The
idea for the documentary "head over heels to China" came during a
performance tour through China in the course of the German short film
festival. Part of the performance was always a specially prepared
projection by Uwe Bastiansen and Hamburg artist Irina Frederich. For 6
weeks musician and performance artist Uwe Bastiansen travelled through
the People's Republic of China. At different locations, from village
festivals over clubs, art galleries, museums to universities, he
ventured his own cultural voyage in more than 20 performances.
Interacting with the audience and various artists and musicians was a
direct exchange of experiences that was unpredictable and unique.
Chairs being thrown through the crowd,
Plaster cast heads being worked on and destroyed live, shaving foam and
other sprays being used for the mobilization of the masses. Banners,
shopping bags, feather pillows and various devices otherwise rather to
be encountered in the scrap yard were used to provoke reactions in the
audience that gave the artist the equally surprising opportunity to
improvise. more highlights were spontaneous concerts - at places like
Shanghai, Macau, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Shenszen - with local "noise"
artists, freejazz musicians as well as classically trained traditional
musicians and smashed guitars. there were overnight stays at 5-star
hotels, in artist villages and brothels, 10 Watt- sound systems without
wiring etc.
A
step
across the border for both cultures
with an accent on spontaneity. the movie tells of bilateral inspiration
and the experience of what "open eyes" truly achieve: understanding. It
is not about when and which cultural change took place and how politics
related to it but about everyday life. And with each more day of the
journey bit by bit the own personal view changes. the trailer to the
movie "le piano fatigué", in the meantime translated into Chinese, was
also shown. Lectures were held about "modern art and music" at
universities and galleries were engaged for restoration works
(afterwards). The trailer (composed in quite a hurry) gives a first
impression.
the
home
country is being appraised again.
this movie shall be filmed during a new tour through China and finished
in Hamburg. Already finished recordings will be added. The clip/trailer
produced with those already edited recordings serves as an example. The
documentary shall make it possible for both cultures to participate in
these adventures as viewers in the European as well as in the Chinese
cinema/television.
NEW!
The shortmovie on DVD. German language.
Running time 14
Minutes.

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It was one of those rare moments
of fleeting existence that spawned an outbreak of the magic of life's
absurdity. when a long time of the extreme found a gap in an
audiovisual explosion. the world condensed in a rave between the
planets. between islands of beauty, chaos, of sensual noise. where the
longing for the never ending experience of the ups and downs of the
common met its zenith. more or less…
When in spring 2009 Uwe Bastiansen wanted to give several
interviews for his movie "le piano fatigué" he was quite surprised that
the management of the Point Éphèmére in Paris even one year after that
concert still did not want to talk to him. A member of staff described
his view on the art-errorist and bagio show with these words: "There
are several things you can do in a club in Paris and several things you
cannot do – and this was almost everything you cannot do...". on three
stages positioned around the audience a spectacular took place with
Jean-Hervé Péron, Muck Giovanett and Uwe Bastiansen waywardly
presenting an extremely unusual music and show with tools and
instruments. With a chainsaw, pillows, rat traps or buckets of sand -
the audience was permanently chased through the hall. the title of the
movie "le piano fatigué" insinuates further surprises.
That
evening
in Point Éphèmére in Paris not only the artists
Jean-Hervé Péron, Muck Giovanett and Uwe Bastiansen and, as guest,
Iojik presented their role play. rather the audience - partly planned,
partly not - became actor of this memorable performance. Not only the
music but a variety of multivisual and experimental narrative
techniques led to the success of this "happening". the three musicians
did not share one stage but each one occupied one "island". The
audience had to battle for their space in between this
three-dimensional sound spectrum but was stirred up again and again.
Each musician was filmed separately and projected onto another via
beamer or tv. visuals and sounds from 3 different directions led to an
experience that surprised the audience and left it utterly confused. On
top of that an additional camera being passed through the hands of the
audience documented this event from an individual perspective.
the silence induced an almost
audible tension.
microphones attached to an old bicycle tyre and a special surround
recording technique sum up to the authenticity of this movie. You might
believe you were there.
The following objects were used as instrumentarium (listed
alphabetically):
bass - milk frother - cymbals - cabasa - concert guitar - chainsaw -
drums - freezer bags - glass - goat's hooves - guitar - gun - harmonica
- hunting horn - light bulbs - megaphone - metal - piano - pillows -
rat traps - sand bucket - screams - sledge hammer - sticky tape - sound
latch - tambourine - vacuum cleaner - vocals - wood etc.
Reviews of the concert: Jeanne Marie Chemalep, hand camera:
"it was a very polite audience.
considering that, when the smoke bomb
was triggered, everybody stayed quite cool."
"the communication between the
location and the fire brigade seems to
have been very good."
"i would have been quite
shocked. with hammers and naked people and a
drummer looking like an alien UFO just landed on stage and a smashed
piano and so much smoke…"
"many were confused. very
confused."
"the mood oscillated between
"having fear" and "being fascinated", to
and fro. between fear and fascination there is confusion."
"the piano player played on and
on and suddenly someone came from
behind with the hammer and slammed it on the piano and she just
continued playing. you could see her eyes expressing "help, help hope
this will work out". but her fingers played on and on and on."
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