Artists at heart

For Children's day, on Monday, Noam school was off. Me and my good friend Jodi planned to do something fun and different. 

After a memorable taxi ride, where Kai and Noam tried their voices signing accapella, while I tried my Chinese to orient the driver to some remote studio, we arrived in what appeared to be an island of tranquility and creativity. A large compound of artist studios surrounds an open courtyard, where in a corner a wine covered pergola shades a set of garden chairs and tables, and where good coffee is served. 

Karen, a fellow Canadian, and Dawu, a sweet Chinese artist, share their creative passion with kids, with their project called Beijing Color Studio.  Dawu takes on the role of creative director and help the little ones unleash their art onto a canvas, while Karen takes care of the logistics.

Kai and Noam were the first arrived. Dawu and Karen later that day hosted more than 20 other kids. Easels were set, white canevas were awaiting the budding artists. As Dawu spread some color on the canevas, Kai quickly picked up at it, spreading it and enjoying the feeling of the paint on his hands. As he softly explored the texture of the paint, the colour covered the white square, leading to a very interesting effect. 

Noam at the opposite, did not quite get into it right away. As paint touched his fingers, he started panicking, and repeatidly saying "mains" (hands in French), is own way to ask for me to clean his hands. We tried various tricks, brushes, splashes, and funny faces, but we did not really succeeded in getting him to enjoy the act of spreading color onto the canevas. Then at one unexpected moment, he started to use a big brush on the raised canevas, and for fifteen minutes, we saw the artist at work. 

A night expedition

We have asked our ayi (nanny) Lili to babysit, in a (failed) attempt to attend some "culture" , a dance show by Jennifer Muller at the CNCPA, aka the Egg. We are not sure of who she is, but the idea of going to the Egg is exciting. We hope for cheap tickets. (Our destination was a very last minute decision). 

The Egg is the new China National Center for the Performing Arts. It has been designed by Paul Andreu, a French Architect. The concept of the building is simple: an egg floating on water. Andreu took pleasure in juxtaposing the sleek and sexy lines of his building against the austere architecture of the public buildings surrounding Tienanmen Square. Some critics even go as far as saying that he mocked I.M. Pei (who did the Pyramid at the Louvre).

The taxi dropped us in front of the building. We suspiciously approached the entrance, not seeing many people there. A guard told us to go around the building. We walked and walked around the immense water pond (lake?) surrounding the building.

After a while (and in the cold that while might be a bit shorter), we wondered if we misunderstood what the guard said. There was no entrance in sight! Only a round facade, and water surrounding it... Then I remembered someones comment in a architecture lecture. Walking under water... We ask a guard (in our approximate Chinese) and he indicates the direction of the street, away from the building. There it is, like a warm red mouth, ready to welcome all the center's visitors!

As we walk down the stairs, a few men come to us, saying "piao". They are scalpers. We walk in, and go to the counter, to be told the show is sold out. Ah, disappointment! We walk back out and look for those piao guys. They want 180$ for a pair of good tickets! We wander a bit more, hoping for a price reduction as the show starts. All a sudden we see about 10 of them fleeing, and witness the arrest of a couple of them by two policemen. A few approach us again, but by that time, we are wondering if we might even get arrested for buying scalped tickets. So we slowly drift towards Tienanmen. 

Floating on water, the Egg appears as an enigma. Despite our attempt, it will remain as such tonight!