The sixth section of New Genre Seminar is up. There are 34 videos total, recorded every students who presented work in the project. Yes it is a bit more work than I thought so please go check them out. The previous seminar is on my earlier post #5 New Genre
Following are Energy Drink by Danica, and Extreme Shaving from Peter. For all the videos please visit Deerfang’s New Genre Channel on Youtube:
Today I decided I should document this New Genre seminar in some form. It’s a class conducted by Tony Labat and I am the teaching assistance. Starting from August 30, today it’s already the fifth section of the seminar. Thinking about art exercises and art learning is fundamental for most artists, and also an initiating point for critical debates, documenting this three months weekly seminar could not only leaves marks for memorable projects but also be a self-reflexive process of art making.
Remember back in March 2006, I happened to be in a lecture of Yvonne Rainer in Goldsmith College in London. On the black stage, Rainer sat down next to a small table and a lamp. Unlike most of the artist lectures that present archieves of master projects, she read to the audience her journal that recorded one of dance workshop she taught. Every day and every small occasions of the workshop, between her, students, her friends and the organizer had been described. The hour long narrating as speech more or less became a performance that revealed her as an artist and a post-modern dancer that investigated relationships and situations that constructed by her and other dancers.
Anyway back to New Genre I seminar, I will start from today to document it every week with texts or images (hopefully I won’t get bored before it’s all over). It’s not my purpose to comment on the work being presented in the class. I will try my best to be simply a discriptive recorder, but obviously my subjective views will leak through my text time to time.
So here it go, this is what happened today in session #5 New Genre I : (more…)
The identity of Asian American had always interested me after moving to San Francisco. In New York where I lived before, cultural merging was certainly also appearant but some how it didn’t strike me as much. Perhaps it’s because one, the city size of San Francisco highlights this urban issue more intensely; second it’s the frequent presence of older generation of Asian migrants and young Asian American descendents. Old migrants and their young descendents play major roles in this city scape and the two generation contrast vividly in their culture and ideological value.
But last week, Say Bok Gwai 死白鬼, a San Francisco based Chinese American heavy Punk Rock band gave me another perspective of the Asian American identity. I went to their show on Thursday in Red Devil Lounge, as part of the Asian American Music Showcase. Two members of the band are Alex Yeung and Andre Custodio. Alex often sings in Cantonese even in front of mostly American audience, with lyrics on racism and Chinese American identity. This is lyric from one of their song, which you can find on their myspace page:
Chinese Racism
Discrimination like it was in the past
Not only white demons not only black demons
Chinese racist toward Chinese
Today is the last day of Free Lunch in Diego Rivera Gallery. Below are images of the day. Thanks for the people who came out. Hope they enjoyed the mid-day gallery dance.
This week 9/11-16, I am part of the Alternative Context group show in Diego Riveral Gallery. This show is made by the members of the Impressive Nature party in Ten15 Folsom earlier in May. My Bump’n Grind Dance Contest video is showing in the gallery in two channels. The Unique Dancer (a collection of 14 dance videos) is also on view in the gallery. During the week everyday from 12PM-1PM, there is a “Free Lunch” dance section in the gallery. I will be there to reward one person everyday for a free lunch in the Peet’s Cafe.
Other two artists in the show are Ryan Hackett and Jeremiah Jenkins. Hope to see you there if you are in San Francisco! If you are not in San Francisco, check out my pictures here later.
Alternative Context
a group show by Deer Fang, Ryan Hackett and Jeremiah Jenkins
Diego Riveral Gallery
800 Chestnut Street, San Francisco
September 11 – 16
Opening Reception: September 12, 5 – 7 PM
Gallery Hour: Monday to Saturday 9 AM – 7 PM
This is a five minutes video of Bump’n Grind Dance contest. For more about the event you can check out my earlier post Review Bump’n Grind Dance Contest
