Open studio is where the visiting artist will engage their artwork with people in public spaces like restaurant, shop and hostel. The idea is to intervene the daily activities and observe the public’s response to something extraordinary. It also helps us look at these everyday spaces and places within the city in a new and quirky manner, thus giving us new ways of appreciating the “old”.
OPEN STUDIO 1
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Date: 20 August 2014
Artist: Anjo Bolarda (Philippines)
Venue: Post Card Shop
Activity: Portrades (portrait + trade) in George Town
Description:
In “Portrades”, Anjo will make portrait of walk-in guests using water color and ink. The guests can take the artwork. In return, they are supposed to give Anjo anything, just like barter trade. While there are no guests, Anjo can also sketch/draw images in the immediate vicinity of The Post Card Shop. These sketch/drawings he can leave at the Shop as souvenir.
OPEN STUDIO 2
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Date: 21 August 2014
Artist: Jaffa Lam (Hong Kong)
Venue: Chinahouse
Activity: Umbrella Project
Description:
Jaffa has been working with discarded cloths of umbrella for some years now. She makes different whimsical installation that carries with it stories of common people in different demographics, such as wives, women workers, school girls, etc. Another version of this project (especially the Pavilion, which she exhibited in Australia, HongKong and other China cities) is a space-intervening work that allowed her to visually communicate with the environment. For Penang she compose the work and build an installation of her umbrella project at the China House Courtyard or Activity area.
OPEN STUDIO 3
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Date: 28 August 2014
Artist: Shih Tung Lo (Taiwan)
Venue: 28Bahari
Activity: Screening: Production during public event before 28th August.
Pirates and Ghosts in George Town.
Description:
His residency in Treasure Hill Artist Village in Taiwan, he intervened into a public event by giving away headbands similar to what is used during protest. The joyous celebration (launch of the Artist Village) looked different when people wore the headbands. Therefore he showed that an object change a story away from its original context. For Penang, he can either attend a public event prior to 28th or he can go around an area with a lot of people (like parks, market, food courts, shopping area) where he can distribute the headbands and document. The documentation will be shown at 28Bahari on 28th of August.
OPEN STUDIO 4
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Date: 27 August 2014
Artist: Terence Lin (Singapore)
Venue: Chinahouse
Activity: Schedule: starts at 27 August [the artist may choose to end his work by 2nd Sep]
Description: Terence aims to create a piece of work that brings the family of staffs of China House together by contributing an item or object they have special significance (whether it is due to long use or an equipment they need in their line of work at China house). The artist will record their quotes on these objects they chosen and illustrate it alongside their objects. These illustrations will adorned on the walls or any interesting corner of the reading room (darker space). A similar example is shown below, below is a project that speaks of the dream house a participant would want to inhabit.