Chinese Arts Centre

Scholar’s Rock Project

Published by info on March 11, 2010 in General News and Opportunity.

Wang Jun
Scholar’s Rock Project
15-22 April 2010

As the leader of the People’s Republic of China, Deng Xiaoping stated that ‘To cross a shallow river, one must follow the rocks under the water’. Wang Jun sympathises with this sentiment, believing that living life and creating art are a continuous process like the flow of a river.

Having recently arrived in Manchester, Wang Jun will assemble a series of ‘rocks’ so that he can navigate this river and commence the process of making work. The first part of this process is to understand the culture of Manchester and he has been systematically collecting flyers from around the city. These flyers give Wang Jun an insight into the tastes, aspirations and culture of the city and through these, he hopes to gain an understanding of Manchester which will resonate through the work he will make during his residency.

Wang Jun aims to construct a work of permanence from the flyers which are temporal by nature. Cutting these into tiny pieces he will create a Scholar’s rock – a naturally occurring rock on which scholar’s traditionally sit and contemplate. Embodying the City’s culture, the rock will form a point of contemplation from which Wang Jun would like to invite artists to seek inspiration.

He hopes artists will make a work based upon the myths and legends, proverbs and games synonymous with rocks or stones. Artists will be invited to interpret this in their own unique way, and the works will be exhibited with his work in Open Studio at the close of his residency from 15-22 April.

If you are interested in this project, please contact us at info@chinese-arts-centre.org.

In Memory of Pamela So (1953-2010)

Published by info on March 11, 2010 in General News.

On Wednesday 17th February 2010, Pamela So died peacefully at her home in Ayrshire, Scotland. Our deepest condolences go to her husband Jim and her son and Daughter, David and Yunming.

Pamela will be sadly missed by the artistic community, both by the galleries with whom she had exhibited over her successful career and the artists she has shown alongside. Her work in developing engaging projects for both adults and children will also leave a significant void.

Pamela was born of Chinese parents in Glasgow in the 1950s. Her parents had sailed from Hong Kong to Glasgow in 1935 where her father studied medicine. In 1953, the year of her birth, they were one of three Chinese families in Glasgow. Pamela assimilated herself into Scottish culture, but always retained elements of her Chinese heritage. The influence of this dual cultural heritage became a prominent theme within her practice over the years, from investigations into her family history to later works that discussed the effects of colonialism on national identity. Particular bodies of work such as Love is a Many Splendoured Thing – a series of photographs of androgynous dolls recreating intimate relationships that discuss the breakdown of Chinese families as they assimilate themselves into Western Culture, or The Collector’s Garde’, inspired by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper in which Pamela created, from numerous cut out flowers, a meandering installation of blue petals that weaved intricate patterns across the walls of art galleries, highlight the diversity of Pamela’s practice as she shifted comfortably between photography, video, sculpture and installation. The latter being her most well known series after its inclusion in the touring exhibition Paper Cuts.

Chinese Arts Centre’s relationship with Pamela commenced in 2000, when we presented her first solo exhibition, Past Perfect, Present Tense. Since then we have worked with Pamela on numerous occasions, including a Breathe Residency in 2005 and the group exhibition Boutique. As well as being a good friend to Chinese Arts Centre she supported and nurtured the talent of emerging Chinese Artists in Scotland and through Pamela we were introduced to the work of a number of artists. Her commitment, professionalism and good humour will be missed by us all.

Pamela will be sadly missed however, her role as one of the pioneering artists of Chinese descent and her work will leave a lasting legacy and will continue to inspire future generations of artists.

Chinese New Year 2010 – Year of Tiger

Published by info on February 4, 2010 in Events, General News and forthcoming.

Saturday 13th February 2010

Enjoy our Chinese New Year celebrations at Chinese Arts Centre providing festive activities from 12pm including:
Chinese Tea Tasting
Chinese Calligraphy and Origami with Mary Tang
Live Chinese Music

Yellow Academy 2010

Published by info on February 3, 2010 in Events, General News and forthcoming.

Yellow Academy 2010 is an exciting new initiative between Yellow Earth (UK’s leading East Asian* theatre company) and ALRA (The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts). Outreaching to Belfast, Birmingham, London, and Manchester through February to May 2010, we will be bringing together a group of enthusiastic and curious young people down to London for a free week of acting training in Summer 2010.

Activities are free and open to all British East Asians aged 16-30 curious or interested in actor training. No previous experience necessary.

Round One – Taster Talks
In early 2010, Yellow Earth’s co-Artistic Director Jonathan Man and ALRA’s co-Director Clive Duncan will visit Belfast, Birmingham, London, and Manchester, to reveal secrets on how to get into the industry and provide a taste of what it really takes to be a successful professional actor. They will also introduce the work of both organisations.

Round Two – Audition Workshops
In Spring 2010, we return to Round One cities and offer a practical ‘taste’ of actor training through interactive workshops. Selected participants will be invited to the Acting Summer Camp.

Round Three – Acting Summer Camp
In Summer 2010, the successful participants will go to London to take part in an intensive week’s training. Free tuition and accommodation will be provided. Participants will work in classes with professional practitioners from Yellow Earth and ALRA, covering Movement, Voice, Acting and Mask.

Manchester
Taster Talk
Date & Time: Sat 20 Feb 2010, at 2pm
Venue: Chinese Arts Centre
Market Buildings, Thomas Street, Manchester M4 1EU

Audition Workshop
Date & Time: Sat 17 April 2010, 2-6pm
Venue: Contact Theatre
Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6JA
map

To sign up please send an email to info@alra.co.uk stating your name, age and contact details.
To find out more, visit www.yellowearth.org / www.alra.co.uk or phone 0208 870 6475.
You can find us on Facebook at ‘Yellow Academy’.

Chinese Film Forum UK Launch Symposium

Published by info on February 2, 2010 in Events, General News and forthcoming.

Date: Thursday, 4 February 2010
Venue: Jasmine Suite, Chinese Arts Centre

CFFUK The Chinese Film Forum UK is a network based in Manchester that exists for the research and promotion of transnational Chinese film. The network includes Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Salford, The University of Manchester, Confucius Institute, Chinese Arts Centre and Cornerhouse.

Schedule:
1:30 – 2:00 Registration
2:00 – 2:30 Welcome and introduction

2:30 – 4:00 Panel papers
Chair: Felicia Chan, University of Manchester

Visible Secrets: a model for collaboration?
Andy Willis, University of Salford

The Japanese Connection to Taiwan Cinema
Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley, University of Leeds

The Melbourne Controversy
Robert Hamilton, Manchester Metropolitan University

Six Chinese Cinemas in Search of a Historiography
Song Hwee Lim, University of Exeter

4:00 – 4:30 Q&A roundtable

Moderator: Felicity Colman, Manchester Metropolitan University

4:30 – 5:30 Dim sum reception
Sponsored by Sweet Mandarin

Attendance to the symposium is free but please note that places are limited.
RSVP r.hamilton@mmu.ac.uk for a reservation.

Symposium participants will also receive a complimentary ticket to the Chinese Film Forum UK launch screening at Cornerhouse. Tickets will be allocated on the day of the symposium.

Alternatively, tickets for the film may be purchased through Cornerhouse Box Office 0161 200 1500 or online www.cornerhouse.org

6:30 Film screening
Cornerhouse, 70 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 5NH

If You Are The One/Fei Cheng Wu Rao (CTBA)
Dir Feng Xiaogang/CN 2008/130 mins/Mandarin wEngST
Ge You, Shu Qi, Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Vivian Hsu, Fan Wei

Middle-aged multimillionaire inventor Qin decides to put an end to his bachelor life with online dating. Following some failed matches he eventually meets the heartbroken Smiley. They decide to take a trip to Hokkaido and soon find themselves falling for one another. A smart and entertaining romantic comedy from leading Chinese director Feng Xiaogang.

Sponsored by:
Chinese Arts Centre
Confucius Institute, University of Manchester
Research Institute of Cosmopolitan Cultures (RICC), University of Manchester
Sweet Mandarin Restaurant

Li Yuan-Chia on Radio 4

Published by info on December 12, 2009 in Events.

Broadcast @ 11.30am, 22nd December 2009

Listen out for a programme on the artist Li Yuan-Chia on Radio 4, First broadcast on 22 Dec, 11:30am presented by our Chief Executive Sally Lai and now available through BBC iplayer.

Daniel Staincliffe & Sarah Sanders

Published by info on December 1, 2009 in Breathe.

Daniel Staincliffe & Sarah Sanders
Project Space 1st – 23rd December 2009

In January 2009, Sarah Sanders spent 1month in Chongqing as part of the Breathe Chongqing residency at 501 Artspace.

In April 2009 Daniel was artist in residence at Red Gate Gallery in Beijing. Chinese Arts Centre will provide both artists the opportunity to use our project space simultaneously to present works completed during their residencies and to develop their enquiries further.

Both artists graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University and have remained working in the city. Daniel utilises disposable cameras, wooden mechanical structures, audio and video recording devices and paper to explore the subtleties in our everyday environments. Chance is often employed to avoid total conscious control of the product. Sarah attempts to capture the passing of time in drawing. Her sensitivity for the materials she uses informs her action and non-action in the process of the work.

The project space will be open to the public throughout December.

Phil Davenport – 501 Chongqing Residency

Published by david on November 19, 2009 in 501 Residencies Chongqing and General News.

Speech is code
2 November – 31 December 2009

Experimental poet Philip Davenportâ€™s residency at 501 Artspace in Chongqing, China features input from several Chinese artists, in a sequence of English/Chinese text art works, titled Speech is Code.

Davenport has made a sequence of 8-word poems, which collage together ancient Chinese poems, lines from iconic conceptual and text art sources and modernist and postmodern poetry, finding parallels in form and intent and knitting together new meanings completely unintended by the originators.

Davenport frequently moves between literary and visual modes, exhibiting works as in situ billposter/poems in cities throughout Europe, in galleries and as 3D objects. His 2006 Heartshape Pornography series was handwritten onto artificial apples; in 2008 he relabelled street debris; 1998-2008 his Imaginary Missing People, poems made from missing person notices, were billposted in Berlin, Edinburgh, Reykjavik, Paris, London, Bilbao.

The Speech is Code pieces are written onto large pieces of semi-transparent paper, one side scripted in English the other Chinese, they co-exist and intermingle calligraphies, significations, syntaxes.

Principal artists involved are: Wang Jun, Mao Yanyang, Xu Guang Fu and Deng Chuan.

Winter Newsletter

Published by admin on November 13, 2009 in General News and Newsletters.

Yingmei Duan

Open studio

Daily Live Performances from 18 November – 24 November 2009 (excluding 22nd and 23rd)

Ying Mei Duan - I Love my Computer
During her residency at Chinese Arts Centre, Yingmei Duan has undertaken a performance and research project which investigates how art is experienced in the UK. The research has focussed upon the many facets of art education and Yingmei has conducted intensive research by attending art classes in schools and many workshops and educational projects. After her residency in Manchester she will take this project to Germany and China culminating in a live art event featuring a debate between arts educators, art professionals and the general public.
During her Open Studio Yingmei will be performing a series of collaborative Live Art events in Chinese Arts Centre:

18 November 2009 @ 2.30pm, Yingmei Duan and Lu Di
19 November 2009 @ 2pm, Yingmei Duan and Anthony Yates
20 November 2009 @ 2pm, Yingmei Duan and David Hancock
21 November 2009 @ 3pm, Yingmei Duan with 10 Art Students
24 November 2009 @ 2pm, Yingmei Duan with Ya-nung Huang and Branka Vidovic

Yingmei’s residency at Chinese Arts Centre is supported by Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony.

Daniel Staincliffe and Sarah Sanders

Project Space 1 – 23 December 2009

In January 2009, Sarah Sanders spent 1month in Chongqing as part of the Breathe Chongqing residency at 501 Artspace. In April 2009 Daniel was artist in residence at Red Gate Gallery in Beijing. Chinese Arts Centre will provide both artists the opportunity to use our project space simultaneously to present works completed during their residencies and to develop their enquiries further. Both artists graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University and have remained working in the city. Daniel utilises disposable cameras, wooden mechanical structures, audio and video recording devices and paper to explore the subtleties in our everyday environments. Chance is often employed to avoid total conscious control of the product. Sarah attempts to capture the passing of time in drawing. Her sensitivity for the materials she uses informs her action and non-action in the process of the work. A shift in her concerns towards the performance aspects in her work has caused her to question and explore live performance art.

The project space will be open to the public throughout December.

Christmas special offer

For the whole of December Chinese Arts Centre will be offering a 10% Christmas discount on all toys and mugs – an incentive to get those stockings filled!

Christmas closing

We are closed from Thursday 24 December 09 and reopen on Tuesday 5 January 10.

Yellow academy – Yellow Earth

Yellow Academy 2010 is an exciting new initiative between Yellow Earth (British East Asian* theatre company) and ALRA (the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts). Outreaching to four major cities in the UK they will be bringing together a group of enthusiastic and curious young people down to London for a free week of acting training in Summer 2010.

Taster TalkÂ 2-4pm 20th February 2010, Chinese Arts Centre, Jasmine Suite
Directors of ALRA and Yellow Earth will be visiting CAC to talk about the project, outlining how to become a successful actor, from professional training to the realities of working in the industry.
Open to all British East Asians aged 16-30 curious or interested in actor training.
No previous experience necessary.
To sign up please send an email to info@alra.co.uk stating your name, age and contact details. To find out more visit www.yellowearth.org or phone 0208 870 6475

You can find us on facebook at â€˜Yellow Academy’.

*British East Asian descent includes: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and their diasporas.

Writers Pathway

Are you a writer of Chinese descent looking to develop your skills?

The Writers’ Pathway is an exciting new initiative that supports emerging writers of Chinese descent through professional development. The University of Bolton, in collaboration with the Chinese Arts Centre, is offering 12 North West writers of poetry, drama or fiction the opportunity to develop their craft with professional supervision.

This 14 week programme will begin with a five day residential at the prestigious ARVON Foundation for Writers Lumb Bank Centre (www.arvonfoundation.org) and will culminate in a showcase of practitioners’ work at the Bolton Octagon Theatre. In the intervening weeks participants will develop a personal project through distance learning which they will complete with the help of a professional mentor.

For further information about the Writers’ Pathway initiative please visit www.bolton.ac.uk/writerspathway or email writerspathway@bolton.ac.uk.

Chinese Arts Centre recommends

22 December, 11.30 am

Listen out for a Radio 4 programme on the artist Li Yuan Chia produced by BBC producer Bob Dickinson and presented by our Chief Executive Sally Lai.

Visiting Us

If you would like to bring a group to the centre or any specific access needs please contact us at info@chinese-arts-centre.org so that we can help make the most of your visit.

And Finally

Please note that we are using e-invites for our previews so if you would like to receive notification of our previews please join our mailing list.
http://mailing.chinese-arts-centre.org/

Yingmei Duan: Open studio

Published by admin on November 13, 2009 in General News.

Daily Live Performances from 18 November â€“ 24 November 2009 (excluding 22nd & 23rd)

During her residency at Chinese Arts Centre, Yingmei Duan has undertaken a performance and research project which investigates how art is experienced in the UK. The research has focussed upon the many facets of art education and Yingmei has conducted intensive research by attending art classes in schools and many workshops and educational projects. After her residency in Manchester she will take this project to Germany and China culminating in a live art event featuring a debate between arts educators, art professionals and the general public.

During her Open Studio Yingmei will be performing a series of collaborative Live Art events in Chinese Arts Centre : -

18 November 2009 @ 2.30pm, Yingmei Duan & Lu Di

19 November 2009 @ 2pm, Yingmei Duan & Anthony Yates

20 November 2009 @ 2pm, Yingmei Duan & TBC

21 November 2009 @ 3pm, Yingmei Duan with 10 Art Students

24 November 2009 @ 2pm, Yingmei Duan with Ya-nung Huang & Branka Vidovic

Yingmeiâ€™s residency at Chinese Arts Centre is supported by Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony