Day Seven
It was another beautiful, sunny day in Beijing. It
was cold, but not too cold. I did some more work on
the woodcut. I also started to work on designing the
outside sculpture garden. Tracy Henenberg came over
and I made scrambled eggs with Beijing duck for the
two of us. We had a nice visit. At about 10:15 a.m.
Peter Lewis stopped in, as he had a meeting with Li
Gang. I also had a meeting with Li Gang to plan the
equipment for my studio.
Gang came over about 10:30 a.m. We talked for about
15 to 20 minutes. I sat down with Gang for about
five minutes, and we decided that I would email him
a list of the equipment I thought was appropriate.
We went over the design of the tables for the
studio. Gang suggested that each table have two
wheels, so when you wanted to move the table, you
would just lift up the fixed legs and move it. He
felt this was more stable than a table with four
wheels, even if there were locks on the wheels. It
would also be a lot cheaper to make. I agreed with
his design and we sketched the sides of the tables,
including the height that would be best for me. In
the metal studio at the Academy the tables were 70
cm high. Li Gang said that the tables were that high
because most of the students were quite short. He
thought that my tables should be 90 cm high. I
agreed.
At about 11:00 a.m. we all disbursed: Tracy to go
back to his place to crash, since he was winding
down from a hectic two weeks, Peter to go over with
Li Gang the work for his upcoming shows in December
and January, and I had to go to B&Q to pick up
outdoor lights for the Large Long and Slender to be
moved to my front yard. I used the route suggested
by Letitia of Imagine Gallery. By the time I got
there it was almost 1:30 p.m., and I was extremely
hungry. There was a "coffee shop" on the second
floor of B&Q. The only sandwich available was tuna
fish for fifteen RMB. I ordered the tuna fish
sandwich and a bottle of iced tea. The Chinese
version of a tuna fish salad sandwich is quite
interesting. It consists of a layer of bread with
the crust cut off containing lettuce, tomato and
cucumber and a piece of cheese; nothing else. There
is a layer of bread in the middle with the crust cut
off with an extremely thin layer of tuna fish, and I
mean extremely thin, which is topped with another
piece of bread. It was essentially a very dry bread
sandwich.
I found the lights that I wanted at B&Q. My first
choice required a special kind of wiring which they
did not have, so I went back to my second choice –
three 150 watt outdoor, water resistant spot lights.
One was to go directly under the sculpture and the
other two would go on the side. Li Gang suggested
that I get three lights, rather than one. I also
picked up some other items at B&Q, including a small
halogen light to illuminate the small version of the
bronze Long and Slender in my studio, as well as
some other items. In the interim Mung, the cleaning
girl, was working at my studio. Although I keep the
door closed and there is an enclosed 100 square foot
entry way, the dust somehow seeps through and there
was a light coat of dust throughout the unit.
On my way back I stopped at the "Kitchen Market" and
picked up some more dishes, a mixing bowl, and a can
opener. I found a box and taped those purchases to
the rear of my bike. I had previously removed the
fancy plastic carrying unit, so that I could have
another passenger or use the back of the bike to
transport goods. Now I was a real local, my bike was
loaded down in both front and back with purchased
goods, and I was weaving my way through traffic back
to the studio.
Next, I installed the lights for the sculpture.
Previously, I had the front yard wired with outdoor
fixtures and a switch inside so that there would be
lights in the front yard to illustrate the
sculptures. I assembled the lights and placed them
in the yard where I thought they would provide the
best illumination for the Large Long and Slender.
Li Gang’s driver then came by to pick up Peter Lewis
and me for a dinner given by Laurens Tan, a native
born Chinese, who had lived in Australia for many
years, but had now returned to Beijing to spend most
of his time. We went to a restaurant named "Bellagio."
Apparently there are two or three of these Bellagio
restaurants in China, but this one supposedly has
the best food. Laurens was accompanied by his
curator and assistant. In addition, there was Shen
Shaomin,
a noted Chinese sculptor, and his wife both of whom
joined us for dinner. Shen Shaomin had prepared a
magnificent portfolio that he was using for
marketing. Apparently, Sahtchi had purchased two of
his large sculptures and he was trying to sell them
a whole series.
Shen Shaomin has three studios in Beijing. Two of
the studios have large vats in which his assistants
boil bones to make sure that all of the fat and the
meat are removed. The bones are then cured and
Shaomin then reassembles the bones into very
interesting sculptures. Li Gang, who was sitting
next to him, did not like his work, but Tracy and I
thought his work was very strong. He has not yet
exhibited in the U.S., but he is working on an
exhibit in San Francisco for 2009.
Laurens is a computer artist. Apparently, he is very
well known, and is also doing the write-up of the
large show Peter is putting on in January. Peter
thinks that he is doing a terrific job.
Every dish was sensational. This was really good
Chinese food. It was accompanied by a Pino Grigio
from Chile. Truly a beautiful and elegant meal.
Peter and I felt guilty because originally only he
was invited and yet he brought along Tracy, Li Gang
and me. The four of us wanted to share the cost with
Laurens, but he refused, and graciously said that
the next time the treat was on us. Surprisingly, at
the end of this terrific meal it seemed that no one
was going anywhere else, so I was glad to get back
to my studio to do some more work, speak to Leslie
and go to sleep.
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