AADK Spain Residency – Day Eight, Thursday 7th Sept

Posted on September 9, 2023 by wpadmin

Breakfast to meet some other artists, sketching and testing projectors

All the while I’ve been here, since the very first day on arriving I’ve been thinking about the potential for using the amazing space at AADK. On the ground floor, it has a dedicated contemporary dance and performance space. It’s an actual wooden floor space and a platform mezzanine space above this which has the bedrock of the mountain side as part of the space. Wonderfully evocative on every level and highly aspirational to do something in the space. So as well as doing the watercolour sketching and experiencing the town and the landscape, I’m also thinking of how to use this space. It’s important to get out there and visit places and see some history and archeology of a place. This tells the story of a place and when you then move around that place you think and question if that story matches and if it is still valid. 

This morning had a little social element to it, where I got to meet some other artists for breakfast. The interesting thing is, I actually have the run of the studio and social space at the residency, as for the first time there is only one person in residence – and that’s me. So being the only one here has allowed for incredible focus into my own practice and taking stock of where I’m at. There are very little distractions! It feels a bit like the opening of Jack Kerouac’s ‘Desolation Angels’, part one: desolation in solitude, where Jack Duluoz is a fire look out in Desolation peak in the mountains of Washington. I get to be here on my own and look down over the whole town. 

Of course, there is the distraction of the beautiful countryside and another one is more an annoyance, then a distraction. The local youths with their hair dryer powered 150cc motorbikes who scream around the streets until all hours. But that aside, it is very peaceful and quiet. 

So it was good to have a bit of social interaction with some of those who work / help out at AADK, but have their own studios and apartments (so not actually in the place). It was good to meet them and talk about the different countries where we are from and what kind of art we make. I tried to explain that these days I see myself more of a retiring artists, than an emerging artist : ) Also that I don’t describe myself now as a sculptor or maker of sculpture, more of an interdisciplinary artist (moving image, sculpture, installation, drawing, technology). On a Thursday in Blanca, there is a weekly farmer’s market and yes you guessed it, the produce available at the market is incredible. I bought a big piece of Manchego cheese and a couple of bags of olives. Really good prices too! 

   

After this, I naturally had a siesta and then walked up the hill side to Blanca Castle, which sits atop of the peak and commands an amazing view up and down the valley. A nice overview of Blanca castle can be read here:https://www.castles.nl/blanca-castle. 

Pedro Cano has made many studies of the castle and they feature in the book that I bought. I set myself up for making a study of the castle, but wrong time of day really. It was about 5pm and very hot! Also, so many flies and they make it difficult to work. I set up making a study, in my own style and my own way. I’m not out to impersonate Pedro Cano, bit late in life and old for that. No, as mentioned we all draw and paint in our own way, however we can refine this and learn from others by trying out their approaches and techniques. The finished work: 

   

Later that evening I was playing around in the performance space, setting up a couple of projectors and managed to get them working. I think the space would lend itself really well to accommodate a 3 channel video projection. The rock surface naturally divides itself into 3 distinct areas. So it’s possible to project something onto each of these surfaces. Incredibly, I’ve never actually used projectors to ‘project’ onto organic surfaces – such as rock. It’s a thing that could be very magical, the rock surface becomes a part of the work and the dialogue.

 

The most basic first ideas that I had with this, was to have the moon rising on the left hand side, the sun setting on the right hand side and the main screen in the middle. Initially I was thinking of the cycles of days, life, the planet and how they are becoming more and more erratic due to the post industrial epoch (the Anthropocene). It is definitely easier to draw form the depressing ‘istics’ such as nihilistic and pessimistic, rather than be optimistic and have hope. The latter is the preferable choice as we have gone well beyond art functioning as the ‘canary in the coal mine’ sounding an alert of something bad happening. Artists of course have been very proactive over the last few decades, developing a practice that is sustainable and functional i.e. implementing solutions to problems as opposed to say emotional responses for example. We are now in the situation that we need to re-think everything and also start caring for our planet and the environment a lot more than we have been, if we want to start trying to undo the damage and stop the march towards a perpetually erratic and deteriorating global climate. 

So the message needs to perhaps be something to help spread a message of care and we need to care for the planet. The consumer capitalist society has unfortunately buried and removed the notion of care, whether it be care for others or care for the planet.

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AADK Spain Residency – Day Seven, Wednesday 6th Sept

Posted on September 9, 2023 by wpadmin

Pedro Cano Foundation and sketching

Took a walk down to the town to make a few sketches. Walking along the riverside I noticed a building called ‘The Pedro Cano foundation’. It was a very impressive large modern looking building so I decided to step inside and see what it was all about, as I had no idea. It turns out it was a large display over 3 floors of paintings and drawings by Blanca born artist Pedro Cano (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Cano). After looking at the ground floor display I was a bit apprehensive because I’ve been to places like this before and the work is quite insipid and definitely provincial and the collection here did resonate slightly on that wave length. Despite this, I proceeded up to the next floor to be greeted by a fantastic collection of very large paintings spanning a time scale from the late 1950s to present day. The artist clearly showed great draftsmanship and skill with lovely tonality and play with dark and light. The final floor had an interesting film interview with Pedro Canno. It showed him working on sketchbooks at many different locations around the globe. On this floor on display were a lot of his sketch books. It must be said that it was like looking at JMW Turner’s sketchbooks. All of the work was in watercolour and from what I could tell sketched with the paint, with no underlying drawing.

 

These are very beautiful and accomplished works. Don’t think I have seen such amazing treatment of light and dark. Making such decisions as to leave areas blank and not to over work areas is a skill in itself. I was very inspired by looking at the sketchbooks. I found it interesting to see al the different little studies of things, objects such as lemons on a tree for example. Sometimes it’s not all about trying to capture the whole big vista, but to pick a small thing and study it. This is something I’ve perhaps neglected myself. Perhaps with being time limited and never seeing to have enough time, it leads to the decision to capture an entire scene. The other thing I learned was how to make light talk. The strong Mediterranean sunshine illuminates everything and makes white even whiter! I bought a book of his work that shows studies made in Blanca and also an exhibition poster. Very happy to have discovered this artists and add him as an influence. 

 

As with every trip to hot places, it takes a good few days to acclimatise. You find yourself getting into the routine of the place, making the most of the cool morning and taking it easy with a siesta in the hot mid afternoon. Straight after coming out of the Pedro Cano foundation, I did a couple of watercolour sketches that were an application of his technique. No underdrawing and no tracing the pencil underdrawing with a fine liner ink pen (which I do a lot), just pure colour onto the paper. Sketching with the colours straight from the watercolour pans. An incredible way of painting that requires a lot of concentration and thought. When you put a brush mark down, it’s got to be right otherwise it’s tricky to correct. It can build very good discipline in terms of actually looking at what you are painting and making each mark count. 

 

I have of course experimented a lot in the studio with oil painting in the past. Its a more free process of creating the drawing using a mix of the white spirit and paint. If you make a mistake, you can quickly scumble it out. A couple of years ago I visited Norham castle on the banks of the River Tweed on the Scottish / English border. Reason why I went there was because JMW Turner visited Norham several times and made paintings of the castle. So I experimented with the watercolours, trying out wet on wet technique. I learned a lot from that study and when it’s best to apply wet on wet. It doesn’t work so well for architecture, but is great for creating atmospheric effects or tonal variations or shadow on a surface. So anyway, that’s what I did today and was happy with the result.  
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AADK Spain Residency – Day Six, Tuesday 5h Sept

Posted on September 9, 2023 by wpadmin

Studio day

After the hike up the hill yesterday, a bit of a rest day today staying in the Centro Negro. With the poor air quality and blowing my nose ever 10 minutes, today was a good day for staying indoors. It was spent writing up the journal, researching the history of the local area and thinking about new directions for developing work. I feel that I am leaving behind the single descriptor of ‘sculpture’ or ‘sculptor’ and more often describing myself as ‘multi-disciplinary’. I find this is a more comfortable ‘label’, as it avoids me having to always answer the question ‘what materials do you work with’ when telling someone that I work in sculpture. It’s no secret that I have a strong interest in multi-media, having presented video installations for both my undergraduate and postgraduate shows. I was put off for a while after finishing postgraduate study because I created a single channel edit of the 5 channel postgraduate final piece video installation and submitted this to about a dozen short film festivals around the world. 

 
Unfortunately it didn’t get selected for any of them and taught me a lesson in the difference between ‘film making’ and ‘artists films’, in the sense that one is quite un-structured (artists films) and the other is structured (film making). These days we have a lot more descriptors for artists films and have moved on from the ‘video art’ label. Work is described as ‘moving image work’, a one size fits all description really. The one thing that I do really enjoy is watching moving image work whenever I visit an exhibition. It takes me somewhere else that a static piece of work i.e. painting or sculpture can’t take me.
 
I made a very simple sketch showing the space with 3 projectors:
 
 

 

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AADK Spain Residency – Day Five, Monday 4th Sept

Posted on September 9, 2023 by wpadmin

Studio and Hill Walk

Walking up the steps from Centro Negra follows the path up the hill to the castle and the Plaza del la Virgin. The castle sits not too far above and then it’s an accessible hike up a path to the top of another hill where there is a large statue of the virgin Mary. It’s a vertigo inducing view up there with some sheer cliff drops. There is a flat area nearby that shows some kind of ruined dwellings or farming enclosures, lots of boulders. Was a nice place to sit and listen to the sound of nature. The other thing that I got to see for the first time ever, was a Cicada. I've been to Cyprus probably at least a dozen times and they are omnipresent across the island, but were always too elusive to be seen. So to my surprise, I was able to close in on the sound being made by one on a bush and I got really close to it. In fact, it seemed happy for me to be poking my phone up close to it. However on a second attempt to get the phone even close, it obviously had enough and flew off. Never the less, after all these years I finally got to see one.

        

The air quality on the Monday and also on the following day was very poor quality. This was due to the strong winds that were blowing in a lot of sand from the Sahara desert. I spent the two days constantly blowing and clearing my nose. The atmospheric conditions resembled a foggy misty day. Not very enjoyable. The castle took on a very ghostly quality and would have been good to make a painting of it in that type of light conditions. 

  After the walk, I spent the rest of the day in the studio working through ideas and thinking about the performance space at the bottom levels of the centre and how I could use this.

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AADK Spain Residency – Day Four, Sunday 3rd Sept

Posted on September 5, 2023 by wpadmin

Visit to Cieza and Siyasa museum

Cieza is only 10km up the road from Blanca and the drive passes through the town of Abaran. The reason why I actually visited Cieza was because it was the closest town to where the Vuelta Espana cycle race (Tour of Spain) was due to pass on the Sunday (stage 9). However arriving in the town it didn’t look like the Vulea was actually going to pass through the town as there was zero activity. It turned out the closest point of approach was 5km out of town, so a walk over there did allow me to see the race. The main interest is definitely the museums and there appear to be two main museums that tell the history of the area at different stages.   

 
Museo del Esparto de Cieza 
 
On the map I noticed there were a couple of museums in Cieza. 
 
Museo del Esparto de Cieza - https://www.museodelespartocieza.com 
 
Museum dedicated to the harvesting and production of esparto grass. 
 
 
About the museum: 
 
 ‘The Museum is a permanent exhibition of old original machinery and tools, braided and belongings, illustrated with printed and photographic documentation. As it is a living museum, it is ensured that the visiting public can relive the old and diverse Sparteros works directly. From observing and touching the esparto plant itself (atocha), the utensils and tools used in the different jobs, the varied braids and household and agricultural equipment mainly, to seeing how the scourers for domestic cleaning are made by means of manual traction razors and, especially, witnessing demonstrations of spinning with wheel for ropes, made in the old way by an guos master spinners.’ 
 
I have an interest in museums such as this that preserve the history and memory of something that was so deeply engrained in the community. I’ve always had a strong connection with the land, maybe because my mother was brought up on a farm and her parents were farm workers and their parents before them. On my father’s side, his relatives also worked the land and they also worked as ‘carters’ at Culzean castle in Ayrshire, Scotland. I visited a similar heritage museum in Fyti, Paphos District, Cyprus, where the processed and tools that were used to work the land in days gone by could be viewed. I admired their simple but clever designs.    
 
 
Siyasa Museum 
 
The other museum in Cieza is the Siyasa Museum. This museum is dedicated to the early medieval town that was established by The Moors on the hill side above the present day town. The museum displays many artefacts that have been retrieved from the town, which is very well preserved due to the fact that it was abandoned and left undisturbed. There is also a re-creation of how a building would have looked, with it’s inner court yard.
 
        
 
It was great to learn something about the history of the area. The museum goes further back than the early medieval period, with displays dedicated to the prehistorical caves in the area. Most of the caves also contain cave paintings. It was in 2022 that I got to see a cave painting in the real, so to speak when in France. The painting is in a cave in the Tarn valley, which also has evidence of mass hunts for Mammoths where the hunters would work to drive the Mammoth’s of cliff faces. The fact was established by the butchering remains at the bottom of the cliff. It is quite amazing to actually see a cave painting up close. It’s almost impossible to imagine such a giant leap back in time, however looking at the paintings allow us to try and make such a leap. 
 
   
 
Therefore it was of great interest to learn from the museum display that there are several prehistoric cave sites around the Cieza area. These very early first expressions of human creativity continue to amaze and inspire. Perhaps sometime I can return and visit the sites. Having visited the site in France made me think of the universal need for shelter. Standing in the cave and looking out at the world outside, there was a sense of protection and the imagination turned to what it must have been like for those early humans, sitting in the cave at night with a fire burning and the wild animals roaming on the landscape outside. These animals were central to the prehistoric life and were the subject of the cave paintings. Exactly what the cave paintings meant has always been subject to interpretation. However a recent theory is evidenced by the presence of marks (sequences of dots) made on the cave walls next to the animals to show when they are in season and available for hunting. So they may actually function as a guide book for others to use to know when and what can be hunted. I’ve always been interested in the idea and notion of shelter and what it means. I’ve always believed that every human should have a roof over their heads. 
 
It was later on in my art journey that I became more familiar with the works of the Italian Arte Povera artist Mario Merz and his Igloo constructions. In fact before this one of my main inspirations was the work of Jannis Kounellis, who was also part of the Arte Povera movement. Incredibly, I got to meet Jannis when he had a retrospective at Tramway in Glasgow, Scotland. He was at the opening night for his show and I approached him and simply said ‘Mr Kounellis congratulations on a wonderful exhibition. I love your work so much’ and shook his hand. I recall this not for the sake of name dropping, but to point out that his manner was incredibly modest and he had the time to speak with someone who was for all intent and purposes, just a normal member of the public. The Centro Negra in Blanca is actually like a very large full scale Kounellis sculpture, with it’s oxidized iron works: 
 
   
 
  A little excerpt about Kounellis and Merz from wikipedia:
‘Jannis Kounellis and Mario Merz attempted to make the experience of art more immediately real while also more closely connecting the individual to nature. In his (Untitled /Twelve Horses), Kounellis brings the real, natural life into the gallery setting, by showing twelve horses racked-up on the gallery walls. Recalling the Dada movement and Marcel Duchamp, his aim was to challenge what could be defined as art, but unlike Duchamp, maintains the objects real and alive, redefining the notion of life and art, while keeping both entities independent.’
 
In short, the whole process of visiting these museums has informed a long standing interest in the landscape, nature, the primitive and the objects that we make to entwine and mesh them together.

 

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AADK Spain Residency – Day Three, Saturday 2nd Sept

Posted on September 4, 2023 by wpadmin

A day spent mostly in the studio space catching up with admin stuff (and yes, social media as well), but also a little walk around the town to stretch the legs. 
Blanca map 
 
The town has various public art works dotted around in the form of large murals, usable and friendly community integrated sculptures and interesting standalone sculptures that are both contemporary and traditional. The most interesting one is located beside the river and is a geodesic dome that is made of hands. This piece of work is one of those work that you stand looking at for ages because it makes you wonder in great detail about the complete process from start to finish for making such a work. From I could see, the hands were all different and how do you get them to all play nicely together and fit? I would imagine something like this would need to have used a template dome to lay the items on and assemble them. But then how and when is the welding flame used to weld the pieces together and preserve that perfect shape? The shadows inside the piece were also like another sculpture inside the sculpture. A lovely piece of work indeed. 
 
 
 
There is also an interesting piece of sculpture beside the main bride over the river. It is great that such playful artistic vision has been brought forth and realized. I would image there may have been an open call and the selectors chose the most fun work! It is clever how it has been permanently installed. By looking at such public works, we can learn from them and even incorporate techniques and strategies into our own works.
 
 
 
The other works are wall murals, again they add interesting vistas to the urban landscape. I also really liked the urban seating area that is very informal and uses mosaic. Finally, there was a piece that is very contemporary and of a minimal nature. It is by an artist named Abellán Juliá, who was actually born in the town of Cieza which is just up the road from Blanca. His piece is very interesting and has an extra.added dimension in that it lights up at night.
 
 

 

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AADK Spain Residency – Day Two, Friday 1st Sept

Posted on September 2, 2023 by wpadmin

After a good nights rest, it was a slow start to the day. The plan was to go out and explore the town. The weather was sunny and hot and I tramped around the town to literally see what I could find. I always like to see if I can find a thrift / second hand store or market, as there are usually objects and books that can tell a unique and different history of a place. However sadly there were no such outlets in Blanca. I thought this a little strange. I explored more most roads in Blanca lead to the river and there are paths along the banks. I was looking for a spot to do some sketching and painting. Drawing and painting are such important processes and somewhat vital for kickstarting the creative process. I came across a little cafe beside the river and ordered up a coffee and then began to sketch.

 

  

 

I spent a good few hours sitting making a drawing of the river and the craggy cliffs above it. So mesmerising sitting watching the river. Constantly in forward motion, always something new. I always like to do some sketches of a new place. It allows the memory to capture details of sensory information that can be accessed many years later, long after the associated sensory info of taking a picture has long disappeared. The sunlight and the subsequent colours of the landscape are very different from the colours of a Scottish landscape. I’ve always admired the artists who travelled to Morocco in the early 20th century to bath in it’s light and be inspired by the colours. Artists such as Paul Klee visited Morocco and also Scottish artists such as JD Ferguson.

 

       

 

After finishing the painting and walking back it was interesting to see small pieces of geology by the roadside. The colours of the soil were amazing.

 

      

 

The day was finished off by grocery shopping and then enjoying a beer and watching the sun set and the moon rising. Sunset in the Mediterranean is also as much of a listening pleasure as it is a visual pleasure, as the village or town comes to life after sheltering away from the intense day time heat. The sounds of coming to life, people laughing, dogs barking, meals being prepared echos all across the town from one end to the other. It is an anthropological feast.

 

 

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AADK Spain Residency 2023 – Day One, Thursday 31st August

Posted on September 2, 2023 by wpadmin

Day One - Thursday 31st August It was a day of excitement, but a very early start with a 6:10am flight from Glasgow to Murcia. It was a lovely morning with a full moon in the sky while driving down to the airport. The Pyrenees mountains looks amazing from the air.   

 
      
 
 Arriving at Murcia involved a wait for the (free) bus service from the airport to the bus station in Murcia. Upon arrival at the bus station, I learned the next bus to Blanca was in 2 hours, so I took a little wander around the area. There was an amazing Mercado (Market) next to the bus station and I wandered around this, mesmerized by the beautiful local produce that was on offer. It is always said and true that in comparison to continental markets, British markets are underwhelming. I then took a nap in a small park nearby. 
 
      
 
At 2pm I boarded the bus and left the bus station. For a long, long while the bus trundled through miles and miles of industrial outlets and supply stores. As with all such areas, they are completely devoid of any culture and historical buildings. I know that Murcia has historical buildings and museums, but they were not to be seen on this route northwards. So it was not the prettiest of journeys until suddenly the bus turned a corner and there it was, the countryside and the landscape. It looked incredible, half desert and half fertile due to the Segura river. The plains on either side of the river were covered in vegetation such as palms and olive groves. The visible power of the river giving life was an incredible sight. I don’t believe that I have seen something like this before and it bears similar to that of the River Nile.
 
        
 
The bus passes through an interest town called Archena. The town has a beautiful historical feel and I was taken back in time to a bygone era. These towns and villages are the antithesis of the industrialised zones and the commercialised holiday seaside metropolises. The journey continued on, twisting and weaving around the roads, all the while following the river and the fertile flat lands. Blanca soon appeared on the horizon, a town that rises up onto the mountain side or conversely descends from the mountain side.
 
   
 
 Centra Negra can only be accessed by foot and it is an interesting walk through the tight and winding streets that lead up to it. The streets have a medieval feel to them, when buildings were built close to each other with only a foot path between them ‘cheek to jowel’ is the term used in English. In Scotland they are known as ‘Vennels’, which is the passageway between two buildings. Centra Negra sits (rather proudly) at the very top of the town and commands an amazing view.
 
   
 
 The facility of studios and accommodation can only be described as ‘next level’. It is a place built to preserve the historical and promote creative thinking. It is a place to fall in love with and a place that inspires the making and creative processes. It is obvious that the architect(s) who designed the place were very talented. They have incorporated much as the original features of the original buildings that create a stunning mix of old and new. The studio spaces are full of character, with oxidized iron staircases, wooden beamed roofs and rustic stone work to gaze upon. The whole space is definitely ‘next level’. 
 
   
 
 That evening, as the sun went down and the moon began to rise, one could only being to imagine the creative possibilities that this beautiful place could inspire.
 
   

 

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Art & Heritage Project, China – UK (2021) Part One: Research

Posted on January 24, 2022 by wpadmin

PART ONE: Research

by Alan Rutherford

  Why China?

For more than 2,000 years, the Chinese have created stories to make sense of disasters and upheavals they’ve encountered. Blending myriad religious, philosophical and folklore traditions, these myths and legends continue to capture the imagination. Across continents and many thousands of miles away, a similar tradition once existed in the north of Britain, in a Celtic land that would later become known as Scotland.

Western artists have long explored the phenomena of mythology and pre-Christian Celtic customs, superstitions and earlier belief systems. German artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Josef Beuys and Caspar David Friedrich have all referenced the forest for example as a spiritual keystone of German identity and Mathew Barney (USA) has embraced Beuys’s love of myth and symbols.

In the fast moving, ever shifting complex world of modernisation, globalization and urbanisation there is always a concern that the heritage, customs and cultures of the past may slowly disappear.

The project has created the opportunity to address this disappearance and to explore cultural heritage as a strategy. Importantly, it has been an opportunity to explore the differences between the West as a project and the Far East and how creativity is both understood and practised.

The Connections through Culture programme additionally is strongly linked with the following project aspirations:-
  • Opportunity to work internationally and share skills
  • Opportunity to learn, share and create within a global setting
  • Create dialogue and stimulation globally of role of artist and their importance


In the Beginning (not that beginning, the beginning of the project) 

The project began with consideration of places and spaces such as the forest, the countryside and mountains, the village, the town and how these might be viewed through the prism of folklore, myth and tradition, with the aim of examining the animals, creatures, trees and plants that can act as a bridge between the earthly and unearthly worlds. These subjects function as visual emblems that appear in folkloric traditional legends and could be used as a starting point.

By research and investigation, the project would search for the energy and feelings that myth, folklore and tradition brought to the mind and the soul. There were compelling possibilities for an investigation process that would examine the connections and parallels that can be found within the Chinese and Celtic worlds of folklore and myth. For example, legends of Serpents and Wishing tree customs still exist in both cultures. Myths and legends of the forest can also be found in abundance. In addition to the possibility of examining these connections, the artists would also be able to explore the local legends and myths that are prominent at the historic sites.

Activities undertaken by the artists would explore this heritage and to make art works that can bring the heritage and tradition of the site to new audiences, with the aim of engaging with the local public through the art works and to push the conversation and contribute to local heritage. A series of ‘interventions’ will be installed in the towns, that could function as new readings of the heritage and connections.

Location, Location, Location!

The artists discussed three locations that the Ruan Yisan Heritage Foundation (RYHF) has connections with: Shunchang, Tu Lou and Chongwu – all in Fujian Province. The foundation has developed links with volunteers and local interested parties.  

Tu Lou (image credit: Google)

The Fujian tulou (simplified Chinese: 福建土楼; traditional Chinese: 福建土樓; lit. 'Fujian earthen buildings') are Chinese rural dwellings[1] unique to the Hakka in the mountainous areas in southeastern Fujian, China. They were mostly built between the 12th and the 20th centuries.[2]

A tulou is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, most commonly rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between three and five stories high and housing up to 800 people. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses, wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small fortified city. (wikipedia)

Initially the artists were interested in working at all 3 sites, however it became apparat that due to funding and logistics, this would not be possible. Tu Lou would have to wait until another opportunity arose to work at the site.
Shunchang



(image credit: Yuanjie Li)

Yuanjie Li made a site visit to Shunchang and reported that ‘In Shunchang, I learned about the origin of the Dasheng culture (The prototype of the famous Chinese mythical character monkey king), saw the stone temples and tombs on the top of Bao mountain, and explored the traces of folk belief culture’

It is perhaps outwith the scope of this essay to provide a full history and explanation of the worshiping of monkey deity such as the Fukien cult of Ch'i-t'ien Ta-sheng. It is believed however that in Fujian province, where monkeys abound in the forested mountains, the locals lived side by side with these creatures and instead of trying to drive them away, they gained respect for them and this seemingly gave birth to Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, a fictional character in the classical novel "Journey to the West" by Wu Cheng'en. (foot note)

To gain a brief understanding of Shunchang and the Monkey cult, the following extract from ‘[Interview] Wang Yimin: The indissoluble bond between the PekingOpera film "Havoc in Heaven" and Shunchang’ (Shunchang News Network, 19/09/202) provides background information:

‘Question: Why is the belief culture of Qitian Great Sage originated in Shunchang?

Wang Yimin: The belief in Qitian Dasheng is a traditional folk belief and custom formed in Shunchang County, Fujian Province, with monkey god worship as the core, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism culture, and sacrificial activities as the main manifestation. It can be t raced back to the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties. It is rumored in the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty. It has a history of thousands of years and has a unique position in Chinese monkey belief.

Shunchang County is located in the northern part of Fujian Province, at the southern foot of the Wuyi Mountains. The mountains of northern Fujian are densely forested and historically the ruins of ape monks. In the process of understanding nature, the ancestors gradually formed the custom of worshiping the monkeys, and in later generations they continued to absorb the nutrients of var ious popular stories, merged wi th Confucianism and Buddhism, and finally had today's "Monkey King" faith. Shunchang Qitian Dashengʼs faith and custom culture has a profound relationship with "Journey to the West". It is the birthplace of Qitian Dashengʼs faith and custom culture, and is praised as the ancestral place of Qitian Dasheng by believers at home and abroad.’

‘Journey to the West’ has featured in Television and Theatre with a Japanese television drama based on novel that was filmed in Northwest China and Inner Mongolia. The show was produced by Nippon TV and International Television Films and broadcast from 1978 to 1980 on Nippon TV. It was later dubbed with English and shown by the BBC. More recently, there has been ‘Monkey: Journey To The West’, an operatic stage adaptation conceived by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett in collaboration with Chinese actor and director Chen Shi Zheng in 2004. The opera made its world premiere at the Manchester International Festival in 2007 as a part of the opening show.

Shunchang is a very interesting site and is rich with historical legends. However, as mentioned due to funding and logistic, we opted to work and one site only and unfortunately as with Tu Lou, Shunchang would have to wait until another day.

  Chongwu


(image credit: Sherry)

Chongwu sits by the sea, as do a lot of villages and towns in Scotland. It has a strong connection with the sea and all types of sea going vessels would have been passing by from the earliest times of the town’s construction (14th century) to the modern day. The city of Quanzhou sits nearby on the Luojiang River and was visited by Marco Polo when he eventually left China in 1292.

Location of Chongwu in Fijian Province, SE China (image: Google maps)

Detail of area, showing city of Quanzhou (left) and Chongwu (right) on the peninsula (image: Google maps)

  Today, Chongwu is one of the few remaining walled cities in China. In ancient times, cities around the world were walled, and only a century ago China had hundreds of walled cities scattered around the country. The walls were built in 1384, and are 2.5 kilometres long and 7 meters high. The ancient walled city sits on a peninsula next to the sea and is located 24 kms away from the city of Quanzhou. The modern Quanzhou is an important seaport and the most dynamic city for the private economy in Fujian Province. In the past Quanzhou was the ancient starting point of the Maritime Silk Road and once a crucial harbour along the Maritime Silk Trade Routes and China’s gateway to the world during the medieval time (1000–1400).

A number of famous medieval explorers, such as Marco Polo (1254 - 1324), Friar Odoric of Pordenone, and Ibn Battuta, visited Quanzhou and wrote descriptions of the port as one of the biggest harbours in the world, with ships of all sizes and provenances docking and setting sail, and a vibrant market in which merchants from across many different regions exchanged their wares

 

The Stars Above and the Seas Below

Making a connection with the sea, I listened to the sound of the South China Sea during a video walk round of Chongwu.

This led me to become interested in the maritime tradition of Chongwu and it’s location by the sea.

It sits down river from the city of Quanzhou, a major port on the Maritime Silk Road. The town would have witnessed many, many different types of vessels coming and going. In fact many of the men of the town would go off to sea each day in pursuit of catching and landing fish.

 

Above: Marco Polo

  One of the most famous characters from history to visit the area is probably Marco Polo and ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’ documents the Italian traveler’s 17-year stay in China. Before he left the country he visited Quanzhou, as the last stop of his journey. He was deeply impressed by its burgeoning trade, abundant natural resources and friendly people. He wrote, “There is a port along Citongcheng (the ancient name of Quanzhou), famed for its bustling shipyards. Hordes of businessmen gather there with bountiful products available. Delicate Dehua porcelain is sold at reasonable prices. A Venice silver coin can buy you eight porcelain cups.”



Above: Quanzhou in an illuminated manuscript of The Travels of Marco Polo

Quanzhou’s shipbuilding technology also surprised Marco Polo. As one of the major shipbuilding bases in the Song and Yuan dynasties. Some of the sturdiest and most advanced ships in the world, known for their stability, seaworthiness, and safety facilities stored in water-tight compartments were built in Quanzhou. The travel book states, “The Khan issued another order to build 14 ships, each one equipped with four masts, able to sail long distances… Among them at least four or five ships can accommodate 250-260 sailors.”



Above: 'Embarking for Home', Marco Polo; his travels and adventures (1880)

In 1292 Marco Polo leaves China, never to return. The Polos wanting to return to their home asked Kublai Khan but he did not let them. Kublai Khan sends the Polos to escort a Mongol princess to her wedding in Persia. The Polos travel to one of the Chinese port city of Quanzhou to Sumatra, Sri Lanka, India and finally to Persia.

Quanzhou hosts the biennial festival ‘Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival’. More than 1,200 artists and 130 cultural organizations from over 50 countries and regions gathered in 2019 at the festival and brought performances with distinctive features. Forums on art development and exhibitions of intangible cultural heritages of the Maritime Silk Road taking place simultaneously.

With it’s location at the start of Maritime Silk Road, the fortified town of Chongwu has indeed a long history of being connected to the sea. It’s inhabitants would have witnessed many grand and beautiful ships of all sizes leaving and entering the Quanzhou port. While all of these ships have long since gone, one does remain and it is known as the ‘Quanzhou Ship’. When viewed, it can give us an idea of the design, scale and construction of a typical ship of the Song Dynasty period.



The Quanzhou Ship


The Quanzhou Ship (泉州湾古船) or Quanzhou wreck, was a 13th-century Chinese seagoing sailing junk that sank near the city of Quanzhou in Fujian Province, and was discovered in 1973.



Above: Quanzhou Maritime Museum

The ship is presently preserved in the Quanzhou Maritime Museum, which has a special "Quanzhou Bay Ancient Ships Exhibit" dedicated to this vessel and several other vessels recovered in similar circumstances.



Above: The ship is situ 

It was a three-masted ship, with the original length of 34.6 metres (114 ft) and width ("beam") of 9.82 metres (32.2 ft). The ship is about an average size for a ship used in long-distance trade of its era. According to archaeologists, the composition of the cargo found on board the ship indicates that it was a merchant vessel returning to Quanzhou from Southeast Asia. The primary cargo of the ship was incense wood; around 2,400 kilograms (5,300 lb) of it was found in 12 out of the 13 compartments of the ship

Above: 2D plan of Quanzhou ship 

   

Sailing by Star Light – Ursa Major

The biggest feature in the bottom of the Quanzhou Ship hull was a special device in the joint between the main keel and the tail keel. Seven copper coins were found there, along with a mirror. The coins are believed to represent the 7 stars in the Big Dipper asterism (part of Ursa Major or The Great Bear) and the mirror representing the moon. In Quanzhou folk tales, they imply that the ship would be safe on it’s voyage as the coins and mirror would bring luck.



Above: The Big Dipper

In the Chinese night sky, The Great Bear is split into two constellations and is the seat of divine justice. The ‘Seven Stars’ in China can refer to sun; moon and the five major planets but also to Ursa Major ➚ (the Northern Dipper or Plow or Great Bear). The Great Bear appears directly overhead at times over parts of China and was therefore considered the center of the heavens and a supreme astral deity. Known as 北斗 Běi dǒu ('Northern cup') in China it was represented as a red faced god who determining death and plays chess with the Southern Dipper. The seven stars of the dipper are important in Daoism and are often shown as august figures in pictures who can bring long life and wealth. In the ‘Flying Star’ system of Feng Shui it is these stars that determine good fortune. The Dipper has been used in the west to quickly locate the pole star but the Chinese used other pairs of stars to find it, for example the stars in the constellation of Orion. Knowledge of the stars of the southern hemisphere is known from the Song dynasty well before contacts with western astronomers and strongly suggests trading links with people south of the equator

In Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night Over the Rhône (Nuit étoilée sur le Rhône) the big dipper appears in the sky. It is also depicted on a carved stone, c.1700, in the town of Crail in Fife, Scotland.



Above: Ursa Major depiction, Crail, Fife

 

Fishing and Ship building in Western Scotland

As discussed, the project has generated a strong interest in coastlines, the seaside, maritime heritage and thinking about the cultures and traditions associated with these places.

It is well known and documented that Glasgow was once an industrial titan and global player in the ship building market. It is estimated that at one point in time, between 20 and 25% of all the ships that were afloat on the seas were built in Glasgow. However the focus of my interest was not on the large city, but on a more parochial setting for ship building and fishing, the Ayrshire town of Irvine.

 

Irvine

It would indeed be thrilling to make a connection between Chongwu and a costal town in Scotland. As illustrated, during the first phase of the project I became interested in the Chinese Junk ship. A unique wreck from the early 12th century had been found up river from Chongwu, which is known as the ‘Quanzhou’ ship. It became clear to me that people of the sea have such amazing stories and history.

Over in Chongwu, my college Sherry was looking at the identity of the town's woman, who have equal (but perhaps not acknowledged) strength, as when the men go off to sea, the woman took care of the town, the buildings, maintaining and carrying out day to day tasks.

During this first phase of the project I made a visit to Irvine to see the harbour and the Scottish Maritime Museum. I wanted to measure up the size of the Quanzhou ship. I thought it might be interesting to visualise it in the space outside the front of the museum.

How spectacular would a Chinese junk look in the space next to a Clyde puffer? It would be pretty big, for sure.I was interested in looking at and playing with scale. After this I went down to Irvine beach and made some drawings in the sand of a 2D plan of the Chinese Junk. That is how far my research and simple test pieces went.

It Is worth mentioning at this point, that lockdown measures were in place until May 2021, with partial easing in April. Before this, travel between local authorities was forbidden. The Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine was the first place / site that I visited when locked down was eased and rules began to be relaxed.



Above: location of Irvine, on the west coast of Scotland



Above: detail map of Irvine  



Above: view of Irvine harbour from the Maritime museum 



Above: The Harbour side, Irvine 







Above: A Clyde puffer at the Scottish Maritime museum, Irvine

  Above: 2D Drawing of Chinese Junk on Irvine Beach   

 

Mallaig

During the summer of 2021, I had the opportunity to visit Mallaig, in the West Highlands of Scotland. There is a heritage centre in the town and it presents a detailed journey from the earliest settlement to the modern town. The main overbearing things in the town's history are fishing, ferries and the train line to Fort William. I doubt that Clyde puffers would ever have traveled as far north as Mallaig. However, the fishing industry is something that connects it with other seaside towns all along the west coast and seaside town such as Irvine. 

It was interesting to see how important and central fishing and the sea was to this small community. Everyone was associated with it in one way or another. 



Above: location of Mallaig



Above: detail map of Mallaig

 

Above: images of fishing life in Mallaig (Heritage centre)



Above: local crofters who lived near Mallaig (Heritage centre)



Above: typical Mallaig fishing boat (Heritage centre)



Above: Fishing boat in for repair in Mallaig harbour
   


Next: In Part 2 of Art & Heritage Project, China – UK (2021)  - Creativity & Making
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Whose Afraid of the Big Bad Existentialist Threats?

Posted on December 3, 2021 by wpadmin

‘We only see what we know’

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749 – 1832
All my life, I’ve been afraid. I’ve been very afraid. I’ve been afraid of reaching out, afraid of being myself and afraid of saying what I really think and feel. So yes, I am afraid, I’m also very afraid of these big bad existentialist threats that we face and from what I can gather almost everyone else is also afraid of them too. On top of our climate crisis, our rapidly dwindling natural resources and an ever widening gap between social, political, and economic inequalities, collectively in 2020 we experienced yet another existentialist threat to humanity: a global pandemic.
In 2020 we got to see a world that we didn’t know, a world that suddenly appeared to be stripped of all it’s capitalist spectacle. In the 1960s Guy Debord stated in the Society of the Spectacle that ‘In a world which really is topsy-turvy, the true is a moment of the false’ and it seemed that we had been able to glimpse an inversion of this maxim. With it’s meaning no longer making any sense, the political economy and symbolic exchange value of the sign was collapsing. However companies were quick to adopt the people’s mantra of ‘we are in this together’. I was already very familiar with this phrase, first hearing it in the lyrics of the post-punk band New Model Army’s 1989 song ‘Vagabonds’:
‘We are old, we are young, we are in this together Vagabonds and children, prisoners forever’
However in this context and the context that I’ve always imagined it having some kind of relevancy was that of the poor and the less well off, who were always ‘in it together’ and knowing the best way ahead was ultimately to ‘stick together’.

Above: The Stone Breaker’s By Gustave Courbet (1)

This brought to mind the 1849 painting by the French painter Gustave Courbet titled ‘The Stone Breaker’s’, a work of social realism, depicting two peasants, an old man and his son, breaking rocks. The young man hands his father a new tray of rocks to break and we imagine that in some point in his life, the young man will take over from his father. The painting can be a metaphor for lots of things. The older and outgoing generation works to deal with the problem (the existentialist threat) and ultimately the next generation will inherit the responsibility and take over the task. But now in 2020 the phrase of ‘we are in this together’ was being appropriated and applied across all classes of people and social divides. With this new shift towards ‘pandemic advertising’, each company was keen to adapt marketing and advertising to address and reflect this unique situation. Their ads began falling into distinct categories such as: ‘We’re doing something’; ‘we thought you should know’ and ‘we’re here for you’ with most containing the phrase ‘we are in this together’. All seemingly wanting to appear to be doing something in the fight against our existential threats. We are the unfortunate generation that can therefore lay claim to ‘being in it together’ and having lived through a Global Pandemic. Borders closed, shops abruptly shut and everything basically ceased to operate. Apart from essential trips to the supermarket, we were all largely confined to our own homes.

Above: ‘I don’t dream as much as I used to’, by the Author, 2020

In the UK and Europe however (as of July 2021) we now seem to be in a somewhat emergent state of exiting the pandemic while sadly other parts of the world are still in it’s midst. From it’s beginning in March 2020 we have experienced a vast amount of change, uncertainty and emotions. Are we at the end now of the dizzying array of rules that were changing almost weekly and how different is the world going to be from now on? The French poet Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918) said that:
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.
The beginning of the pandemic did indeed feel like a resetting event, where we could take a big pause and then take in our surroundings. It seemed as if the world was experiencing a unique ‘resetting’ event. We could take stock of the state of our world and the damage that had been done to it. It is with out doubt difficult, problematic and almost near impossible to sum up the months between March 2020 and July 2021 in a succinct and concise manner. It will most certainly require much critical discussion in the forthcoming months and years. Our awareness of the multitude of existentialist threats that face us and the need to deal with them immediately is surely an absolute top priority.
In forthcoming discussions we might then hope to be able to ‘unpack’ some of what we have been through and how this has changed our world and also how it has impacted on our creative practices. In the broader field, this peacetime challenge to ‘normality’ has been unprecedented. In the creative sector, Art fairs and gallery shows were cancelled and moved online and questions came to mind such as: How does an online show compare to an ‘In Real Life’ (IRL) show?; How has this moment impacted on creative practices and our thinking, themes and interests; What things have changed around us?; The positives and negatives in education and technologies, democratisation and the future in a post- pandemic world where there are still other big existential threats to fight.

 

Above: ‘I’ve seen the lights’, by the Author, 2021

During the pandemic it would appear that creativity was a light at the end of the tunnel. Many people turned to arts and crafts for escapism and well being, becoming ‘makers’. Many found inspiration through TV shows such as ‘Grayson’s Art Club’ on the UK’s Channel 4. The many themes during the programmes allowed people to think about their lives, their surroundings and to participate in not only the ‘pausing’ of the world, but also in the art world itself. Perhaps people felt that the art world and creativity in general was a good place to seek refuge from the overbearing existential threats? Creativity was therefore being used as an optical lens to both view and deal with the trauma of the global pandemic. However largely it appears that most of the output over the last few years seems to be positive art that makes little reference to existentialist threats (2) and not art that might be viewed in an abject sense (such as Hal Foster’s reference to that of McCarthy, Pettibon or Kelley) (3) as one might have imagined. On Monday 19th of July 2021, the UK Government (and shortly followed by devolved UK Governments) lifted the easing of lockdowns to reduce the level to zero. This for many would perhaps signal the end of the pandemic, well at least in the UK. However the future is still far from certain. Discussions are now necessary (even if they may serve the purpose of a personal catharsis and a sense of healing for an individual) in the hope that we can prevent other such existential threats from reoccurring again in the future and also to re-affirm our commitments to continue to be afraid of them, rather than to become complacent with them.   References:
1. Image used courtesy of Web Gallery of Art: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15452563 2. Jonathan Jones review of the British Art Show 9: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/jul/09/british-art-show-9-aberdeen 3. Please see ‘Obscene, Abject, Traumatic’, Hal Foster, 1996. originally published in October journal.
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