Retro

A ještě pár žánrových, kdo neviděl. Tohle je důsledek čínské blokády internetu. Když náhodou chudý student splaší fungující free VPN, která mu umožní surfování po zakázaných velenebezpečných stránkách, jako je třeba můj blog, nahromadí se tu hromada retrospektivních postřehů a fotografií, což v zásadě popírá veškerou podstatu blogu. Přemýšlela jsem, že až budu příští semestr v Holandsku, budu svobodně týden po týdnu doplňovat vše, co jsem Vám za tenhle půlrok nemohla sdělit. Mám to v šuplíku.

Qipu Lu FILM1

Tady se můžete podívat na můj první amatérský film, co má ještě co dohánět, budu mít ještě jednu šanci. Ty věci pod jsou kecy k tomu, ale třeba kdo nepochopí z obrazu (moje chyba, já vim, pochopí z textu.) POZOR poslouchat se sluchátky, jinak nejsou slyšet promyšlené beaty do jednotlivých střihů:) K.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/108497677/QipuLuFinal.avi

Project 2 Proposal

_3

I keep on thinking that the straight way of observation, especially in society that isn´t prepared to accept me as one of them at all, is not authentic. It determines the behaviour of objectives and distorts the picture of them. When you tell people they´re being shot they start to behave artificially.

I keep on thinking about means of observation in the way they wouldn´t be affected and due to this they could behave naturally.

In the first part of my project I tried to be invisible for my objectives, to take pictures hidden, so that they couldn´t notice me. It´s a kind of solution that I like but it is not very  fair to them.

The idea for my film is kind of opposite and I´d like to talk about it later.

The place of my interest is so called „fakemarket“, the one at Tiantong Lu subway station.

It embodies character of the whole city for me. It is madly chaotic in its even grid.

The huge number of very similar details that the man´s eye isn´t able to distinguish so he gets lost in it. Potemkin´s village, pomp in dirt.

I feel a great emptyness while walking through these crowded gloomy paths. Emptyness in full and upside down. That´s not only feeling of the space. I can see void in the vendor´s and shoppers´eyes.

I imagine the void in their minds. I can´t catch what they feel and think. They seem to play a role of somebody else or to wear a mask. They are all anonymous there. Anonymus units of mass. Like their goods. Just eager for money, bored and without aims or dreams. Empty shells of working-very well and harworking machines.

Supposingly they´re drilled to be so…at school, at home, via TV and internet…

 I feel really sorry for that when thinking about their real, original culture that could be developped and improved these days but it doesn´t happen.

I tried to draw my path while walking through that maze. Looking into the paper I thought it must be very simple to orientate there. But without – my compass – and that drawn track, I´d be lost anyway. There are no windows there or at least I didn´t notice them. And after a few turns I can´t remember my way. I only slightly recognise some places. While keeping on walking I feel like going in the circle. There´s no center, no heart. It´s not a labyrinth but a maze- thus much more creepy.

I don´t want to hide myself anymore. But I don´t want them neither wave into my lens nor turn their heads away. Maybe I should get somehow below them, so that they wouldn´t be scared of me.

I thought about having a mask…the same mean like they are using every day. It could be close to their way of thinking. Just buy some ridiculous things at fakemarket and wear it while shooting. They shouldn´t be scarried but rather have fun of me. Maybe I can see their teeth in the smiling mouths then, a piece of feelings.

Storyboard

_1 the overall view of people wraping the giant packages outsides aka working machines

_1a (+) titles

_2 the view from the highest floor, escalators down, still view of motion

_3 floor x: _a the atmosphere of axes, still long shots

   _b figurine portrays

   _c people´s empty faces portrays

_4 floor x-y:  the same schedule, higher speed, shorter shots, smiling faces if it happens? Can I change a thing?

_5 the path down via escalators, the speed inhanced

_6 the lowest floor: chaotic HELLLLLLLL, repeating_feeling of being in the circle

_7 title

Project 2 Essay

_4

QIPU LU Clothing Market

I think I ?only? partly achieved the goals I had thought about before going to film people in Qipu Lu fake market.

It is not surprising, actually. I could had thought about that kind of reactions that I have seen there before. But accidentally it hadn’t come to my mind.

It was a great fun and I enjoyed it very much. I was wearing a mask while filming. I was wearing big corns on my head, strange clothes and lots of sports’ protection on my elbows, knees and shins. Actually a lot of people wanted to buy or exchange it for thousands of stupid fake toys. Aneta was helping me all the day. I was very pleased but my only requirement was that she must have worn a mask as well. So she was wearing a huge paper head of Steve Jobs on her head. It was a great attraction, too.

So what did we experience and what we didn’t?

I started shooting the film in the highest floor of Qipu Lu. It is supposed to be the most expensive part with the highest quality of goods. In this floor there were lots of cops, they are in each floor, actually. I experienced the biggest resistance here. The cop wanted to kick me out and tried to or at least pretended to call someone else on her walkie-talkie. I tried to ignore her and shooted what I wanted. But actually it wasn’t such an atmosphere I was looking for, the tidy shopping axis and orderly stalls, so I left her in her rage and went one or two floors lower. I found a children’s clothes floor there. It was very pleasant there, all the children loved us and we made a small show for them. I was happy that even their parents had fun and actually didn´t mind camera in my hands. Supposingly they thought about us like a part of Qipu Lu, a kind of organised event which was strange but good for us. The only thing I was missing was a real view of Qipu Lu how I felt and saw it. For me it was - too positive. So we must have kept on moving to lower, more hellish parts of fake market.

It happened a few more times that we had to avoid annoying cops always asking us to leave. And we also experienced a few vendors’ negative reactions on our camera. But mostly we met with positive reactions and I think our masks helped a lot to pull the borders between me and them down. Maybe not fully but at least partly.

For me my mask was a rail to hold so I was able to come closer to them. For them it was a thing they had to pay attention on. It divided their thoughts between my camera and my corns. Often they liked my corns more and let me take some shots of them. Sometimes they really had fun and laughed at us and wanted to try our masks. At that time my goal was almost fully achieved.

 Actually I experienced kind of reactions that I didn’t expect and maybe I had to. I wanted to record fakemarket itself in its own nature first…in contrast with fakemarket influenced by a kind of strange funny parasite. The second part happened with a great success, much more than the first part.

I had thought that some people would have found stupid what I was doing and they wouldn’t have paid attention on me at all. But mostly it didn’t happen and I had difficulties find such kind of footage for my postproduction. We were even able to take a cop’s heart and laugh with him and a group of people around.

Maybe it was the first time I felt free among them. But on the other hand I feel I was always a thing for them, an object rather than a person. We are still so far away from each other. The question is if it is possible for me to cross the borders while I am staying here only a half of year which I find a very short time. Actually for me it would be a success to make one real chinese friend because I find all friendships here somehow very cold and maybe even artificial.

I know that behaviour of Chinese is affected by long history as well as our – my – europian behaviour. And it is a matter of the same amount of time or effort to put these two attitudes to life together. And the question is if we really want to put them together or if we rather like this diversity, the stupid, funny or desperate situations when we don’t understand each other? I prefer obstacles than harmony. But concerning the whole world it is different, it shouldn’t be a question of fun.

20112 Shanghai 1/2 Marathon

Dostali jsme ampuli s preventivními zrny proti infarktu. Bylo to na ampuli napsáno čínsky, ale někdo z Němců si dal práci to přeložit. Týden před během mě začali organizátoři smskami informovat o doporučeném stravování, tréninku a životním stylu. Prý jim někdo nedávno na trase zemřel.

Nemam fotku z 1/2Maratonu s číslem. Pače lilo jako z konve. Převlíkali jsme se v metru spolu se stovkami dalších. Cpali zmáčené oblečení do maratonských pytlů, aby nám je mohl autobus dovézt do cíle. Šlapali si po oblečení a po sobě. A pak vyrazili do boje. Dost pozdě na to, co nás čekalo. Start byl ještě daleko, na Bundu. A Bund daleko. Hlavně se k němu přes davy nedalo dostat. Šlapali jsme po sobě a po ostatních a ještě se drželi za ruce. Klepali kosu v šortečkách. Za chvíli jsme promokli na kost. Holky měly (auto)busy jinde, a tak jsem se ocitla sama. Chtěli jsme udělat foto s číslem, ale dav nám to nedovolil, proto ho nemám. A pak mě strašně potěšilo, když jsem se s Vámi náhodou potkala znova. U toitoiek. Ale kluci můžou po evropsku, a tak jste mě opustili znova. Začalo moje sólíčko. V metru jsem si uvědomila, že jsem ráno nepolkla aulin na levé koleno. Aspoň to bude opravdový boj, vlastně mě to těšilo. Snažila jsem se prodrat davem ke startu. Už před nějakou dobou jsem slyšela startovní výstřel, mohlo to být tak osm minut zpátky. V davu byly maminky s dětmi, starci s deštníky, jiní s deštníky, rozverný loudavý lid. Před startovní čárou mi to bylo jedno, za ní už míň. Pořád lilo. Po těle husí kůže, chlupy vzhůru. Mohla jsem startovat tak deset minut po začátku a to jen díky dravé vůli, už jsem se těšila, chtěla se rozběhnout. Za startem jsem začala tvrdší boj a spoluúčasníci to moc nechápali. Neměli ze mě radost. Já z nich taky ne, ale to byla spíš jen póza. Docela mě to bavilo. Kličkovala jsem a cpala se, protože mě nebolelo koleno a chtěla jsem si užít rychlost. Když to nešlo davem, podeběhla jsem pásku vyznačující trasu a zřejmě se diskvalifikovala, ale to v Šanghaji nikoho nezajímá. Trasa je vyznačena vágně. Pravidla jsou striktní, ale dodržují se také vágně. Mimo trasu se běželo mnohem líp. Hlídala jsem si, abych neběžela kratší trasu než ostatní. Po pěti kilometrech se trasa lehce uvolnila, déšť ustával a začalo mě bolet koleno. Už jsem nemusela porušovat pravidla a ani bych nemohla. Pocamrala jsem se ionťákem a trochu přidusila. Do desátého kilometru to bylo s kolenem dost k nesnesení. U dalšího pojidla jsem se, už zkušená, zastavila. Taky jsem měla alibi, neboť jsem o tom přemýšlela už párkrát cestou. Pak začala bolest ustupovat a byla to trochu nuda, která ale děsně rychle utekla. Jak se blížil konec, zjistila jsem, že už moc nemůžu. Začala jsem zrychlovat hodně hodně hodně…pozdě. Nechtělo se mi do toho, holka Ostuda. A pak v cíli dlouhá řada procedur, šla jsem s davem, odevzdávala a přijímala. Sebrali mi číslo, ale na oplátku dali certifikát. Ještě než se jim zhroutil systém. Takže mi věřte, uběhla jsem Šanghajskej půlmaraton a pokud si příště nezapomenu vzít aulin, poběžim jinde, znova. Moc dobře se mi teď nechodí.

Little Shanghai Espionage

Takjo. Nestíhám nic psát, tak si aspoň přečtěte nebo se podívejte, co se mnou Shanghai vyvádí, máte-li zájem. Je to projekt na Film Architectures, zatím esej a fotoesej, která vyústí v produkci filmu. Laila.

Project1 Proposal

_1

For me as a visitor it is very important to be able to orientate in a new city. I need a map, the Sun,

a compass…or a high place to keep distance between my eyes and the streets to find the landmarks, differ one part of the city from another, to understand geometry of the street network, to put it in order in my head otherwise I’ll be lost and I won’t remember my way. It is not so important in tiny towns of my country where the orientation is quite simple but in such a big city how Shanghai is or even in smaller cities like London, Vienna or my hometown, Prague, I consider it necessary.

Every roof should be accessible in general. I am for the roof policy. I love roofs, chimneys, towers.

I always like to stay above the things before I go deep into them. At first to build a respect from the motion beneath my legs, try to stay unbiased for a while? It makes me more powerful, more self-confident while walking in the streets after that and gives me the feeling of freedom. This way I try to play the role of an inert observer.

But is it possible to stay unbiased looking at such a wonderful city like Shanghai? Is it possible to stay unbiased looking from height at - doesn’t matter what? Your mind is determined unconsciously by this feeling of power and freedom. You are both scared and impressed.

You can’t see every detail which bothers you. The city is kind of Persian rug when you stay above it in the living room with the lights of an old chandelier on while dusk is coming. It is very colourful and ornamental and you aren’t able to see a dust or find the needle you lost there. You have to kneel down and look for it with your nose on the floor. Then I eager for running down the steps from the roof to the entrance gate and look into the details.

Who are the people living here? Where are the vendors’ homes? Where they buy or grow vegetable? What kind of animals used to be the creatures hanging around their stalls? Did they live in good conditions?

How many questions can we ask? Where is the end of this story?

It is something like a tree with branches exceeding always into two more and more and more… The city is an organism or a mathematical set. It is a fractal in the meaning of its infinity. The difference is that when the city deepens into details, it doesn’t make self-similar patterns but instead every new shape you discover is individual and different from the others.

From distance you may think it repeats. Houses of the same shape and orientation, streets of the same width, trees and grass, windows and faces. You may think you have found an order there. You may find it creepy and want to change it. But when you step aside, you realize that every thing, every subject, every tiny part of the city is different and that you can’t find a system at all. Supposingly it drives you mad even more.

Thus the main question is: How many answers can we get when we discover a city?

This is a privilege of an observer. Where do I have my personal borders. How far am I able to go. Where is my moral boundary of respecting privacy of subjects of my observation? Can I look into their eyes? Can I step over their thresholds? Can I steal their emotions?

Transition from distance to proximity, from height to base, from top to roots. Change of perspective and the end of endless are my objects of interest.

_2

Trying to look into their eyes I found I am not capable of bothering them. Sometimes they don’t mind. Sometimes they even have fun. But another time they don’t like it. And this is the moment when I can’t keep on. I don’t want to make such an experience any more. I am not afraid of them but rather of myself. I don’t want to hurt them. Maybe I am too weak or cowardly to break into their lives. I am too afraid of people’s souls´ sensibility. I can understand how tender can a heart be. But the same time I want to break in, disrupt their intimacy for my own need and delight.

I am looking for the obstacles that disable me a clear view. I hardly can see half of what I am observing. I can only guess the whole appearance. That is exactly what I like. I always have to make or imagine things being difficult when I want to enjoy it or when I want to work hard. I hate the straight view, path, opinion, such an evidence or certainty fills me with feeling of treachery and sham. I find more natural and more human the tricky tasks, snaky paths and blurred pictures.

I shroud myself in dark, I hide myself in hedge. I can see everybody but nobody recognises me…hopefully. Will they? I stay next to them in such a fear. Only a few steps from my objectives.

My camera is too noisy, maybe they could hear it and now they feel uneasy thinking about what is going on. The only borders, the only stable thing in my life right now is represented by iron bars.

I want to hold it while taking pictures.

I am walking along the fence and watching backstages of buildings on the right side and on the left side the life of adjacent street.

I climb to the top of roofs and observe people in illuminated windows. Feeling much more secure than one step from my aims I am happy that I can not see them clearly. I would be so ashamed.

I don’t mind looking straight beneath my legs. I even like this kind of adventurous perspective. Streets with cars tiny as ants. And while looking further, the streets disappear and you can only see separate blinking lights of the city´s rooms and appartments.

Even if my personal barriers disable me to broaden my mind, my fantasy works at full speed which may be confusing for the others but for me it is one of the most important parts of my life.

Ni hao.

Hello. The first echo from China. It´s our fifth day at Tong Ji(I have really bagun with writing on my fifth day here). I can say I am happy now and it seems to be quite early but I haven´t been so easygoing a few days ago. We left the airport in Pudong for the subway, luckily with all of our luggage in the hands, and started our first journey to Tong Ji. The subway seems to be all right, even newer than the ours, as I supposed. All of the announcements are both in chinese and english, so there is no problem with finding the right way. We got even the place to sit, but I can smell something bad in the air. Why are we going back? Oh yeah, it was the turning station, something like a train roundabout, that kicked us two or three stations back before we realised what happened.  Never mind, we try it once again and after half an hour we continue on the right direction. We didn´t go through so many stations but it spent more than two hours until we arrived. Shanghai is large:) It has two times more locals than the whole Czech Republic. I like our bamboo campus. There are crowds of chinese students  in front of cantines announcing parties and having lunch in the noon and supper at about five a clock in the evening. There is a park with a pond and akward swans. There is a highrise building in the southwest corner with tumors hanging in the interior space. There are benches on the streets, bicycles and mopeds. You must be very careful otherwise you will be ran over. Pedestrians last. No way. Even trees have more rights while being grown in the middle of pavements. It can be quite tricky while running late for the morning lesson. Wu is ok. Wu is our international student´s officer. She made us a reservation for a room in the dorms, that´s what we needed. But she is like all the Chinese I have met so far. She doesn´t tell you anything more than what you ask her about. It´s a bit difficult in the country where you can´t understand anything.

Our first chinese (horrible) picture with Hello Kitty,
the second one is with shining flamingos.

Louis Uvitton

After a week I can say I am able to eat chinese food. Fortunately I haven´t been sick yet. Czech stomach seems to be firm in comparison to the german one... And I seem to be more and more brave. Today I have tried small meat dumplings with surprise inside. It was really tasty. Rice with vegetable, noodles, dumplings, pies, fruit…a broad range of cheap chinese meal. I long for a good wine, milk, cheese, butter, bread, chocolate and espresso. I can do without all of it except chocolate that is very expensive here.