J-term in Shanghai: Nick Forristall’s entries

NICK FORRISTALL writes:
This trip has been exactly what I have just called it: a trip. Shanghai is a much, much different city than Chicago, which is of course to be expected. But the two don't even compare. Here, you have some of the most ornate, eccentric skyscrapers just two or three blocks from truly poor people selling cigarettes and old scarves out of their homes, which open onto the street. It's a eclectic blend of fish guts, smog, bricklayers, rice, and so much more.

Yesterday we went to Bizart, which is our hosting art group here. Our friends there told us a lot about the art scene in China, which was quite interesting with the dueling powers of poor/rich, eastern ideals/western ideals (which are quickly melding here).

The thing that is find most interesting about Chinese art is the fact that until around 1979, there was no such thing as the "creative, free art" which we know today. It was mostly Mao Propaganda. In '79, everything came together, and the art which people in China had been missing out on came flooding in. This created a new wave of very fast, quick-handed growth in the art world, and soon enough, as expected, the Chinese artists came into experimentalism.

The most interesting "gallery" of note (to me) is Art for Sale, an event which happened in 1999. At this event, people interested were invited into a real supermarket, where on the shelves they viewed and were able to buy many funny/ironic/random things which the artist(s) had designed for the event. Items of interest included many things: small paintings in a pile of oranges, etc. There was also an area for installations, performances, and videos.

Soon enough, after about four days or so (I think), the government came in and shut it down. This was the most shocking to me. The items being shown, and the art being streamed, was apparently too "pornographic" and "borderline disrespectful."

It's a very interesting place and very interesting time to be in Shanghai. I am loving every minute of it.

Nick Forristall is a junior in the audio arts and acoustics department.

NICK FORRISTALL (audio arts & acoustics major) writes:
We've been to around four gardens so far. These gardens are traditional Chinese gardens as they might have been in the days of Confucius. The gardens were created as a place for intellectuals to wander and think. It's no wonder why; they are completely serene and I can think of no emotion which comes from them other than contentment and complacency.

The first photo is taken at The Humble Administrator's Garden, which is located in a smaller city about an hour's drive from Shanghai. This garden was phenomenally beautiful- with rock formations, water, grasses, and trees; it was impossible to deny its beauty.

This photo is taken of a view from across a pond. I had become burnt-out on gardens in general...we had been to a lot that day. But after taking a look again, I realized that the garden view looked fake. The formations, the foliage, and lake...it all looked like a mini-golf course. I say mini-golf course in the sense of a place my family took me to in the fifth grade. The course was called Pirates Cove, and the whole place had fake rocks, rock speakers, and green plastic carpets. This is what the garden looked like.

The second thought I had compares to the first time I saw Stanley Krubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. I have since faded in my interest in the film, but nevertheless: I thought the backdrops were the most crazy thing I had seen ever. They looked real-they were perfect-but most were made in a studio, specifically for the film, and then discarded. This view was backdrop material for something phenomenal.

We're all having a good time, and seeing a lot of stunning, sometimes even shocking things.

Nick Forristall is a junior in the audio arts & acoustics department.

NICK FORRISTALL (audio arts and acoustics major) writes:
The city of Shanghai is so mixed up. Before we left, I was under the impression that the people living in the city would be, well, mostly Chinese people. Upon arrival, and frolicking around in the city, I have come to discover that the city is filled with a very mixed culture. Not only are there Asians (big surprise), there is a large mix of Europeans, Americans, Russians, and some from Iraq and surrounding nations.

The whole event of seeing all these people mixed together in a place where I didn't expect it was really fascinating. With China being a communist (and somewhat capitalist, ironically) country, I had also expected very uniform buildings and dwellings. This was of course expected outside of the main skyline.

But Shanghai doesn't really stop there. Like some other cities we know of (cough cough, Chicago), it keeps moving. I am very unaware of exactly where we are in the city at any given point in time. But no matter where we may be, there is always at least one lone standing building, probably a building which nobody in our group has seen yet.

Not only are the architecture and human population of Shanghai very mixed and matched, the neighborhoods are as well. We can walk down 10 streets in an area of, say, 10 by 10 blocks, and each street may feel different. Some are trademark China, the China I've read about in books and seen pictures of. The next second, we're seemingly strolling toward the Champs Elysées in Paris. Ten minutes later, we're located in Times Square. And then boom, back to China (but this time it's older, or worn a bit more). The cycle continues.

Long story short, if you want an American-style mix of people, a New York skyline, a beautiful Chinese garden, a long walk in Grant Park, or the art of San Francisco, it's all in one city. Go to Shanghai.

Nick Forristall is a junior audio arts and acoustics major.