CDR’s animation director Eb Hu (studio M.I.E) has recently finished an animation video for George Michael’s latest song ‘December Song – I Dream of Christmas’ .  Below is a press release written by Ann Xiao.
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George Michael’s latest music video “December Song – I Dreamed of Christmas” is a gift to the people whose hearts remember childhood dreams. Falling into a TV set, the little boy travels along the stream of lights, where he discovers a magical wonderland inhabited by imaginary characters. When the sun lights up the world in the Christmas melody, he sees the smile from his Mum. It’s a warm nostalgic story created with a haunting visual style as if reading through the colorful pages of an old children’s illustration book.

The creator of the December Song promo is a London based animation studio M.I.E, founded by EB Hu and Joe Marshall in 2009. Through a recommendation by Universal, MIE was given the brief to pitch for the work. George had a vision to transfer the song into an animated story, his main reference being :The Snowman’ from a personal perspective. MIE wrote the story of the boy’s journey and his relationship with his Mum, along with a few hand drawn colourful visuals. MIE received a call from George Michael on the very day they won the project. He was especially complimentary of the sensitivity in the story and the organic feel of its style.

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CHONG-BOON POK
STRANGE/FAMILIAR
傅宗文 陌生/熟悉

Private view: Monday, 9 November 2009, 6 – 8pm (Light refreshment will be served)
Open: 10 – 21 November, 10am – 6pm, Sat 10 – 2pm. (Closed on Sunday)
Cooking event: 10, 11, 20 & 21 November, 12 – 2pm
Shadow tracing event: Throughout the duration of the exhibition

Artist talk: 12 November 2009, 6 – 8pm
The artist will discuss the development of his work in connection with the experience of his everyday life and his interest in Eastern thoughts.

DASEIN ACADEMY OF ART
No 3A-12-G, Jalan Wangsa Delima 10
Desa Wangsa, Setapak
53300 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 – 41 422 990
Enquiry: Kim Ng 019 432 5341
Nearest LRT: Wangsa Maju (Dasein is behind Carrefour)

Artist’s Statement:
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STRANGE/FAMILIAR

One
A life lived in hurry does not allow us to appreciate the many things around us; I choose to slow down my path and take a second look at things. I see devoting attentiveness to the everyday as the basis of my work; they reveal significance within what seems to be insignificant everyday objects and situations.

The seemingly extraordinary of our life can come from something quite ordinary. Therefore the strange can come from things that we are familiar with; they come along hand-in-hand, and exist in a contradictory structure that is simultaneously familiar and strange.

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CDR’s Member Xuhua Zhan who is working for Tate Galleries and ICON (Institute of Conservation) was recently interviewed by New Weekly magazine. The interview was made during the time she travelled to China with Pierre Thompson who is Head of Paper Conservation at Tate Galleries. They have given out many lectures about conservation to major art institutes in China. (Such as Central Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou Academy of Fin arts etc.) Below interview Miss Zhan has told how we can still be able to see the old Masters’ paintings today.  Full article is in Chinese and published by New Weekly magazine in Guangzhou.

泰特美术馆的名画修复师 – 艺术灵医
http://www.neweekly.com.cn/index/newsview.php?id=1204  

文/章润娟
<<新周刊>>第305期

艺术品修复不是纯粹的技术活，也是对名作的重新考量。如今，从物料到思想，修复师们对艺术品的了解比以往更多，但往往是想得多，做得比以前少。
　25名参观者穿越气闸，进入圣玛丽亚－德尔格拉齐修道院的餐厅，在《最后的晚餐》前逗留15分钟后，他们就必须离开。只有老太太比宁•布拉姆比拉获准搬一把椅子坐在画前，此前她将25年时光献给达芬奇，清除画上的“不纯物”，再以想象填满剥落了3/4的颜料。这是BBC拍摄的《旷世杰作的秘密》中所记录的一个艺术品修复师的工作。有人指责她使《最后的晚餐》变得更加不完整，但是至少，比宁•布拉姆比拉使世人不再将圣托马斯的手误认成一只面包。

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Founder and creative director of CDR, William Hailiang Chen’s collaboration project ResoNet (www.reso-net.org ) recently has been voted by netizens for inclusion in the Open Archive, part of the exhibition Toward the Sentient City (www.sentientcity.net) at the Urban Center in New York City(September 17 – November 7, 2009). The exhibition is curated by Mark Shepard and organized by The Architectural League of New York (www.archleague.org )

ResoNet project video was selected and uploaded into ipod touches which allow audience to watch during the exhibition period. ResoNet video was made in collaboration with CDR’s member Tiantian Zhu who made the sound design. For full project information and video, please see below:

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Founder and creative director of CDR, Ann Xiao was invited to represent CDR to participate in the Asian Youth Animation & Comic Contest 2009 (AYACC www.ayacc.org ) in Guiyang, China. She presented the CDR Animation Showreel 2009 and gave a presentation about her work as well as a screening entitled “Scientific Practice in Animation”.

It is the 3rd year since AYACC was first launched in China in 2006. The event was hosted by The People’s Government of Guiyang and Guizhou Committee of Economy & Information Technology, with participants from 26 countries and regions.

The theme of AYACC 2009 is “joyful animation and comics in creative Guiyang”. Invited by the General Secretary of Jury of AYACC, Mr. Liuyi Wang, there were hundreds of animation professionals from all over the world who attended the 3 day program of exhibitions, presentations, screenings and forums.

The special events included:
International Scientific Animation Festival,
AYACC 2009 Forum,
Award Ceremony and Concert,

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CDR’s members fashion designers Yang Du and Masha Ma have been featured on Time Out Beijing. 

Out-of-towners

China’s new generation of fashion thinkers isn’t limited to Beijing. Alice McInerney talks to five designers making an impact around the world

Du Yang

Surrealist designer Du Yang has notched up a fair few achievements so far with her ‘monster couture’, working for Westwood, Dior and Galliano before starting her own label.

She’s also part of CDR (Chinese Designers’ Region), a creative community promoting UK-based Chinese contemporary artists and designers. She’s making her debut at London Fashion Week this season in ‘On|Off presents…’, and is working on spring/summer 2010, which she tells us is ‘inspired by a memorable trip to Ecuador, a country full of vibrant characters and interesting stories’.

Her style icon is Bjork and her biggest compliment to date was when the course director of the St Martins, Louise Wilson (who taught McQueen, Deacon and Kane), said she hadn’t seen such an original collection in a long time.

Shop? Du’s work will be available here when the Dysemevas pop-up store arrives in Beijing. Watch this space.

Ma Masha

Ma Masha, another member of CDR, has worked for Alexander McQueen in London and Veronique Branquinho in Antwerp. Her designs were also presented at Get It Louder 2007, an influential and innovative design event in Shanghai. She debuted at London Fashion Week in February and is now preparing a show for the Chinese embassy in London for the PRC’s 60th anniversary.

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CDR member Zhu Tiantian is invited to join in a live performance of Shuffle I: Postcards with Peter Wiegold’s innovative ensemble Notes Inégales at Kings Place Festival.

Time: 14:30, Sunday 6 September
Venue: Hall Two, Kings Place
Price: £4.50

“Six Sound and Music shortlist composers have submitted musical ‘postcards’ around the theme of ‘shuffle’ or ‘swing’. Some are score-based, some are audio files. These will be fed in to notes inégales’ improvisation, directed by signals from Peter Wiegold to create a spontaneous performance. Composers and composer/performers may join the improvisation. The performance will start with soloists from notes inégales (Torbjorn Hultmark, trumpet/electronics, Melinda Maxwell, oboe, Martin Butler, piano, Christophe Fellay, percussion) building back to the full group.”

more info and tickets: http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/music/kings-place-festival-2009/sound-and-music-presents-notes-inegales-shuffle-i-postcards

Congratulations to CDR member: Tiantian Zhu is one of only nine artists to be selected this year by Sound and Music for their prestigious Shortlist for 2009.

Four organisations – British Music Information Centre (BMIC), Contemporary Music Network (CMN), Sonic Arts Network (SAN) and Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM) – have combined to create the UK’s first national development agency. Sound and Music (www.soundandmusic.org) is the UK’s landmark agency for new music and sonic art, working in partnership with complementary organisations to raise awareness of this vital and inspiring art form.

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Yang Du A/W 09 “Buda” and “Pest” , Photographer: Bella Howard, Stylist: Yasuhiro Takehisa

CDR member fashion designer Du Yang has just completed her new 2009 collection called Buda and Pest – a vibrant colorful collection of sweaters.  More images and details please click ‘continue reading’

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