AnotherDesignBlog.

Posts for Tag: china

Artist Ai Weiwei arrested & his whereabouts still unknown (Sunflower Seeds @ Tate Modern)

The artist Ai Weiwei was arrested by Chinese authorities on 3 April 2011 - currently there is no information on his whereabouts and the charges are unclear.

Ai Weiwei arrest - http://aandalawblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/ai-weiwei-arrest.html
Artist Ai Weiwei arrested at Beijing airport, held incommunicado - http://en.rsf.org/chine-artist-ai-weiwei-arrested-at-03-04-2011,39942.html

Ai Weiwei, A Conversation
Talk with Ai Weiwei (before his arrest) where he is questioned by an audience member on why he thinks he hasn't been arrested yet...

Ai Weiwei: Sunflower seeds
Here's the video which is being shown at the Tate Modern to accompany the sunflower seeds exhibit in the Turbine Hall - is well worth watching it all, the story of how the seeds were made is epic, with each seed being hand-fired and hand-painted by the inhabitants of Jingdezhen, the 'porcelain capital' of Ai weiwei's native China."1600 people and more were involved in the project in the town...that means almost everybody knows someone who is making Sunflower seeds." Ai Weiwei

Photos from The Guardian In Pictures article
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/oct/11/aiwewei-sunflower-...

Adidas Originals x Star Wars x Shopping Babies = Too Cool...

Excellent Adidas Originals x Star Wars x Shopping Babies collaboration by Hong Kong artist Dorophy Tang. She's really captured the feel of vintage Chinese cinema posters alongside the Star Wars theme, is so cool I may need a sit down and a cup of tea... http://allaboutdorophytang.blogspot.com/

via @gavrov and http://bumbumbum.me/2011/03/08/adidas-star-wars-posters-by-dorothy-tang/

A Collection of Chinese Propaganda Posters | 1925-2006

Politics and ethics aside, I keep being drawn to the pure graphic language of Propaganda art from around the world. It's use of beauty, emotion, symbolism, bold graphic imagery, regional tradition, messaging and typography combine to make persuasive communications. There's a mix of overall styles in this Chinese Propaganda Poster collection, but for me to make sense of them I've grouped them loosely into Joyous, Children, Oddly Modern and Militant.

Sourced from the Gallery of Chinese Propaganda Posters (1925-2006) at http://chineseposters.net & http://www.socialhistoryshop.com/

Joyous

Children

Oddly Modern

 

Militant

Vintage Chinese 'Health for the People' Posters

Children's Health (Pictures 1-8) - Do Physical Exercise. Get the BCG Inoculation. Don’t Spit Anywhere. Love Cleanliness and Sanitation. "In the 20th century, under both Nationalist and Communist governments, China supported public health measures as a way to strengthen the country. The state promoted preventative health, and children were a particular concern for both the health and the education ministries. The children’s health material promoted exercise, vaccination, controlling spitting, keeping utensils clean, and honest behavior."

Family Planning (Pictures 9-14) - Beginning in the 1970s, China strongly promoted policies of limiting fertility, using the slogan "wan, xi, shao" – 晚 稀 少 – "later,longer, fewer."

Medical Advertisements (Pictures 16-19) - "The Tianjin Pharmaceutical Factory, founded in 1921, used western methods to produce and market traditional Chinese medicines. The sheets shown here advertise a mix of European and Asian products, using ideal feminine and masculine images as well as the Tian An Men (Gate of Heavenly Peace). Ads for progesterone and methyltestosterone show the appeal of potent over-the-counter hormone therapies."

The Four Pests (Pictures 20-21) - "Beginning in the 1950s, the Chinese state mounted the Patriotic Health Campaigns to improve sanitation and public health. In 1958 the campaigns focused on the "the four pests": rats, sparrows, flies and mosquitoes."

What to do about one's mistakes (Cycle through 12 consecutive frames) - This series of transparencies teaches children how to admit their mistakes and correct wrong behavior. An energetic little boy is playing with a ball and accidentally breaks a window. Classmates and their teacher think another child is the perpetrator, until the boy admits his mistake. An understanding between teacher and playmates contributes to a happy ending.

All from the US National Library of Medicine archives - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/healthforthepeople/index.html

Cool Chinese Book Covers

More from the collection here http://www.flickr.com/photos/60584010@N00/sets/72157623667919530/with/4453166...

"from the book "Selections of Designing Work the Central Academy of Arts & Design 1956-1986" by Zhong Yang, Gong Yi Mei Shu Xue Yuan and She Ji Pin Xuan. Found this at a rare/used book store and can find no information about it online.  The Central Academy of Arts & Design is now known as "China Central Academy Of Fine Arts", www.cafa.edu.cn/channel.asp?id=10 "

More great ephemera by the same guy, I could stay on this site for aeons!! http://assemblyman-eph.blogspot.com/