Illuminazioni

On our last night in Venice we left St Mark's after seeing Sting perform. Water had filled the square and was puddling beneath the cathedral. Chains of people splashed through the growing lake as they walked home. We took the ferry along the Grand Canal where the Venetian facades were softly illuminated in the starry dark of La Serenissma. The night waters were rising above the level of the city; crashing against squares where people sat at tables drinking, lapping at the feet of buildings, nudging at doorways. At the steps of the Natural HistoryMuseum a giant crab now floated in the quietly menacing black of the water. I felt the wonder of Venice under threat.

The waters of Venice must have seeped into my imagination and soaked its liquid impression upon me. That night I had a waking dream in which the rippling springs of my mattress metamorphosed into a Traghetto on the unsettled waves, the room was filled with a shimmering blanket of water and our rucksacks became a ferry navigating the narrow passage between the bunk beds. I quietly gasped and pushed my things beneath the bed to make room for its journey. Che bello sogno Venezia! In one night I had become enrapt by La Serenissima's buoyant magic.

The Illuminazioni signs with a map to help you navigate the events.

Being in Venice during the Biennale was fabulous, our wandering of the streets was punctuated by the discovery of pavillions, installations and parallel exhibitions. The black and red signs became beacons. We were travelling across Europe on a budget so we couldn't afford to pay to get into the pavillions at the Arsenale or Giardini but enjoyed tripping up on the smaller, free exhibitions we found. I like to think we found the hidden treasures of the Biennale; the underrated and underappreciated pavillions on the fringes.

Underneath the Palazzo Ducale in the Palazzo delle Prigioni we found the The Heard and Unheard: Soundscape Taiwain. The Sound Library/Bar was one of the highlights of our chance discoveries. Kuo-Chang Liu had collected pieces of furniture from hotels and Karaoke bars in Taiwan and filled the elegant Venetian interior. Beneath the chandelier hanging from the ceiling faded leather armchairs became platforms for Taiwanese music. The circular bar in the centre served sound and video projects and the back room hosted emerging bands. The idea of a 'soundscape' is an exciting and immersive project and it managed to communicate something of popular Taiwan (with artists such as Ming-Chang Chen and Blacklist Studio) as well as an emerging, experimental art scene.

The Taiwanese Pavillion's melding of a stunning Venetian interior with its authentically evocative furnishings perfectly captured the Biennale's success. Modern galleries with their minimal white walls which give Art 'space' can never compete with Venice. Like the waters which seeped into my dream, Venice leaves its impression upon the art, it infects it with its magic.

I had seen Erwin Wurm's Narrow House in Beijing's 798 factory complex, but it looked different in the sunlight on the grass in the gardens of the Glasstress. The illuminated dancers on the Canal would not have had the same waltzy joy if their shadows hadn't glittered on Venice's waters. I wasn't really gasping at the dancers as we passed either, but at the ornate balconied Venetian facade now a kaleidoscope of green, blue, red and yellow windows. I regret not being able to see Song Dong's parents Beijing house transported to the Giardini, but have at least seen something of the atmosphere which the Biennale gives Venice and Venice gives art.

Translating Art

When I wrote about Wu Guanzhong, I quoted him and mentioned how beautiful I find Chinese in translation. There is an inherent poetry and an innocence of language which can be seen in this translated title. 'I could never see a blossom/ After I grew up' could fluidly open a poem or a folk-tale, but it is beautiful not for its complexity. Unfortunately translation is not always quite so elegant or successful, and this is a post dedicated to those failed moments, where pretentions become absurd and quite funny too. Posters for new art shows, directions for interaction, I hope you enjoy them.

And here are some words of wisdom for aspiring artists, click on the photograph to make it bigger. Of course, the Western baby is speaking with a hint of irony.

Between the Books

A Book in the Hand, Jessa Leff

Something caught my eye the other day, a poster for an exhibition called 'Between the Books' in Cambridge library. As a literature student who loves art, this has an obvious appeal. Anyway despite the horrendous weather I decided to venture out for some fresh air, I didn't quite know what was in store. So let me tell you about the books and the bees...

Smooth sea do not make skillful sailors, Gill Collinson

Armed with a list of the 30 pieces of book art on display the visitor is instructed to 'hunt' the bookshelves and workspaces of libraries to find them. At 2o years old, peering down each aisle of books, I felt a little embarrassed (mostly because I was sure that the regular library users had no idea what I was doing), but also very, very excited.

Steampunk, Deborah Barker (http://rustycage11.blogspot.com) This was the first book I found and definitely one of my favourites, it reminded me of surrealist photomontages and cubist collages from the early 1900's.

The book hunt was a return to the simple pleasures of childhood and I had to use my imagination to find them. Initially my search was fairly fruitless because I assumed that the books would only be on top of the shelves, they couldn't be in amongst the books themselves? But they were. I scoured three floors and countless catalogued sections in an attempt to find as many as possible. As an adult, the books were as exciting as chocolate eggs had once been.

Where is the spider? Hilary Moreton

Exploring the diverse possibilities of putting together a book; from the materials involved to technical methods such as Japanese punch binding, the exhibition presents an innovative selection of experiments. I took sneaky photos of some of my favourites but other highlights included; 'Ten weeks of Off-cuts' by Rosemary Bangham which collected and laminated waste material to form a new book; Wing Yee Mak's 'Spice Trail' which had secret spices hidden in pockets; and 'The A-Z of Bury Farm' by Candida Bradley which collected a wealth of material and included some beautiful lettering.

Mapping, Henrietta Eagle-Wilsher, made up of maps of Cambridgeshire and including journeys and memories.

The exhibition reminded me of something I saw in China, 'The Change Heart Reading co.' by Jin Shi. Jin Shi created a whole bookshop for the perusal of the viewer, with books crammed, stacked in a labyrinth of shelves. However in China I could only experience the visuals of the installation; colour, the shape of chinese characters and bright illustrations. In the library my interaction with the artworks was far more important because I could experience the linguistic message too.

Had I been able to read Mandarin perhaps I would have pulled books from the shelves, taking time to absorb that lush sensation of being immersed in a beautiful bookshop. Instead the exhibition showed me closed possibilities, language shut me out.

'Book Arts bypass the constraints of the gallery-giving the creator complete control. The 'walls' or pages, of the book are the limit of your gallery. One can transform the form of a book from how we are accustomed to it, to something much more creative and thought-provoking.'

Between the Books is on at the Cambridge library until January 9th.

798 Art District Postcards

Just more random scribbles on the backs of postcards!

798 Art District, Beijing

This summer I spent just under 2 months living in Beijing. It is an amazing city, and it really felt like I was living in the midst of significance, rapid change and excitement. There are lots of things I miss about being in that vast city, but the thing I miss most is being able to take several buses and metro lines to the Art district in Chaoyang


The root of the rebellion lies in the manipulation and deconstruction of communist propaganda, although it is so common now in 798 that you can become a little saturated by the political satire.

Modern art in China, as 798's central Originalty Square might suggest, is a reasonably underdeveloped concept due to Chairman Mao and his stifling communist regime. But from underground Beijing's creatives rebelled, taking over an abandoned factory complex and transforming it in to a theme park of modern art. The art district is now a complex of commercial and fine art galleries, installation and outdoor sculpture, souvenir shops and western-style cafes.
It is a genuinely awe-inspiring place where a community of artists are working hard to promote and inspire modern art in China, giving everybody a platform to experience and create.



Civilised Chaoyang is the ideal location, it is Beijing's rich and up and coming district. Essentially it is the place to be.

There is also an absolute gem of an institution to be found at the heart of the district; UCCA, Ullens Contemporary Chinese Art hosts magnificent, if small, shows. While you can spend hours trawling through galleries and not finding anything of particular value, UCCA, once it has been located on the map, will never fail to disappoint.


An example of the graffiti which makes the complex a living and breathing canvas for art and statement.


In the short time I was living in Beijing I spent four days in the art district, and I wish I could have had more. It just had the right atmosphere, perhaps you would spend most of your time drink iced coffees in cafes, but it was enough that you had been there, in the midst of it all.


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The old factories of an abandoned uniformed industrialism are the perfect setting for regenerative modern art.

There is information about 798 on wikipedia, it might help to search for 'Jiuxinqiao factory complex'. And if you want directions...take the 909 bus from liangmaqiao station and get off at Dashanzi lukounan, you can't miss the big red numbers!