Título:

 

Industria Creativa; Shanghai vs Barcelona.

 

 

Barcelona:

 

Barcelona fue durante muchos años, una de las ciudades donde el sector cultural y creativo era uno de los mas dinámicos de Europa; sin embargo las industrias como la del cine y video, el diseño industrial, el diseño grafico, la arquitectura, la moda, la publicidad o hasta la edición y la publicación han perdido fuelle a favor de otras ciudades. Estas industrias culturales se encuentran ahora ante una encrucijada complicada; por un modelo de negocio que en muchos casos está obsoleto, también por una parte política y presupuestaria; con un desmantelamiento del sistema de ayudas, e incluso por una sociedad cambiante, a veces radicalizada y poco tolerante… estamos en un nuevo escenario y se necesita que estas entidades vuelvan a jugar un papel importante en el desarrollo económico de la ciudad.

 

 

Shanghai:

 

Recien “salidos” de SH PhotoFair, y aun mas reciente, la semana de la moda de Shanghai, donde han estado presentes marcas patrias muy conocidas como Anirac o Lu Kun,  y otros “gigantes globales” como Gucci o Dior; estos próximos días se inaugura la 6ª edición de ART 021 SH, una feria de arte que en sus 6 años de vida ha conseguido reunir a las galerías mas innovadoras around the globe, como Arario de Seul o The Mistake Room de L.A.. En una metrópolis con alma y orígenes de cultura mixta como es Shanghái, se apostó hace años desde gobierno y ayuntamiento por las Industrias Creativas; incentivando a empresas con ayudas;  implementando estrategias en los diferentes clusters,,,, a día de hoy Shanghai no solo ofrece una gran oferta diversificada de certámenes durante todo el año; si no que gradualmente esta industria se convierte cada vez más en un pilar básico en la estrategia de futuro y economía de la ciudad.

 

 

TO DO

 

Teniendo en cuenta la desproporción de presupuesto publico que probablemente existe entre estas dos ciudades hermanadas, encontrar nuevas maneras de enfocar el desarrollo de las industrias culturales en Barcelona me parece primordial. Alternativas a otras mas tradicionales. Una referencia excelente ha sido la formula MWC + Sonar; demuestra que aunar modelo de industrias cultural y tecnología puede funcionar. Aprovechar esta situación coyuntural; por un lado la buena salud de empresas tecnológicas - digitales y por otro la tradición cultural de la ciudad de Barcelona en todos sus ámbitos; algo que apoyado por las instituciones podría resultar en propuestas modernas y actualizadas en términos de gestión y ahorro en utilización de recursos, así como una vía clave para acceder al ámbito internacional.

 

 

 

500 cows invade Shanghai!

The Mega Cow Parade is ready to kick off in Shanghai. The concept, originated in Zurich in 1999, is celebrating its 80 event presenting a huge version, first of this "size kind", all around the super-sized metropolis. More than 500 artists, from China and abroad, to create one-of-a-kind cow designs and artworks; selected designs from the public will be also displayed.

The art event will include raise funds for charity and interactive programs, such as painting contests for children.

Let the cows out!

Photo: designer Lu Kun working on his project at his studio in Shanghai.

SUSTAINABLE SKILL

China Daily. Aug.28th. 2014

SUSTAINABLE SKILL

In an age of mass production and consumption, two fashion insiders create eco-friendly products that focus on craftsmanship. Xu Junqian finds out more.

The fashion industry is notorious in many ways, and it has a reputation for being one of the world’s most polluting indus- tries. It is the second-largest consumer of water, and the rise of fast fashion brands has fueled increasing, unsustainable consumerism.

Some key players in the industry have come to recognize this and are taking action.Shanghai’s best-known haute couture designer, Lu Kun, and Spanish creative project manag- er Joaquín Gay-Liébana Jover are the latest examples.

Their organization, Send Wish, is neither a fashion brand nor a charity.Lu and Jover have been close friends for years. Jover defines it as “a project that designs and creates socially conscious products, which are not necessary for people’s lives but make them better”.Iconic products include scent- ed and non-scented candles, small teddy bears and reusable canvas bags, all of which are made, when- ever possible, from renewable resources.

Since it was founded two years ago, the project has worked with a long list of art exhibitions, muse- ums, luxury brands and hotels by customizing products. Topping the list are names like Andaz Hotel, their first client, the Yayoi Kusama Candles from Send Wish send hopes.The exhibition at the Museum of Con- temporary Art, and the Trussardi flagship store in Shanghai.For the four-month-long Monet exhibition at K11 Art Mall, Send Wish produced 5,000 candles, which were sold at the gift shop next to the exhibit hall.

“Everything came straight from the barns,” says Jover, referring to the cramped studio he shares with Lu on the weekends.

“The wax is vegetable wax and the wicks are made from either bamboo or coconut. Even the peo- ple making the candles are recy- cled,” he jokes, explaining that the project is mostly staffed by employ- ees from his art project team and Lu’s haute couture designing team.

Most of the products from Send Wish are handmade at the studio by the two teams, of about a doz- en people, “after outsourcing to factories became a nightmare and we had to go back to the drawing board”. The 46-year-old moved to Shang- hai in 2006 to work as the co-coordinator for the Year of Spain in China for the Spanish government. He also met and became friends with Lu during that time.

But being socially conscious doesn’t come cheap. Candles and teddy bears are priced at a few hun- dred yuan or more.

“We try to reduce the cost, but there is a limit we can’t go below, because of what motivates us to start the project,” says Jover.For the candles, the partners ensure that the products don’t release any toxins. Jover says that 70 percent of the candles in the global marketplace are toxic as they are made from petroleum products.

His concern is backed up by research.

A study conducted by South Carolina University in 2009 found that paraffin-based candles, the most common in the market, release chemicals like toluene and benzene, while vegetable-based ones do not.

“We choose to make candles as one of our iconic products for a reason,” says Lu, the 32-year-old Shanghai native. “Insignificant as they might be in modern times, they are still capable of bringing light to the darkness when there is a blackout.”

“It sends wishes to those in need,” he says, explaining the name of the project.Fashionably slim teddy bears designed for charity, recycled pillows made from 75% dry buckwheat.

Shanghai new Art + Design fair. An exciting new approach to art fairs in Asia.

Art + Design West Bund was officially presented last week. It will be held at the old Shanghai Aircraft Factory; the 8.000 sqm. warehouse is surrounded by the two mega museums recently established in the city; Long and Yuz; actually, the Yuz Museum is one, among some relevant institutions, like Bank of Shanghai, supporting the new fair.

Starting September 25^th and going on for 4 days, just 25 galleries around the world will be invited. The finalized list has not been announced yet but it is confirmed that Hauser & Wirth, Sean Kelly and ShangART have already signed up to be participants. The new fair will feature stunning presentations from World re-known curators, designers and artists. Yayoi Kusama and her “mirror room” and the artworks created by Anish Kapoor — heavyweight names in today’s international art stage — would participate at the West Bund fair.

I must say the project framework it does look good in terms of organization, location, participants and supporters.  If everything goes as planned, it can become a must see in the Asian cultural calendar.

Richemont Group: Paramount’s perfect domestic partner for Shanghai Film Festival: Shanghai Tang.

Richemont's fashion brand, Shanghai Tang hosted last night the “American Film Night Reception” at their recently opened Cathay Mansion, part of the iconic building Cathay Cinema in HuaiHai Road, probably one of the best locations in the city. Paramount signed a deal with China Film Group (at the Beijing Film Festival, April 2014) to coproduce Marco Polo 3D.

https://www.shanghaitang.com/world-of-shanghai-tang/cathay-mansion-shanghai

Perejil Asiático. Pub. Anoche…¨, Madrid. Enero 2013.

Perejil Asiático. Pub. Anoche…¨, Madrid. Enero 2013.

Perejil, elevado a la (s) máxima (s) potencia (s).

Lo que está pasando con las islas Diaoyu puede recordar remotamente, al famoso conflicto ¡Perejil Español! de hace algo más de 10 años.

En aquella ocasión pareció algo exagerada la gran operación del Gobierno del PP….. por una roca de 300 m. X 400 m. se movilizó ejército de tierra, mar y aire.

El caso de las islas Diaoyu (Senkaku en japonés) es infinitamente más complejo, por lo que las demostraciones de soberanía de los dos bandos implicados; por un lado Japón (respaldado por EEUU) y por el otro China en todo su ámbito (China Continental, Hong Kong y Taiwan) son, bastante fáciles de comprender.

Además del importantísimo factor común con el caso hispano marroquí; la Soberanías Nacionales, la disputa de las islas en el Mar de China está muy ligada en el mismo nivel de importancia a ganancias económicas (por los recursos naturales de petróleo y gas en la zona) y a la muy valiosa situación geopolítica.

En los escritos anteriores al S.XIX queda bastante claro que las 5 islas, con una de masa de tierra aproximada de 5,7 km cuadrados pertenecieron al Reino de Ryukyu, el cual dependía de China Imperial desde el 1300 aprox. De ahí hasta el 1895, cuando después de la 1ª. guerra sino japonesa, las islas pasaron inicialmente a manos japonesas. Y ahí es cuando realmente es el estreno del conflicto actual.

En las referencias a los documentos supuestamente legales del S. XX las islas, también llamadas Diayoutai aparecen y desaparecen como el Guadiana. Tanto en mapas como en tratados y acuerdos internacionales cuando salen (si es que aparecen), unos las consideran chinas de Taiwan, otros siempre Japonesas y otros por supuesto Chinas, de la China Continental.

Además, para más lío, en alguno de estos acuerdos firmados (hipotéticamente internacionales) determinados países implicados no estuvieron ni siquiera presentes en la firma.

En el caso las islas Diaoyu pertenecieran a Japón, EEUU como aliado del país nipón, tendría potestad para utilizarlas en su favor, como base operativa, de observaciones, o lo que ellos designaran. No sólo en las mismas islas si no también las millas marinas adyacentes.

Si hubiera una auto designación pronto, como parece algo posible, creará una tensión fortísima en el otro bando (y por mi parte totalmente comprensible) después de la cantidad de errores, intríngulis y ¨remiendos¨ cometidos en propio favor, obviamente.

Aún y que el 12 del 12 del 2012 no ha llegado escribiendo este artículo, deseo lo mejor para todos en el 2013.

Incluidos los no habitantes de las islas Diaoyu.

Joaquín Jover Gay-Liébana. SHANGHAI.

2 Cities. Published ¨Anoche¨; March, 2012. Madrid.

On weekdays, I usually go to an easy-going, delicious restaurant near my office. I have always liked the owner; a quick-witted and, as far as I can see, quite a shrewd business lady. She may be in her early fifties, still with a youthful flair, often swaying graciously across her restaurant.

When a few days ago, I asked her opinion of the Beijingers, she put her hands on hips, scowled, puffed out her chest and squared her shoulders, doing the best imitation of a pompous bureaucrat.

That's the picture with which I would define the two major cities in Mainland China. Beijing: Man, rhetoric and bureaucrat. Shanghai: Woman, shrewd and charming.

The residents of Beijing are often described as more intellectual, thermoses—cold on the outside and warm on the inside and gregarious. They are also regarded by other Chinese as aloof and having a droll, ironic sense of humor.

They open up with a little encouragement, eager to talk about politics, Chinese culture, and the family as an anchor in their society.

Beijing is a historical city and the former center of a great empire. Today it is the heart of the officially-sanctioned culture of the ruling Communist Party.

Shanghai natives form an urban tribe, set apart from the rest of China by language, customs, architecture, food, and attitudes.

The People of Shanghai are considered blunt, jaunty and worldly. They define themselves more reasonable and efficient than the rest of the Chinese.

Unlike Beijing, Shanghai history is not related with dynasties; strategically located at the Yangtze River Delta emerged as a major commercial center in the seventeenth century by a crucible formed by foreign merchants and Chinese immigrants from other regions. With the rise of the Communism, the metropolis had to pass the role of melting pot center to Hong Kong… A role that Shanghaiese are slowly taking back from the Honkies.

Although the two major Chinese cities have very different personalities, Chinese; regardless of whether they live in China are essentially the same. They are Confucian at the core, strong personal ambition, respect for mathematicians, disdain for humanities, competitive, high saving rates (at the same time voracious consumerisms’)... and on line chat “addicts”.

In fact, the inhabitants of these two cities; Beijing and Shanghai are, mainly, the ones who have begun (however reluctantly), what we could call as the real contemporary dragon: The Internet Republic of China.