Building and Breaking Walls: An Art-Filled Sunday, Aug 20

While the summer heat is still in full-swing and the surface of Beijing is enduring 'beautifications' as we speak, artists are here to witness it all. Young Beijing creatives have most certainly been busy bees as of late to bring you an impressive collaboration of artists at what they are simply calling “Wall." They say: "Wall is to memorize all the sadness,” but with the amount of entertainment on offer, the sadness might just get bricked up itself.

The event is embracing a generous amount of art in all its forms. If you are not sure whether you should head to a gig or to an exhibition for the weekend, this should be the perfect solution.

It will start with lighter notes on an early Sunday afternoon, easing in with the screening of four short documentaries, and then moving on to a weave of poetry readings and electronic music performances. The evening is topped with electronic music from multi-talented creatives. While snapping your fingers to the beat or stroking your chin to poetic lines, walk around Yue space, which will also be hosting works from the recent Hutong Project art exhibition including photography and illustrations.

We spoke with one of the organizers of the event and creator of the Borderless music label, Ting Ting, about her latest worries, as well as one of the poets, Matias, to shine some light on the work of Beijing's younger, up-and-coming creative crowds.
 

Ting Ting (Borderless)

Tell us about the event. What do you think will be the result of having such wide range of mediums together?
The idea was born in the beginning of July when my friend suggested we have an event together with his tea company. I am running 'Laowai Pie' and 'Borderless' (music label) and I invited Fu ('Chaosit') to join us. We started planning the activities, invited musicians and booked the venue when suddenly the tea company dropped out. Since backing out would have been more trouble than proceeding, we decided to just roll with it.

Fu and I have been brainstorming ideas for a while and one night, when I was strolling down Fangjia Hutong with a few friends, we started discussing the new tiny windows and ugly mess of orange bricks. It suddenly hit me and I texted Fu that we should call the event 'Beijing Walls' or 'Beijing Windows' and he loved it! I went to see the Hutong Project a few days later, talked to the organizers and we all decided to work together to make a tiny mark on this important change to Beijing's surface. 

Why ‘Wall’? What is it a reference to?
It's maybe the echo of the rebellious spirit of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" but mainly it's to mark the major construction work in Beijing. Historical landmarks – gone, beautiful cafés, and open-terraced restaurants – gone (or gone ugly). We still don't know what will happen to the Beiluogu Xiang or Wudaoying-surrounding hutongs.

The wall is ever-present now, blocking the entrances to little shops and bars, where culture and ideas have been mixing and melting together. We are worried the physical wall might become a mental one for creativity. 'Wall' is remembering the good old times of flowing culture, which hopefully will find its' way around. The Hutong Project is a part of 'Wall' since it has documented the whole process of destruction. 

You have been participating/curating/organizing art events for a while now. What type of creative/art activities do you see Beijingers gathering for the most? Does Beijing have a favorite kind?
Yes, I have been working in the underground music scene for around eight years now: three years in Hangzhou and five years in Beijing. I've been promoting, doing some horrible designing, organizing, and most importantly, participating in the events. Beijing favors independent artists. Look at what Beijingers admire – Caochangdi, School Bar, DDC, Yugong Yishan (semi-underground, simply because of prices). These are definitely my favorite music venues in Beijing. Add Yue Space, which hosts all sorts of art under their roof, Spittoon with all its side projects, Sounds (E)scape (By the 'Chaosit' label), comedy events at Temple, the Hutong Project ... it goes on and on.

There is everything in Beijing – art in the most unexpected combinations and places. Beijing has what's best and what's real. 

Beijing’s art scene seems to be relatively close-knit; artists migrate from collaboration to collaboration, style to style and it seems like the word of art mostly goes in a closed circle and they trust word-of-mouth. Is it important for you to involve new artists and creatives or to cultivate existing relationships?
I don't know anything about art, but I still love it. Whenever I go to exhibitions or spend time with my art-making friends, I see how alive the city is. All the musicians, painters, tattoo artists that I could hardly fit in this answer support and inspire each other in Beijing. Life is short, there are no more than 24 hours in a day, and we spend a lot of that time doing jobs that we don't always enjoy.

Maybe because of the walls (physical or economical, hey, we all still need to pay bills), Beijing is not always as open as it could be. What I see, though, is that everyone is trying to break those walls. We build the walls to break them!

What should the visitors coming to the event expect?
Easy: seven of the best Beijing musicians live, three poets who will read their hearts out, five documentaries talking about history and current issues and the Hutong Project's art. If you need a hangover cure, come at 2.30pm to watch documentaries and have a cheeky drink. Or, if you are off on Monday, stay for the best disco rock band Pacalolo or until the late techno beats from DJ Wujing. There will be anything and everything for all tastes. 
 

Matias Ruiz-Tagle

You have been taking different approaches to art: from poetry readings, collaborations with musicians to hosting events yourself. What are you bringing on stage for this event?
Whoa! Straight to the point. I guess I’m bringing a hefty amount of nonsense in the form of mispronounced poetry. I’ve been working on new stuff because I feel that my repertoire is aging fast. At least that's what it seems like to me. I’m always there when it’s being read.

When did you start writing? Was it something you took up from a very young age or is it quite new?
I loathed books as a kid. I come from an education system that makes you believe that reading is the ultimate drag. To be completely honest, it was definitely hard to pick up Harry Potter when you have Dragon Ball Z on a roll three times a day. Then, I had the last call with some classics and luckily took off for good. Truth is that I came quite late in the game. I started writing in university, where I had a very encouraging teacher who once told me that I didn’t totally suck at it.

Then I got beamed up by an advertising agency and I made a living out of writing whilst scribbling poetry to scrub off the awful feeling of dullness that marketing gives you. Then, I started traveling, meaning poverty, and writing is for free. Poverty is great for poetry.  

Did you do a lot of collaborations in Beijing? What did you most enjoy?
Beijing is a playground full of fantastic weirdos. I mean, look at the event's poster: Jady (the brain behind the Hutong movement) just mentioned “should we do a wall-inspired event to mourn the hutongs’ brick-up?” and there was no hesitation whatsoever. Everybody signs in. The lineup is amazing and everyone is doing it because they want it. There is a lot of glory in that. 

Yes, I’ve done a few collaborations. With ANXT for Spittoon, with Samantha Toh for “An Art Show,” and with the short-lived-but-well-remembered rock-and-roll drone monolith called “Black Chasm”: an octet tinkered by Dan Rothwell with chunks of Macondo, The Swinging Barbarellas, and Solid Gold. That one was a wonderfully enjoyable mess.  

What is different about Beijing art scene compared to other places you have been swirling around before? What is Beijing young creatives' vibe?
Beijing reminds me a lot of Melbourne and Toronto; plenty of stamina, aptitude, and will to drill the rabbit hole deeper and deeper. The constant swinging and switching among the players makes this city one helluva creative orgy, and the best part is that everyone is invited to hop on. Unlike in Los Angeles, where the gatekeepers of the traditional art scene are d*cks, this city has a lot of patience and undivided attention for whoever is willing to hit the stage. Chinese and expats are coming to clear terms in what they’re looking for, and this place is thirsty for fresh blood. I truly believe that Beijing is going to dictate trends anytime now. It will be very hard to ignore these kids.

What is the state of the literary scene in Beijing? Is it flourishing or is it quite stagnant?
This is going to be a shameless self-promotion, but Spittoon has been killing it in terms of giving megaphones for the motivated individual. Bilingual poetry and fiction, music, plus a seriously handsome magazine. That’s how I personally navigate the most. Then you have Jady, Loreli, and The Bookworm spotlighting writers and organizing platforms for locals, expats, and in-betweeners. So the answer is YES, Beijing is boiling with writers and artists going berserk with their craft. Sooner than later, we’ll all look back, drop a gasp, and go “Gee, that was one hell of a ride."

Join Ting Ting, Matias, and "Wall" at Yue Space this Sunday (Aug 20) at 2pm.

Images: Paul Peng, courtesy of the organizers