Ai Weiwei: Making Sense

Study of Perspective

These are shots done during a visit to the exhibition Ai Weiwei: Making Sense in London’s Design Museum. All pictures were done with my Leica M262 and a WWII area Summitar 50mmF2.

Ai, as he is referred to through the exhibition, is a well known global artist, advocate for freedom of speech whose constant conflict with his home country makes the background of his work.

Untitled (hand made cannon balls made of Porcelain)

The change from hand craft to mass production, the speed of changes in China over the last 30 years, the rush to modernisation are all themes that are exploited in his work.

Lego and vintage Chinese woodworks

Glass helmet

A lot of the work exposed are challenging the perspective between the actual way they were made and what hey represent. The construction site protective helmet is made of glass, the cushion of which it rests is in marble not foam.

The iron reinforcing concrete made of marble, the Iphone of cut-out jade.

Some pieces refers to recent events that happened in China, the rod to the collapse of badly build buildings, the snakes made of schoolbags to lives lost in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Some pieces like the glass, wood or metal seems to be realised in a very detailed and technical manner. Some others are closer to ready made like the broken porcelain tea pots and ceramics below.

250,000 porcelain spouts

Pieces of broken pottery salvaged from the destruction of Ai’s studio by the Chinese authorities in 2018

And one of the big pieces is an arrangements of Palaeolithic tools picked up on markets ( likely a single big market).

Below , the same shot with the Summitar wide open, showing the effect of selective focus.

If my memory serves me well, three selections of pictures are completing the exhibition, some of earlier works in Ai Wei Wei first atelier, some of the construction of the Nest for Beijing Olympics (Ai participated before withdrawing from the project), them a series about transforming landscape in Beijing Hutongs.

Nice show, but a bit short, worth visiting nonetheless.

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Walking around with color film

A quick post about last two weeks walking around with the Leica M6 loaded with a roll of Kodak ProImage 100 and paired with a Summicron 50mm V.

This is a bit awkward in the middle of my Caffenol frenzy, but it helps changing perspective. Also I brought the film to Whampoa Photo, and the scanning is very nice. I usually scan myself, but that time I decide to give it a try and the result is surprisingly good.

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  The 7th Month is upon us

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  No way

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  Friends

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  Friend

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  Oblivious

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BACK TO THE MONKEY GOD TEMPLE – With a roll of slides

The Sedan chair porter

This is a follow up of my last port about the Monkey God temple birthday  in Tiong Bahru. These pictures were taken with a roll of Provia 400F given to me by KC Eng. It is expired since 2008, but I did not check at the time and shot it at 400 with Leica M6 and Summicron 50.

The Lion dance

Ths shots were processed at Analog Lab and scanned at home ; they turned out quite okay. Maybe the overcast weather did not allow for a more reach color palette.

Dragon Dance

Dragon Dancer

Dragon Dancer

The musicians

The musicians

The lantern bearers

The lantern bearers

The lantern bearers

The lantern bearers

The lantern bearers

 

 

 

 

Back to the monkey god temple

Quality Lion dance that afternoon

Birthdays have the habit of coming back every year, so for the third time I think I find myself at the TIONG BAHRU QI TIAN GONG temple in the area of Singapore called Tiong Bahru for the birthday of the temple. One of my friends reminded me of the event and I was super happy it was at a time where I could attend.

This is a Taoist temple, a popular faith in Singapore among the Chinese population. I still don’t know much about the Taoist faith and practice, so i won’t try to explain it here. The spirits and gods have  a great place in the faith and they are honored through offerings like Chinese Opera, joss paper bonfires, ..

The celebration involved lions dances, a dragon dance troop, musicians, as above and below. Singaporeans say that Taoist are noisy. I think I have some old shots of the gentleman below.

The person that looks to be the man in charge posing with the lions and some banners.

Meanwhile across the street, the porters of the gods sedan chairs are taking some rest.

I shot 2 rolls of Tri-x (one above, one below this paragraph), one roll or Provia 400H (in between) and hundreds of digital pictures using the magic combo, Leica M6 for film and the M262 for digital; for lenses I brought the 50 cron, mostly on the M6, the 35cron mostly the M262 then. I also brought along the 90mm Elmarit for a few digital portraits.

At that moment the gods starts to be carried in 3 sedan chairs to the place where the bonfire will be lit.

Below some of the carriers of the three sedan chairs.

I don’t know if they are really heavy but the guys are relaying each others regularly.

This write up is about the film shots and should be called “You are all my favorites”. It found very difficult to select between the shots. I have included the shots of the two Tri-x rolls, I will do another small article about the Provia roll which has its own story.

We now arrived at the field where the bonfire will be lit, a small crowed is gathered. Led the the Taoist priests.

One of the gods chair with the idol in the middle.

 

(You can read an oldest post here )

 

 

 

Around Chinatown for Chinese new year – Singapore

So the last week-end before the start of the year of the goat I went with the family in Chinatown. I brought the Leica IIIc and a couple of lenses actually 3.

Most of the shots below are done with the infamous back focusing Jupiter 8, 50mm f2.

Quite fun anyway.

Chinatown is very busy around this time. People shop for food, decoration, or just stroll around.

These two guys selling chestnuts are here all year round

But other stalls are just temporary,

Just selling nuts

or fruits in the side of the street

Some of the sellers are coming from China just for the event, or so have I been told.

Sausages and cured meat stall.

This was the first time I use Kentmere 100 ISO film; reasonably cheap, I understand it is manufactured by Ilford now. As I rarely use Ilford product (except fro Pan 50 and Pan 400) I cannot really tel how it compares to FP4 for instance. Nothing to rave about, I’ll probably finish my stock and go back to Tmax or Rollei RPX 100.

14 Juillet 2013 – Cannes – France

So actually on the french national day I was going to the market and I came across a guy in traditional dress holding a drum so just followed and realized he was going to the local celebration of the national day. I took a few shots with the Dacora Digna, my beloved holiday camera, and with the LeicaIII that I brought with me for the summer holidays back home.

French National Day

The Leica shots are done with the Summitar 50mmF2 on a Rollei RPX 100 Film and I managed to ruin the shots by trying to process the film at home using the Caffenol method. The film was not well developed and very difficult to scan, hence the grain. I’ll come back on the Caffenol story later.

 

Veterans, French National Day 2013

Veterans, French National Day 2013

Veterans, French National Day 2013

I like the shot I called “The photographers”, the Asian tourist with her phone on the foreground and the official photog in the background.