| |

Qingming Scroll

ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — SHANGHAI, no. 38

China Art Museum

The China Art Museum, built as Expo 2010 China Pavilion in Shanghai, houses an installation originally created for the fair. Based on a 12th century scroll by Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145 AD), the original Song Dynasty painting is one of China’s greatest cultural treasures. The painting depicts daily life of urban and rural people, animals, vehicles, and landscape at all levels of society engaged in diverse economic activities. Of 814 humans only 20 are women.

The mural projection is about 30 times larger than the original 10 x 207 inch scroll. Not only is the entire mural animated with movement and sound, but also it cycles through daylight and nighttime lighting. Spectators view the mural wall across a river. It took quite some time of being mesmerized by the scroll before I realized the river was not actual water but made of light and sound projected onto a horizontal screen.

China Art Museum

Along the River During the Qingming Festival — animation installation, transition from night to day

QingMing

Along the River During the Qingming Festival, original Song Dynasty 10 x 207 inch scroll painting

Qingming

Along the River During the Qingming Festival, bridge detail original Song Dynasty scroll painting

Along the River During the Qingming Festival, 00:47, mp4

Along the River During the Qingming Festival, mp4 00:53

Along the River During the Qingming Festival, mp4 00:35

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To see all blog posts in this topic, select tab above marked TRAVELS > CHINA.

Save

Similar Posts

  • | |

    Palace Museum Side Halls

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 16 It is called Forbidden City because it was forbidden to enter or leave without the emperor’s permission. It was the central seat of political and ceremonial power in China for 500 years, 1406—1912. The central axis is comprised of a series of throne rooms and vast courtyards. On either side are warrens of intimately scaled private rooms, kitchens, apartments, and chapels. Some halls are now museums containing extraordinary…

  • | |

    Beihai Park

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 21 Imperial gardens, temples, and pavilions of the 171 acre Beihai Park began to be built in 1163 AD. Located on one of three interconnected lakes adjacent to Imperial City in the center of Beijing, it has been a public park since 1925. People spend summer afternoons playing music, reading newspapers, strolling, and boating. The earthquake ravaged but still standing Tibetan Buddhist White Dagoba, original construction 1651, is on…

  • | |

    China Academy of Art

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHEJIANG, no. 29 China Academy of Art thesis exhibitions, Xiangshan campus map The China Academy of Art is a world-class fine arts institute in Zhejiang Province, one of the most developed and wealthiest provinces in China. The campus is located on the outskirts of the capital city Hangzhou. The school was designed by architects Wang Shu, winner of the Pritzker Prize, and Ly Wenyu, his collaborator and wife. He is dean of…

  • | |

    Scary Anatomy Museum

     ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHOUZHUANG, no. 42 Another thing that I did not understand, in addition to the legend of Wansan pork hock and the location of tea plantations, is why on the return trip from Zhouzhuang to Shanghai our next stop was The Museum of Mystery of Life. The bus group disembarked at a warehouse-style building. Tickets were arranged and a guided tour began, this time entirely in Chinese. The first exhibit of a…

  • | |

    Departure Haidian

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 26 The opportunity offered by the Inside Out Art Museum for an artist residency in Beijing fulfilled my lifelong desire to go to China. While there, the museum made no demands on my time, in part because the residency manager left her job the week I arrived. Everyone else in the museum was busy installing and promoting major shows. I alternated studio days of painting and drawing with day…

  • | |

    Beihai Northwest

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 22 Still with a lengthy list of unseen places in Beijing despite a month in the city, on my last day I returned to Beihai Park to be outside in a garden. The northwest section contains temples, pavilions, memorials, and a large lake-front walkway. Restoration produces a deceptive blend of ancient and contemporary sensibilities. Real people sing and dance in antique pavilions. The Buddhist Temples are active sites of…