ART and Research
Jadwiga B. Podowska podowska(at)jadwiga-art.com
Passing Yichang - 2008 - video
Flags of the nations participating in the exhibition
Passing Yichang - video
On the way from the airport (near Yichang) to the Xiaoxi Tower where the exhibition was, I recorded a video. This particular recording was edited and combined with another video that had my son passing through a big pipe. I composed music to it which could be synchronized with speeded up and slowed down fragments of the video. Passing Yichang, driving through constantly changing scenery, squeezing through the Canyon of Shangcaijia river and reaching old industry buildings adapted to the exhibition space was unforgettable. This experience left me with a dreamy feel, or even a feeling of being reborn, but also a disturbing feeling of “no return”.
The video "Passing Yichang" was commissioned by Fernfeld Art Group.
Still from video
The 809 International New Image Art Festival, Xiaoxi Tower, Yichang, China
In 2008, I was invited to the Xiaoxi Tower in Jiangjiamiao village, China, to show the video Vacuum, and participate in The 809 International New Image Art Festival. It was said on the festival’s website that it is “China's leading non-commercial annual film event & exhibition, including exhibition's screenings, performances, forums, symposiums and more. The 809 International New Image Art Festival's purpose is to introduce the development of contemporary visual arts in China through special activities domestically and abroad to establish a method for artists from different countries to exchange ideas at the cutting edge of contemporary visual arts as well as for in-depth and meticulous studies and research.
Xiaoxi - the remains of factory
With focus on the overall construction of artistic activities, the 809 International New Image Art Festival is more of a systematic cultural construction project than a mere exhibition. Apart from holding an art festival once every year, the China 809 has also adopted a variety of corresponding activities to meet the requirements of academic research and development. The film festival plans to collect the works of the world's vanguard artists, construct data records, and actively promote the research and development of photograph, video, multimedia installation, short film, new media, and interdisciplinary art in the world”
Passing Yichang - video art