pageant in Beijing. All I can say is that it was one of the most absurd travesties ever put on stage. I arrived two hours early to shoot backstage and watched the production devolve into complete chaos over the next five hours. Robert Folye at the Shanghaiist gives an accurate blow by blow timeline for the entire evening, and, even though it sounds absurd in writing, I can guarantee you it was that much more ludicrous in person. The attached video shows some highlights of the talent competition which included incoherent rants about Africa, homages to diamonds, KTV duets, and shoes being kicked off into the audience – overall a spectacular evening. Nobody knew where to be on stage and the guys running tech were amateur at best. Even the bios of the different contestants were not completed beforehand.
The greatest tragedy however came with the Global Times article the next day. Although there isn’t a single instance of criticism, Robert Powers definitely could have used better word choice in the leading sentence of the last section:
“After 10 finalists are named, the six winners (Miss Congeniality, Miss Virtue, Miss Goodwill, Miss Charity, Miss Talent and Miss Laowai) are accidentally fingered by the host before the judges are given a chance to ratchet up the tension.“
I can’t wait to buy the DVD. Also, no matter what the production value, congratulations to all the contestants. They were all lovely ladies and deserve much better next year. Onwards and upwards with the arts!
Sep 10, 2010 | Society
Last week I finally got to meet the lovely Meimei, one of the most notorious cross-dressing performers making the rounds of Beijing’s small but burgeoning homosexual cabaret scene. She was first brought to my attention via an excellent piece produced by my friend Anna Sophie Loewenberg, star of the long-running online series Sexy Beijing. Meimei also runs a private cross-dressing and S&M parlor. Such an independent business venture is a very new phenomenon in China and symbolizes the growing acceptance of the widening spectrum of sexual diversity in the country. I will be focusing on Meimei in the coming months, so expect more work concerning her story.
Sep 6, 2010 | Society
I just returned from the Golden Beach Music Festival in Qingdao. The festival is very unique out of the many popping up all over China – it takes place right on a beach so that concertgoers can enjoy the sand beneath their feet and dive into the ocean to cool off. Although there were only a few thousand people on hand every day, everything was well organized and both the Subs and Demerit stole the weekend with excellent performances. However, I was most taken by the intrepid music fans and curious passersby who couldn’t afford the ticket price and instead climbed trees just outside the fencing to catch a glimpse of the stage. Thus spawned this symbiotic series of man and tree.
Aug 31, 2010 | Society, Youth
I recently put together a short video for the Activate! China program at the Dandelion School in Beijing. The Parsons The New School for Design and Dandelion School collaboration introduced Dandelion students to the basics of computer literacy and game design. The project led by Parsons faculty and MFA Design and Technology graduate students utilized Activate!, a game design curriculum designed by PETLab, a research group that investigates social issues through the use of games and interactive media.
The Dandelion School is the first and only registered Middle School in the Daxing District of Beijing serving children of poor migrant families. The school was founded in August 2005 by a passionate educator named Zheng Hong who, after obtaining a MA from Harvard University, came back to China on a mission to transform a dilapidated old factory into a viable school serving the underprivileged.
The project began with the creation of the “AMD and Parsons Technology Lab” at Dandelion. The computer lab is an advanced multimedia and technology hub for the students at Dandelion providing computer skill training and digital tools that are not commonly accessible to migrant communities. 30 brand new desktop computers were also donated by AMD Foundation for the lab. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer at the Dandelion School. Make sure to check out their website.