May 18, 2012
friday love note!
From the spectacular Yoko Ono.
Enjoy!
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5/18/12 love note // words of yoko ono // juliekesti.com
May 17, 2012
mats’ series of eight
Mats is an acupuncturist and all-around-interesting-person-and-B52s-super-fan back in Minneapolis. When I first arrived in Shanghai, he asked me to do a series of drawings for the hallway at his clinic. We settled on eight drawings, since eight is so lucky here. I finally finished them at the end of April and sent them on their way!
Commissions are unique projects. I must consider the needs of the person who commissioned the work, their space, their style, while still createing in my usual spontaneous style, allowing a work of art to grow into itself. In this case, I chose a style similar to my home-for-rocks drawings I did a few years ago, one of which Mats owns. The process involved lots of collage and also chopping-up of collage. I wanted to capture the experience of my early days here, my understanding of the spirit of Shanghai, and include ideas related to Chinese Medicine, since that is the environment in which the drawings will live. You can read more about my process below. Some scenes should be familiar to you, if you’ve been following the blog.
I think it will be interesting to see, months down the road, how my impressions of the city will have changed. Thanks Mats for this intriguing challenge. Let me know if you have a favorite! And check out Mats’ website to read about his skills.
Enjoy!
This series reflects Mats’ profession, our shared interest in Chinese Medicine, and the business of me finding my way during my first two months living in Shanghai.
It is series containing abstract images, bright colors, images of Shanghai and Chinese traditional medicine. The series reflects my feeling of Shanghai as a puzzle for me to solve–an endless puzzle, with not only many pieces, but also many layers.
I often incorporate stitching into my drawings. It’s an attempt to mar and re-shape a drawing, which shows its interaction with human hands, and makes it less precious. In this series it also references the use of the acupuncture needle. With a needle an acupuncturist may stimulate a point to bring energy to it, or he may break up tension with friction in guasha or tui na, or he may use an herbal formula to alter the structure of tissues or fluids–breaking down and building up the energetic and physical to create the harmony called health. It also occurs to me that as I go in and out of the subway system, I am like a needle traveling up and down through the surface of this city, trying to keep the thread going.
The images in this series layer and mix together in a way similar to how we create our health through a mix of foods, habits and environments. The imagery blends the curving and asymmetrical edges of the organic with the structural lines of the man made. The skyscraping efforts of modern architecture are juxtaposed with ancient foods and medical practices, the tomb of an old scientist from the 1500s, and the old past time of playing games in public places.
Let's Go to the Park by Julie Kesti 2012
Let’s Go to the Park 7.5 x 11 inches
This image is from Xu Guangqi park, my favorite park in Shanghai, just a few blocks from my apartment. The park is in memory and honor of Xu Guangqi, a famous agricultural scientist (and Catholic!) who the area is named for (Xujiahui). His 450th birthday just passed, and he will be beatified as a saint in early May of 2012. There are always people playing cards or chess by the mound of his tomb, pictured in yellow. At Qingming people brought flowers with streamers to display in front of it.
Discovering the Territory by Julie Kesti 2012
Discovering the Territory 8.5 x 9 inches
This piece is more abstract and represents the weather (rain and wind) and general feeling I had in my first weeks of wandering around Shanghai. Gradually the rain brought flowers, and if I wandered long enough I was able to find patches of greenery tucked within the buildings and busy roads. On the edges are metro ticket slips, receipts, and my cell phone activation, all early activities that helped me start to locate myself within Shanghai.
The Pharmacy by Julie Kesti 2012
The Pharmacy 9 x 10.5 inches
This is a Chinese herbal pharmacy. I’ve seen a few while here. Usually in a grand setting, there are rows and rows of red drawers holding different natural elements–plants or animals dried and waiting for use in prescriptions. On the counter in front is a paper onto which the herbs are carefully measured using the hand scale. They are then wrapped into a bundle so the patient can take it home and make a tea. The way I have painted it, I also hinted at the prescription floating on water, as if is coming to you across the waters of time, which it is.
Greetings from Shanghai by Julie Kesti 2012
Greetings from Shanghai 6.5 x 10 inches
This was the first piece completed in the series, reflecting the layers and climbing towers seen of Pudong from the Bund side of the Huangpu River. Looking across you see the futuristic landscape, and if you turn to look behind you, you see the old European buildings leftover from colonial empires. One of the things that makes Shanghai so complicated and overwhelming is trying to identify what’s old and what’s new and make sense of it. It feels like jumping around on a timeline.
Harnessing Energy by Julie Kesti 2012
Harnessing Energy 8.5 x 9 inches
This piece is about the ways in which traditional medicine attempts to harness energy–guiding it, controlling it, building it, or keeping it in check. The method may be food or moxa or herbs or needles or acupressure or lifestyle. Again there is a lot of layering in this image. What is Chinese medicine? What is TCM? What are the “true” texts, methods, and teachings–these are the questions being asked of students of Chinese medicine in China today.
The Medicine Gourd by Julie Kesti 2012
The Medicine Gourd 9 x 10 inches
The only one of these I have seen here so far was in the form of a ceramic vase in the window of a furniture store. I first learned of these vessels at an exhibit at the Walker Art Center, oddly enough. These gourds were hollowed out and used as receptacles for carrying herbal medicines, by doctors who travelled in rural areas. To me they are a powerful image of a fertile hope for healing and the power of the medicines, protected within a natural form.
Moxabustion by Julie Kesti 2012
Moxabustion 7.5 x 10.5 inches
This is another image about harnessing the power of nature–in the form of the herb artemesia, used in moxabustion. The diagrams are pulled from a moxa how-to book I found at a chain grocery store. The girl using the moxa on herself is taken out of the book and placed as if she is in nature, harnessing it’s power to create harmony in her own microcosm.
Deciphering Shanghai by Julie Kesti 2012
Deciphering Shanghai 8.5 x 9 inches
In this piece I again refer to the mysterious feeling of this city. The sleuth image is actually a movie poster–Shanghai has many modern amenities, like 3D movie theaters with VIP lounges. Also pictured is an economical food tray a local might enjoy, a zebra and many patterns and colors. I have not seen a live zebra here, not yet, but there are constantly larger-than-life, back-lit images of luxury brands and glamorous models in exotic locations, beaming into your eyes and hoping for your pocketbook, by day and by night. Strange city, nothing should surprise you, after awhile, but again and again it does.
TEDx Shanghai so far
I returned to the “bottle opener” building yesterday for the first day of volunteering for TEDx Shanghai. The event was the rehearsal for today’s TED Global Talent Search for “The Young, The Wise, The Undiscovered.” We volunteers provided moral support to the speakers, acting as a fake audience, nodding along and applauding at the end. They only get 3-6 minutes, so the pressure is ON.
Today will be the real auditions, with a real audience. I can’t wait to tell you more about it. In the meantime, here are some links to a few projects or people I learned about yesterday.
Enjoy!
> Lei Lei/Ray: super-animated animator from Beijing–watch some of his vimeo clips, they are beautiful! and funny.
> The Poverty Line Project: a photographic exploration of what food people eat, if living at the poverty line, in various places around the world.
> 1Kg Box: a project to bring science and art projects to rural schools, and to foster creativity through social media sharing of the projects.
> and yes, there were puppets! (because I hardly go anywhere without encountering puppets) An 82-year-old, third generation puppeteer from Taiwan flew in and demonstrated his skills!
what ideas will be shared in the bottle opener today?
May 14, 2012
keeping me company
One of the benefits of making art is being able to listen to podcasts while I work. I can’t listen to them when I’m writing, but when I’m making things there is often a good synergy that occurs and helps me make new connections, or at least be inspired by the lives I hear about. It also fills my daily MPR/NPR requirements from across the seas.
Here are some of my favorites:
old stand-bys:
> Fresh Air Terry Gross is my hero
> Sound Opinions — music show out of Chicago
> New Yorker Fiction Podcast an author reads one of their favorite author’s short stories and sticks around to discuss
> This American Life you must know about TAL, right?
recent discoveries:
> Here’s the Thing Alec Baldwin’s new podcast–chats w varied famous people. I recommend the Kristin Wiig interview. (I may have listened to it more than once.)
> Harvard Press Podcast interviews with the latest people they’ve published. I enjoyed the one on 4/16.
> Writer’s Almanac a dose of Keillor for you–I used to hear this all the time when I lived in Fairbanks and was delighted to rediscover it–little bits of poems and writer biographies
> The Conversation — this is actually a new TV show, but I watch it online when the internet is feeling strong. I encourage you to take a look. It’s filled with honest conversations about women’s lives–guest so far have included Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Gaga, Jane Fonda, and Sarah Silverman. It features famous women, but talking about struggles many women experience related to work, family, bodies, etc. I read about it on Welcome to Ladyville.
Let me know if you check any of these out. Enjoy!
P.S. What are your favorite podcasts?
- partial view from my desk
May 11, 2012
friday love note!
The world lost a wonderfully inspiring person this week–Maurice Sendak. If you haven’t listened to his Fresh Air interviews before, you must, must, must make a point of listening. You might want some kleenex handy. It’s one of the most moving things I’ve ever heard.
P.S. Get hand-written notes in your real-life mailbox, by subscribing to the Monthly Multiple!
5/10/2012 love note / Maurice Sendak on Terry Gross / juliekesti.com
May 9, 2012
beasties/bikes/rubble/pagoda
Sunday we slept in (ahhh…) and then went to the most magical place in the world, Maan Coffee Waffle and Toast. It’s in a mostly Korean neighborhood near the jimjilbang. It has two floors and large trees installed inside, and you can sit for a long time enjoying R&B music and coffee and reading a book. But I’ve told you all this before.
After that we took the train back to Yishan Road station and hopped on our bikes. We had a loose plan to make our way to the temple, where I planned to burn some incense in memory of MCA (Adam Yauch) who left the world on Friday. He’s Buddhist, and I really love the temple, so it seemed like it would be nice to mark his departure, and celebrate his gifts to the world. We listened to the Beastie Boys and read about Adam/MCA throughout the weekend.
Music is an anchor to time and place, but also a thread that provides continuity through one’s lifetime. I clearly remember first hearing the Beastie Boys when I was probably 7 or 8, and my brother Greg and his friends would take a boombox onto the driveway while they played b-ball. When I listen to Nonstop Disco Powerpack and Make Some Noise I can feel last summer like it was yesterday. I played that album nonstop as I drove around town and prepared to move out of our house, which was a stressful time, but with the music on I felt super alive, not stressed at all, so content to be alive and moving through the world.
I’ve been reflecting on the impulse to do something to honor and commemorate MCA. I am not the the biggest BB fan in the world, but his death still hits the heart in a singular way. There is the feeling of loss of a sentient being with positive cultural influence, the loss of someone young who leaves a family behind, the loss 1/3 of a musical force that pushes edges and brings together ideas and people across boundaries. I think there is also some narcissism in how this loss hits my heart–someone who shaped my pop culture world has left the scene. In addition to losing a person–which is terribly sad–there is a change in the expression of creativity, life, art, fun, that made the world I know.
So we were on our bikes and Sean had an idea of the general direction we should head, and so, of course, he led us in a slightly different direction. The route took us on a detour over a little bridge and soon we were in the giant field/wasteland/something I can see from our bedroom window. The field has been a mystery to me–how can there be that much empty space just sitting there in Shanghai? From the 30th floor it appears to be dirt and emptiness–though it’s been greening up a little as Spring moves along. However, when I saw it at ground-level, I realized it is another rubble field like the one we walked through on Saturday, but much bigger. We biked along a path until it dead-ended. I wonder how long it will remain a rubble field before construction starts. I don’t know yet of whether there is a typical span of time between tear-down and new construction, or whether tear-down always means that new construction is ready to start.
We biked on and took a wide arc to the temple, seeing garden parks and high rises we’d never seen before. The weather was warm (30 degrees) and sunny and it was a great day for biking–the smell of fragrant flowers out-stunk the less pleasant smells that tend to linger, and it wasn’t very windy.
When we finally got to the temple, it was closed. The gate was actually wide open, but a security officer inside turned us away. Hmph. The incense burning cement vase thing (to use the technical term) was a mere 50 yards away. . . We walked out to see if we could get incense from one of the nearby shops and hatch a new plan. The incense/firecracker/plastic lotus lamp shop featured a jovial old man at its entrance, who joked with Sean about the price of incense. We got 5 kuai worth of incense and they threw in a box of matches.
We tried the security guard again. Sean said, “Someone we know just died, could we burn incense for him?” “Oh,” they said, “you only do that in the morning.” Sean interpreted this for me, and I said, “Really? Ask them why.” as I always suggest Sean should ask. Sean consented. I thought maybe there was a Buddhist thing about not doing rituals for those who have died in the evening, like how in Thailand they ran away right after a funeral, so as not to entice the spirit to stay. However, this was not the case. “Because in the morning the booth is open and you can buy a ticket” was the reply. Aha.
So…plan B. We lit the incense by the decorative rocks near the old pagoda which sits outside the temple, one for each of us. I suggested we circle the pagoda until the sticks burned down, and we did. We talked about the point in our childhoods when we “met” the Beastie Boys, and how they grew up in the public sphere, some of the bizarre things they’ve done, and the good things MCA gave to us and our world in the living his life. We circled and circled. Occasionally a speed-circumambulator lapped us. At one point two women took a bra out of a bag, at one corner of the pagoda route, and seemed to be discussing its construction, or perhaps one was selling it to the other. Colorful flags flapped between us and the main part of the temple, the sun dusked, and the supermoon, or maybe the-day-after-supermoon rose. We got on our bikes and rode home.
My Name Is M.C.A.
I’ve Been Coming To Where I Am From The Get Go
Find That I Can Groove With The Beat When I Let Go
So Put Your Worries On Hold
Get Up And Groove With The Rhythm In Your Soul
And Now I’d Like To Pass The Mic. . .
(Thanks to my friend Cate for posting the lyrics on facebook).
Photos of the day below–enjoy.
May 8, 2012
graffiti sgraffiti scratchings leftovers
We returned to the M50 arts area last weekend and it did not disappoint. We almost didn’t make it to the main area of galleries, wandering slowly, checking out the changes to the graffiti wall, including watching a few boys working on new pieces.
Incidentally, I was doing a little research on graffiti and found this blurb on Wikipedia–don’t know that it was really the FIRST graffiti in all of China, but perhaps the record is true–sure sounds like him:
In China, graffiti began with Mao Zedong in the 1920s who used revolutionary slogans and paintings in public places to galvanise the country’s communist revolution. Mao holds the record for the longest piece of graffiti, which contains 4000 characters criticizing his teachers and the state of Chinese society.
As we came to the end of the graffiti on the road in, there was a gap in the wall and we looked in to find a whole lot of rubble. It appears that some houses (shikumen) were torn down–you see areas like this often in Shanghai, but I’d never walked right into one before. A hollow shell of a house remains (you’ll see it pictured) on the left side of the lot. There was a fair amount of writing on the walls of this dwelling, and in the former main room someone had hung some large photographs of living room scenes–couches and chairs.
On the right side of the lot there was another “leftover” house, which I assumed was also empty. When we got closer, I noticed a tarped-off pile of furniture and some suitcases along the side of the house. “Someone must be coming back for those,” I thought. However, when we came around the front of the house, it was clear someone is still living there. There were a couple chairs, and a picnic table umbrella with a washing machine under it. I have no idea how that works–why is one house left standing? Or are they just on borrowed time? We didn’t see any people near the house.
Surrounding those two remaining houses was all the rubble. Bits of concrete from the walls that used to be there, but also heads of garlic, make-up compacts, combs, shoes–as if the remains of a community of people were put in a blender. So strange and eerie. There were a few chickens strutting around, and some cages for them (presumably they belong to the one remaining household) and on one end of the yard there was a larger pile of trash that, by the time we left, a woman was sorting through. She didn’t pay much attention to us.
After checking that out for awhile we finally strolled to the main gallery area. If you recall, the last time we were there it was dark and most of the galleries were closed. (Oops.) During the daytime the complex was no less impressive. The industrial spaces are really interesting and there are so many galleries and studios! I need to go back there soon. One of the favorite studios we visited was a man who makes giant abacuses, and the beads are ceramic versions of his head. He quoted some old saying that was like, people make their calculations but God has the bigger plan. I am butchering that, but you get the idea. He didn’t allow photographs, but I’ll link to his website when I figure out where I put his business card. It’s around here somewhere. . .(Aha! here it is. Pianzi.)
Lots and lots of pics below. Enjoy!
Apr 27, 2012
friday love note!
Here is your love note for another wonderful Friday! This one also quotes a post from a Monday–but that’s just a coincidence. Enjoy!
4/27/12 love note // MUJI pattern quote / juliekesti.com
Apr 26, 2012
sunday ghost market
On Sundays there is a Ghost Market in the Old Town part of town. It’s in the guidebooks, and they say arrive early and see people from surrounding lay out blankets on the top floor of a white building and sell their wares.
We finally went last Sunday — it was packed and overwhelming and filled, just as the books say, with trinkets, and shards of pottery and beads and statues and so on. We had a small window of time, just under an hour, which was probably a good limit to the image overload. One nice thing about living here is we know we can go back, it makes things seem less urgent.
Our time limit that day was determined by needing to get to an awesome artist salon at colorbox. We heard readings by Tim Tomlinson from New York (who taught the workshop I took back in March), Katrina Hamlin from Hong Kong, and the visual artist Monika Lin, who lives here in Shanghai and runs colorbox arts. It was inspiring and fun to find connections between the three bodies of work, which included stories of drinking in New Orleans, a Chinese grandmother getting an iPhone, and Shanghai take-out containers. . .
Here are some photos of the market. I left with a handful of old photographs and postcards, after some entertaining haggling between Sean and a feisty five-foot tall, 50-something lady. A few lucky artifact subscribers will be getting Ghost Market Treasures in their mail box this month!
up up up the stairs to the ghost market
i want the flower to the right of sean's hand-which it turns out might be an opium pipe! but could easily be a bud vase with some strategically-placed silly putty.
woah!
more woah!
Apr 24, 2012
vegetable roulette
Our friends from Minneapolis, Michelle and Chris, passed through Shanghai twice in the last month, on a China adventure. Michelle is a yoga teacher and yoga therapist, and Chris is a nutrition and fitness training pro. They are both into tea and Taoism. The two T’s were the main focus for their trip–but they’ve been dreaming of a trip to China together since they first fell in love as teenagers. It was fun and bizarre to see familiar faces from home, and especially wonderful to see them making their dream come true.
I had dinner with them on their second pass through town and enjoyed hearing how they managed things as they traveled. Chris worked with a Mandarin tutor before the trip, so he had a good basic vocabulary, and they also came up with some great strategies. I took mental notes, and I share them with you below. A variety of techniques were employed in the ordering of our meal. The three of us, three restaurant staff, and two onlookers pitched in. Luckily, we got what we thought we ordered, and it was delicious!
See Michelle’s awesome photos from their trip on her website. They may return to China in December–I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn from them then. :)
CHRIS AND MICHELLE’S CHINA TRAVEL STRATEGIES:
> Carry a code book. Chris had a small notebook with some of his key Chinese phrases–things like train station, bathroom, and some basic characters. This is something I’ve thought about doing but haven’t put it together yet. I noticed it boosted his confidence with the language, as he could double-check the sounds and tones if the listener didn’t seem to be getting it.
> Check the population density. When you are wandering around hungry, and you can’t figure out where to eat, choose a place that is full, but not too-crowded. Too crowded, and you may never get the items you ordered, or see your waitress again, and it’s harder to remedy these scenarios without language. Too empty, of course, means that it’s probably not that good, and you may suffer later.
> Never, ever, ever set your backpack on the ground. See this post for some reasons why. Poor Chris learned this the hard way.
> Play roulette! They told me of two versions of this game, vegetable roulette, and bubble tea roulette. The code book comes in handy for the vegetable version. If the menu is all in Chinese, you refer to the code book–find the character for “vegetable”. Then, find that character on the menu. (If there is no vegetable section, this will not work.) Then close your eyes and point! Show the server and cross your fingers. The same thing works at the bubble tea stand–you just point and choose. As Michelle noted, if it’s a losing game, you’re only out a few yuan. Spin to win!
> When in doubt pantomime. Michelle thought if someone had been following them with a camera, she’d probably have some hilarious pictures of herself trying to act out things like tapioca pearls! Easier said than done.
> ALWAYS, always, always bring your sense of humor!