On May 31 Four Academy students
arrived in China to start an 11-week Artist in Residence Program in
Shanghai and later Beijing. Cory
Dixon (MFA 2013), Megan Ewert (MFA 2013), Kristy Gordon (MFA 2013), and
Nicolas Sanchez (MFA 2013) will share their experiences here
throughout the summer.
July 4, 2012 - By Kristy Gordon (MFA 2013)
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| Yellow Mountain |
It is said that to be a good painter
one must see Yellow Mountain. After visiting I recognized it from almost any
Chinese painting I have ever seen involving a mountain range. The hike
was a long rugged way up to the top. We were able to take a cable car up
most of the way and then just walk along some beautiful stairs to get to the
top. When I think about the artists that used to go on pilgrimages up
Yellow Mountain, before the benefit of modern technology, it must have been a
true challenging spiritual pilgrimage. Having grown up in the Rocky
Mountains of Canada I have seen a lot of mountains, but none have matched the
beauty of this particular landscape--lush, gorgeous greenery mixed with
striking jagged escarpments. It is almost so picturesque that it’s hard
to believe they exist. They seem to always be encased in mist and even
though it was actually pouring rain the day we went up, that didn't seem to
stop anyone. Everyone on the mountain was prepared with yellow rain
ponchos, which we joked is why it is called Yellow Mountain.
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| Yellow Mountain |
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| Ancestor House |
We also got to visit a nearby
traditional village where we saw an ancestor house, which was built to honor
their ancestors and use as a meeting place. We even had the opportunity
to go inside some traditional Chinese houses, many filled with intricate wood
carvings.
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| Woodcarving detail |
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| Ancestor House "woodcarvings" |
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| Ancestor House "Heavenly Well" |
They all had a “Heavenly well,” an open air portion in the
middle of the home that is open to the sky with a rocky indent in the floor
directly underneath, symbolic of the connection between heaven and earth.
It was amazing to think that people actually still lived in these gorgeous
homes, and I was surprised to see a mix between more contemporary fashion and
products within older, traditional dwellings.
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| Impression on West Lake |
We ended the trip with one of the
most amazing experiences of my life. I was a bit tired by the time we
arrived at “Impression on West Lake,” which was a performance directed by Zhang
Yi Mou, the same guy who directed the opening to the Beijing Olympics. I hadn’t seen that so I had no idea
what I was in for.
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| Impression on West Lake |
It was amazing! Focusing on theatrical lighting
illuminating the lake in the darkness, the stage appeared to be invisible; the
actors appearing to walk on water. Light was put into motion by black clad
performers, schools of fish and flocks of birds created by synchronized
choreography.
The show was a new interpretation of a well-known tale of
forbidden love: a girl disguising herself as a boy in order to go to the
university and living with a man who discovers she’s a woman and they fall in
love. Since he is poor and she’s from a wealthier family, her father
arranges a different marriage. Bereft, the young lover kills himself.
Upon hearing of his death, the girl jumps into his grave and two white
butterflies fly out.
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| Impression on West Lake |
I have gained so much inspiration from this residency already. It is always hard to say how an experience in another country will influence my work, and sometimes the impact is indirectly related to the new setting. Almost every aspect of this trip so far has involved mist and smoke of some form and worked its way into the content of my paintings. In just three days we travel from Shanghai to Beijing and I am excited to see how this new setting will influence all of our work.
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