Zeitschriftenartikel zum Thema „Theatre and AI“

UNA NUOVA DATA PER IL TEATRO DI AGRIPPA AD OSTIAQuest'articolo riesamina la data di fondazione del teatro di Ostia, e suggerisce che esso possa contribuire a un più generale modello di costruzione dei teatri tipico dell'impero in un periodo particolare del regno di Augusto. Vi è generale consenso sul fatto che il teatro di Ostia sia stato costruito nel periodo augusteo, dietro suggerimento del braccio destro di Augusto, Marco Agrippa, ma è stato talvolta associato con la prima parte del suo regno. La prima parte della discussione sottolinea l'importanza di un frammento epigrafico, che dovrebbe essere aggiunto ai due frammenti pubblicati come CIL XIV 82. Le due lettere del frammento suggeriscono l'ipotesi che la fondazione del teatro appartenga al periodo 18–12 a.C, e forse al 18–17 a.C. Il teatro di Ostia appartiene quindi ad un gruppo di teatri che furono costruiti fra il 25 ed il 15 a.C. e che sono associati con personaggi influenti che avevano legami personali con Augusto.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce applied improvisation (AI) as a tool for training humanitarian aid workers. AI incorporates principles and practices from improvisational theatre into facilitation and training. It is an excellent modality for training aid workers to deal with crisis and disaster scenarios where decision-making and collaboration under pressure are critical. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a theoretical base for understanding skills needed in disaster response and provides a case for innovative training that goes beyond the current standard. AI principles, activities and case examples are provided. Interviews with development experts who have participated in AI training are excerpted to reveal the impact and promise of this methodology. Findings – Different from typical training and games, which simulate potential crisis scenarios, AI works with participants in developing the skills necessary for success in disaster situations. The benefit is that workers are better prepared for the unexpected and unknown when they encounter it. Research limitations/implications – The current paper is based on author observation, experience and participant interviews. While AI is consistently transformative and successful, it would benefit from more rigorous and structured research to ground the findings more deeply in larger evidence based processes. Practical implications – The authors offer specific activities, resources for many others and practical application of this modality for training purposes. Social implications – Its application has tremendous benefits in training for specific skills, in creating greater cohesion and satisfaction in work units and breaking down culture and language barriers. Originality/value – This work is original in introducing these training methods to humanitarian aid contexts in general, and disaster preparedness and response in particular.

Negli anni ’60 e ’70 un aspetto particolarmente incisivo del teatro a Napoli è costituito dalle esperienze di ricerca condotte da alcune formazioni che, con diverse modalità, lanciano un chiaro segnale di rinnovamento. In nome di un più libero legame con la tradizione e rifiutando come unico il modello eduardiano, i gruppi sperimentali di questi anni generano un’autentica spinta vitale che, per la presenza di un patrimonio artistico stratificatosi nei secoli, assume particolari connotazioni all’interno del generale clima di rinnovamento del teatro italiano. Il rapporto acentrico con il testo drammatico costituisce una delle caratteristiche principali di questo processo nel quale, attraverso l’integrazione di espressioni proprie delle varie arti, la scrittura scenica è spostata sulla sfera del visivo. Il sTeatro, Napoli, Recitazione, Avanguardia, Sperimentazioneaggio intende tracciare la parabola dellã avanguardia teatrale napoletana nei due decenni che precedono la nascita della nuova drammaturgia (Moscato, Ruccello, Santanelli), ovvero, identificare i protagonisti di una generazione di artisti che si nega alla visione folklorica della cultura partenopea volgendo l’attenzione ai testi teorici (ad esempio le prime traduzioni degli scritti di Brecht e Artaud), alla drammaturgia straniera (Genet, De Ghelderode, Lorca, Ionesco, Beckett) e ai padri del Nuovo Teatro (Living Theatre, Grotowski), preparando l’humus germinale di una più serena relazione con il passato che consente la produzione testuale degli anni a venire.

Kuala Lumpur Knock-Out (henceforth to be known as “KL-KO”) is the second project of Kuali Works. KLKO is the most commercial performance staged by Kuali Works; this was the first time Kuali Works advertised its play in mainstream newspapers in the, as well as solid patronages from an impressive list of sponsors. Written and directed by Ann Lee, it was staged in Experimental Theatre, Kuala Lumpur in 1996. KL-KO revolves around the life of Tan Ai Leng (played by critically acclaimed dancer Mew Chang Tsing), a young Chinese woman from Penang who dreams of fighting Mike Tyson in an exhibitionboxing match in Kuala Lumpur. Simultaneously, her best friend Mazuri experience a rather unpleasant incident at her workplace. After 22 years, it is recompensing to look back at the relevance of the issues highlighted in this play. Simultaneously, one would realise that the elements of feminism discussed in this play are the real problems faced by women in this country, even after the new millennium.

Título: Dez perguntas mais uma a Thierry Salmon Resumo: Entrevista realizada no contexto das temporadas italianas do espetáculo Fastes-Foules, as questões e as reflexões seguem pertinentes a todo coletivo artístico: origens, referências, objetivos, princípios, procedimentos de trabalho; destacando como é possível encontrar uma estrada pessoal no teatro, como não estão esgotadas as capacidades objetivas de mudanças e de invenção cênicas. Palavras-chave: Fastes-Foules, Processo de Criação, Criação Coletiva, Espaço Cênico, Encenação. Titolo: Dieci domande più una a Thierry Salmon Riassunto: Intervista eseguita nel contesto dalla stagione italiana dello spettacolo Fastes-Foules, le domande e le riflessioni rimandano ai collettivi artistici contemporanei: origine, riferimenti, obiettivi, principi, processi di lavoro; sottolineando come sia possibile trovare una strada personale nel teatro, come non siano esaurite le capacità obiettive di cambiamento e di creazione scenica. Parole chiave: Fastes-Foules, Processo di creazione, Creazione Collettiva, Spazio scenico, Regia. Title: Ten questions plus one to Thierry Salmon Abstract: Interview conducted in a context of the Italian season of the Fastes-Foules production, the questions and the considerations remain relevant to all contemporary artistic collective: beginnings, references, aims, working processes; pointing out how it is possible to find a personal path in theatre, as the objective abilities of scenic change and creation are not exhausted. Keywords: Fastes-Foules, Creative process, Collective Creation, Scenic space, Staging.

The article discusses excursion work related to theatrical museum collections, which is one of the interesting, but little developed types of activities in the field of tourism. Гhe author refers to the specifics of the theater museums involved in updating knowledge and raising the professional level, developing practical skills and professional competencies of tourism service specialists in the field of a holistic presentation of the history of the development of such a museum as a specific sociocultural institute. It touches on the interesting history of the creation, formation and composition of collections, as well as the modern activities of major museums and the latest museum centers around the world, hosting tourists. It is noted that the purpose of excursion and tourist programs using the collections of theater museums is not only to improve the modern tourist structure, but also to create a special spatial and artistic image that complements the content of the text, overcomes psychological discomfort due to the frequent presence of tourists in the bus or in open spaces , by creating favorable environmental conditions, the realization of the aesthetic potential of the museum atmosphere, capable of Favorably affect the emotional state and enrich the tour. In this regard, today, an important complex of problems that lie in the aesthetic field arises in the context of intensive tourism development processes, along with the need to solve infrastructure and technological issues, problems of implementing socio-economic problems in the tourism sector. Theater museums in excursion programs are considered as a special historical and cultural phenomenon. Their development is a continuation of world and domestic experience and, at the same time, a unique cultural phenomenon, inextricably linked both with the regional traditions of the countries and with the theater school - the academic school, for which the theater exhibit has become the most important area for the realization of creative potential. An attempt is being made to reflect the optimal combination of considering general theoretical and methodological issues and concrete and practical material on museum theater pedagogy.

In spite of the presence in contemporary scientific works, the terms ‘intellectual drama’ and ‘intellectual theater’ have blurred boundaries. The aim of the article is to identify productive genres and methods of intellectualization in Ukrainian drama of the 2000s. The category of genre was taken as the basis for material structuring. Genre analysis is combined with a poetics analysis of a literary work and an analysis of theatrical techniques that promote intellectualization. Regardless of the genre determined by a writer for a work, no matter what generation an author identifies himself with, the play-writers are common in the importance of keeping eye on the today’s world. But this does not condition the realism of the content of scripts or when performed on the stage. The study confirms that parable drama, intellectual and philosophical drama, biographical drama, drama of the absurd belong to the actual genres of intellectual drama. The synthesis of styles, arts, and acting provocations is dominated on the Ukrainian stage of the 2000s. Escalation of conflict is emphasized by means of special stage features (a moving platform, specific color or sound, etc.). The conflict of self-identification is among the variety of inner conflicts presented in plays.

Abstract The permanent tendency to invest huge budgets of money in research and development in order to create military capabilities that will allow hitting a large number of targets in a short time and in an extended battlespace continues to be the main direction for neutralizing a possible opponent in the military conflicts. Due to current scientific and technological advances, the focus nowadays is on using artificial intelligence (AI) with the purpose of dominating the operational environment in the theatres of operation (TO). The present paper aims to identify how AI will shape the operational environment of future military conflicts.

This article focuses on the emerging ethnographic field 'refugee camp' and the challenges it poses in terms of an "engaged ethnomusicology" inscribed into a larger discussion about "public ethnography" and ethically informed collaborative practices. The prevailing focus of mass media and artists serves as a starting point, as they represent migratory phenomena primarily through the visual lens, through material artefacts, denying their multisensory character, particularly their immaterial and sonic aspects. Taking as examples the artistic work of Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei and exhibition concepts presented at the documenta 14 and at the Biennale in Venice 2019, the article questions the predominance of the material approach, the inaudibility of migration because of its compatibility with our "museological thinking'" and an abstract idea of "cultural heritage" as promoted by established cultural institutions in Western Europe. The article argues that sound should instead be taken more seriously into consideration. This includes reflecting on the prominent links between human existentiality and suffering, as well as musical production and performance. It is argued that the temporariness of refugee's musical practice is related to their precarious life conditions in camps suspended in time and space. As practical examples from the French camp of Calais demonstrate, music making in this context offers refugees one possible way to counter-act imposed policies of infantilization, passivity and an omnipresent experience of waiting. In a situation where creative space and musical instruments are a limited resource, social media and music apps generate particular forms of musical creativity and assume a fundamental role which should be acknowledged in research to a larger extent. Such conditions influence also largely the ways in which migrated musicians construct their self-image as "refugee musicians". Taking as an example Syrian pianist Aeham Ahmad, the article shows that such self and foreign attributions may be reductive and result in an ethically problematic branding with commercial intentions. The second part of the article presents a collaborative grassroot-music theatre project realized in a German Erstaufnahmeeinrichtung over a span of 4 months. It offers insights into the limitations of "making audible", or "voicing migrants" everyday concerns through artistic practice. It also questions the idea of developing an "artistic agency" and an equal "cultural participation" in a working context characterized by social and power hierarchies, emotional instabilities, and a constant flow of individuals and ideas. In this context the role of the ethnomusicologist as a (cultural) translator with multiple responsibilities is crucial. Not only does he/she balance out different levels of musical professionality or different aesthetic preferences, but he/she also opens up spaces for creativity for disadvantaged or marginalized individuals in the camps. On another level the researcher's responsibility lies in the task to make practices public which originally were self-referential or of local relevance in a socially segregated space. Despite numerous obstacles to make such interventions "culturally sustainable", the article shows the potentiality of producing bottom-up "counter-images" or "counter-soundings', which could generate counter-discourses to the main media narratives on migration.

The Rensselaer Mandarin Project enables a group of foreign language students to improve functional understanding, pronunciation and vocabulary in Mandarin Chinese through authentic speaking situations in a virtual visit to China. Students use speech, gestures, and combinations thereof to navigate an immersive, mixed reality, stylized realism game experience through interaction with AI agents, immersive technologies, and game mechanics. The environment was developed in a black box theater equipped with a human-scale 360◦ panoramic screen (140h, 200r), arrays of markerless motion tracking sensors, and speakers for spatial audio.

Abstract PURPOSE Unlike conventional operating rooms that provide a sterilized space, we have developed a Smart Cyber Operating Theater (SCOT) in which the room itself performs treatment as a single medical device. We report the clinical results of 3 types of SCOT. METHODS Basic SCOT packaged with intraoperative MRI (0.4Tesla) was introduced in Hiroshima University in 2016. Standard SCOT networked with middleware OPeLiNK was introduced to Shinshu University in 2018, and Hyper SCOT introduced to Tokyo Women’s Medical University in 2019. RESULTS The average of all 56 patients was 44 years old. There were 38 brain tumors (68%), 11 functional diseases (19%), and 7 orthopedic diseases (13%). Basic SCOT is used for 41 cases (/56; 73%) with 22 gliomas, 10 epilepsies, 7 bone tumors, and 2 benign brain tumors. Standard SCOT with 20 networked devices is used for 14 cases (/56; 25%) with 6 gliomas including brain stem and thalamus, 6 pituitary tumors and 2 benign brain tumors. The strategy desk can display a variety of digital data synchronized in time, and the review and comment functions also operate. It is useful for remote advice through mutual communication via strategy desk. Hyper SCOT was used in February 2019 for the first case (1/56 cases; 2%). MRI images were taken with an average of 1.3 shots with good image quality. For 46/56 neoplastic lesions (82%), additional removal of residual tumor was performed in 31/46 cases (67%), and 26/46 cases (57%) were totally removed, with an average removal rate of 89.2%. There was no reoperation (0%) within 1 month in all cases. CONCLUSIONS Three types of SCOT contributed to planned surgical outcome including maximal tumor resection without serious related complications. We will proceed with verification of clinical effects, and develop robotized devices, and utilize AI for strategy desk at Hyper SCOT.

Body is our access key to places: the medium that allow us to possess, belong, and identify ourselves in places. Body remembers places, mediating the twoway relationship between abstract and physical, social and mental, individual and collective perspectives. Body expresses different cultural images of societies: going through social space and making the collective experience possible. Each body is indeed a “place” in which social and political constructions take shape. The paper considers body as the starting and the ending point of the reflection, presenting a circular path for reconstructing the relationship with places through sounds. The research questions shall be as follows: when body experiences the space of theater, which geographies come to life? how does sound affect this process, developing the sense of attachment to places? why is this important – for both individuals and places?

March 2020 marks the coming of bad news to this country. COVID-19 pandemic began to strike and its domino impacts have affected almost all aspects of life, including academic and scientific writing on journal. In the midst of the spirit of working and researching from home, the International Review of Humanities Studies Journal is back to publish for July 2020 edition. The issues discussed are increasingly diverse, marked by the diverse expertises of the respective authors. Domestic contributions can be seen from the articles of the researchers from Universitas Indonesia, particularly from the Faculty of Humanities and the School of Strategic and Global Studies which are interconnected with the scholars from the Indonesian Police College and Al Azhar University.Since this journal is intended to be available internationally, it is also necessary to pay attention to the contributions of foreign authors. Researchers from the University of Uyo, the University of Ilorin, the University of Benin, the University of Lagos, and Delta State University provide interesting views on the issues of humanities in Nigeria. Five articles from various universities in Nigeria are interconnected with independent researchers from the People's Republic of China, who without links to universities or colleges have sent their own independent research articles.This edition begins with Darmoko's writing that discusses the moral complexities of Javanese in the Asmara Djibrat Ludira novel. Darmoko's research emphasises the spiritual role of knight figures who defended their territory and romance. The second article is from Letmiros who also discusses Java. Letmiros saw a mosque in Jogjakarta, namely the Jogokariyan Mosque, as an agent of change as well as a legend. Letmiros argued that by having activities – whether it is spiritual, economic, cultural, or politics – that are conducted in the mosque, mosque can be ordained as an agent of change and branded as legendary, especially in the city of Jogjakarta.The third article is a research carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fera Belinda saw how a new normality, in a tourist village in the Badung-Bali area, is interconnected with local wisdom and health protocols. Fera Belinda's study shows that health science on pandemic like COVID-19 can be analysed together using the humanities approach. Then in the fourth article, we are invited to take a walk to explore Nigerian drama. Inegbe and Rebecca see that a theatre, titled Cemetary Road, has a significant impact on Nigerian society; to the extent that it can be considered a radical impact. Inegbe and Rebecca's research provides new treasure of knowledge, especially for readers in the regions outside Nigeria.In the fifth article, we are invited to see how online studies, especially the use of video technology, are utilised by teachers. Silalahi and Halimi see how the use of two methods, namely the use of video teaching and the use of textual textbook teaching, are compared between the experimental class and the control class. In conclusion, they find that video-based teaching provides better results in the learning process. The next article, by Soekarba and Rosyidah, invites us to see the contribution of the Hadrami group to a community in the Tegal area, Central Java.The impact of the Hadrami (Al Irsyad) group movement was mostly felt in the social and educational fields in the area.The seventh article invites us to get to know Nigeria. Okpevra's research discusses pre-colonial aspects in the Delta State, Nigeria. This research concludes that intergroup relations in the region are influenced by factors of origin, equality of geographical conditions, and similarity of cultural practices. The eighth article invites us to get acquainted with humanities research that is associated with psychological studies of the police. Mayastinasari and Suseno discussed how strengthening the current role of the police influences the public satisfaction, especially in North Sumatra where this research took place.The ninth article is an issue that has been discussed lately. Nwosu discusses the issue of homosexuality in the Catholic group in Nigeria which is interconnected with its society. Although the discussed issues are quite sensitive, the scientific explanation could vividly answers the questions regarding these issues. Next, the tenth article from Akpan and Edem discusses how a film, in this case Frozen, is examined from the perspective of digital technology and digital costumes which is a new contribution in analysing a child-friendly content. The eleventh article of Ademakinwa and Smith discusses a film adapted from a well-known Nigerian novelist in the United States, Chimamanda Adichie. Ademakinwa and Smith's findings state that collective memory, reconstructed through film, can have a more significant impact than that of novels. It can even create a crisis within society if not properly controlled.The twelfth article from Filia and Nurfitri invites us to explore the expression of confessions of love in Japanese. Data on love expressions from these researchers were collected via video interviews. It is interesting to find that the expression of love turns out to depend on the cultural context associated with togetherness and sustainability. The next article, the thirteenth, is a contribution of an independent Chinese researcher named Zhang Guanan. He analysed Chinese folklore, Pi Ying, with wayang kulit – leather puppet – stories. It is interesting to follow how Guanan managed to find the uniqueness of both in his research.The fourteenth article by Sugiharto and Puspitasari discusses the online stalking activities of urban millennial. It is their second research which found that cyber stalking is a natural thing for millennial generation living in urban areas, including following colleagues, friends, spouses, even ex-spouses and friends who have not been associated for a long time. The fifteenth paper from Guanah Akbanu and Obi discusses the practice of online journalism in Nigeria, using artificial intelligence. The case study they chose was how journalists in Edo, Nigeria, perceived the use of AI in their journalistic methods. It was found that the use of AI turned out to be more positive for journalism in the area.The sixteenth article by Sonya Suganda discusses how a commemorative object, stolperschwelle, is useful as an object for narrative of the death. The object that was initially used to commemorate Nazi victims has developed to be the object to commemorate those who are marginalized, including homosexuals, gypsies, and those who are exiled because of political differences. The next contribution, the seventeenth, comes from Zaqiatul, Al Azhar University who discusses how the functioning of suffixes and verbs is interconnected in the realm of Arabic conjugation. The eighteenth article by Hutapea discusses a quite sensitive issue, namely the conflict between the native people of Jogja and the Papuans living in Jogjakarta. This conflict was examined from the perspective of the police, especially how they controlled it. The nineteenth article from Arif Budiman discusses the strategy used by the French interpreter in the film Marlina Murder in Four Acts. The last article by Basuni discusses the problem of the Arabic-Indonesian translation, in the context of the increasingly contextual scripture.Hopefully, this current edition along with the entire articles can enlighten the readers and contribute significantly to the knowledge of humanities studies.

Introduction: Artist Villages in Beijing Many of the most renowned sites of Beijing are found in the inner-city districts of Dongcheng and Xicheng: for instance, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Lama Temple, the National Theatre, the Central Opera Academy, the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, the Imperial College, and the Confucius Temple. However, in the past decade a new attraction has been added to the visitor “must-see” list in Beijing. The 798 Art District originated as an artist village within abandoned factory buildings at Dashanzi, right between the city’s Central Business District and the open outer rural space on Beijing’s north-east. It is arguably the most striking symbol of China’s contemporary art scene. The history of the 798 Art District is by now well known (Keane), so this paper will provide a short summary of its evolution. Of more concern is the relationship between the urban fringe and what Howard Becker has called “art worlds.” By art worlds, Becker refers to the multitude of agents that contribute to a final work of art: for instance, people who provide canvasses, frames, and art supplies; critics and intermediaries; and the people who run exhibition services. To the art-world list in Beijing we need to add government officials and developers. To date there are more than 100 artist communities or villages in Beijing; almost all are located in the city’s outskirts. In particular, a high-powered art centre outside the city of Beijing has recently established a global reputation. Songzhuang is situated in outer Tongzhou District, some 30 kilometres east of Tiananmen Square. The Beijing Municipal Government officially classifies Songzhuang as the Capital Art District (CAD) or “the Songzhuang Original Art Cluster.” The important difference between 798 and Songzhuang is that, whereas the former has become a centre for retail and art galleries, Songzhuang operates as an arts production centre for experimental art, with less focus on commercial art. The destiny of the artistic communities is closely related to urban planning policies that either try to shut them down or protect them. In this paper I will take a close look at three artist villages: Yuanmingyuan, 798, and Songzhuang. In tracing the evolution of the three artist villages, I will shed some light on artists’ lives in city fringes. I argue that these outer districts provide creative industries with a new opportunity for development. This is counter to the conventional wisdom that central urban areas are the ideal locality for creative industries. Accordingly, this argument needs to be qualified: some types of creative work are more suitable to rural and undeveloped areas. The visual art “industry” is one of these. Inner and Outer Worlds Urban historians contend that innovation is more likely to happen in inner urban areas because of intensive interactions between people (Jacobs). City life has been associated with the development of creative industries and economic benefits brought about by the interaction of creative classes. In short, the argument is that cities, or, more specifically, urban areas are primary economic entities (Montgomery) whereas outer suburbs are uncreative and dull (Florida, "Cities"). The conventional wisdom is that talented creative people are attracted to the creative milieu in cities: universities, book shops, cafes, museums, theatres etc. These are both the hard and the soft infrastructure of modern cities. They illustrate diversified built forms, lifestyles and experiences (Lorenzen and Frederiksen; Florida, Rise; Landry; Montgomery; Leadbeater and Oakley). The assumption that inner-city density is the cradle of creative industries has encountered critique. Empirical studies in Australia have shown that creative occupations are found in relatively high densities in urban fringes. The point made in several studies is that suburbia has been neglected by scholars and policy makers and may have potential for future development (Gibson and Brennan-Horley; Commission; Collis, Felton, and Graham). Moreover, some have argued that the practice of constructing inner city enclaves may be leading to homogenized and prescriptive geographies (Collis, Felton, and Graham; Kotkin). As Jane Jacobs has indicated, it is not only density of interactions but diversity that attracts and accommodates economic growth in cities. However, the spatiality of creative industries varies across different sectors. For example, media companies and advertising agencies are more likely to be found in the inner city, whereas most visual artists prefer working in the comparatively quiet and loosely-structured outskirts. Nevertheless, the logic embodied in thinking around the distinctions between “urbanism” and “suburbanism” pays little attention to this issue, although both schools acknowledge the causal relationship between locality and creativity. According to Drake, empirical evidence shows that the function of locality is not only about encouraging interactions between SMEs (small to medium enterprises) within clusters which can generate creativity, but also a catalyst for individual creativity (Drake). Therefore for policy makers in China, the question here is how to plan or prepare a better space to accommodate creative professionals’ needs in different sectors while making the master plan. This question is particularly urgent to the Chinese government, which is undertaking a massive urbanization transition throughout the country. In placing a lens on Beijing, it is important to note the distinctive features of its politics, forms of social structure, and climate. As Zhu has described it, Beijing has spread in a symmetrical structure. The reasons have much to do with ancient history. According to Zhu, the city which was planned in the era of Genghis Khan was constituted by four layers or enclosures, with the emperor at the centre, surrounded by the gentry and other populations distributed outwards according to wealth, status, and occupation. The outer layer accommodated many lower social classes, including itinerant artists, musicians, and merchants. This ”outer city” combined with open rural space. The system of enclosures is carried on in today’s city planning of Beijing. Nowadays Beijing is most commonly described by its ring roads (Mars and Hornsby). However, despite the existing structure, new approaches to urban policy have resulted in a great deal of flux. The emergence of new landscapes such as semi-urbanized villages, rural urban syndicates (chengxiang jiehebu), and villages-within-cities (Mars and Hornsby 290) illustrate this flux. These new types of landscapes, which don’t correspond to the suburban concept that we find in the US or Australia, serve to represent and mediate the urban-rural relationship in China. The outer villages also reflect an old tradition of “recluse” (yin shi), which since the Wei and Jin Dynasties allowed intellectuals to withdraw themselves from the temporal world of the city and live freely in the mountains. The Lost Artistic Utopia: Yuanmingyuan Artist Village Yuanmingyuan, also known as the Ming Dynasty summer palace, is located in Haidian District in the north-west of Beijing. Haidian has transformed from an outer district of Beijing into one of its flourishing urban districts since the mid-1980s. Haidian’s success is largely due to the electronics industry which developed from spin-offs from Peking University, Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the 1980s. This led to the rapid emergence of Zhongguancun, sometimes referred to as China’s Silicon Valley. However there is another side of Haidian’s transformation. As the first graduates came out of Chinese Academies of the Arts following the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), creative lifestyles became available. Some people quit jobs at state-owned institutions and chose to go freelance, which was unimaginable in China under the former regime of Mao Zedong. By 1990, the earliest “artist village” emerged around the Yuanmingyuan accommodating artists from around China. The first site was Fuyuanmen village. Artists living and working there proudly called their village “West Village” in China, comparing it to the Greenwich Village in New York. At that time they were labelled as “vagabonds” (mangliu) since they had no family in Beijing, and no stable job or income. Despite financial difficulties, the Yuanmingyuan artist village was a haven for artists. They were able to enjoy a liberating and vigorous environment by being close to the top universities in Beijing[1]. Access to ideas was limited in China at that time so this proximity was a key ingredient. According to an interview by He Lu, the Yuanmingyuan artist village gave artists a sense of belonging which went far beyond geographic identification as a marginal group unwelcomed by conservative urban society. Many issues arose along with the growth of the artist village. The non-traditional lifestyle and look of these artists were deemed abnormal by many of the general public; the way of their expression and behaviour was too extreme to be accepted by the mainstream in what was ultimately a political district; they were a headache for local police who saw them as troublemakers; moreover, their contact with the western world was a sensitive issue for the government at that time. Suddenly, the village was closed by the government in 1993. Although the Yuanmingyuan artist village existed for only a few years, it is of significance in China’s contemporary art history. It is the birth place of the cynical realism movement as well as the genesis of Fang Lijun, Zhang Xiaogang and Yue Mingjun, now among the most successful Chinese contemporary artists in global art market. The Starting Point of Art Industry: 798 and Songzhuang After the Yuanmingyuan artist village was shut down in 1993, artists moved to two locations in the east of Beijing to escape from the government and embrace the free space they longed for. One was 798, an abandoned electronic switching factory in Beijing’s north-east urban fringe area; the other was Songzhuang in Tongzhou District, a further twenty kilometres east. Both of these sites would be included in the first ten official creative clusters by Beijing municipal government in 2006. But instead of simply being substitutes for the Yuanmingyuan artist village, both have developed their own cultures, functioning and influencing artists’ lives in different ways. Songzhuang is located in Tongzhou which is an outer district in Beijing’s east. Songzhuang was initially a rural location; its livelihood was agriculture and industry. Just before the closing down of the Yuanmingyuan village, several artists including Fang Lijun moved to this remote quiet village. Through word of mouth, more artists followed their steps. There are about four thousand registered artists currently living in Songzhuang now; it is already the biggest visual art community in Beijing. An artistic milieu and a local sense of place have grown with the increasing number of artists. The local district government invests in building impressive exhibition spaces and promoting art in order to bring in more tourists, investors and artists. Compared with Songzhuang, 798 enjoys a favourable location along the airport expressway, between the capital airport and the CBD of Beijing. The unused electronics plant was initially rented as classrooms by the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in the 1990s. Then several artists moved their studios and workshops to the area upon eviction from the Yuanmingyuan village. Until 2002 the site was just a space to rent cheap work space, a factor that has stimulated many art districts globally (Zukin). From that time the resident artists began to plan how to establish a contemporary art district in China. Led by Huang Rui, a leading visual artist, the “798 collective” launched arts events and festivals, notably a “rebuilding 798” project of 2003. More galleries, cafés, bars, and restaurants began to set up, culminating in a management takeover by the Chaoyang District government with the Seven Stars Group[2] prior to the Beijing Olympics. The area now provides massive tax revenue to the local and national government. Nonetheless, both 798 and Songzhuang face problems which reflect the conflict between artists’ attachment to fringe areas and the government’s urbanization approach. 798 can hardly be called an artist production village now due to the local government’s determination to exploit cultural tourism. Over 50 percent of enterprises and people working in 798 now identify 798 as a tourism area rather than an art or “creative” cluster (Liu). Heavy commercialization has greatly disappointed many leading artists. The price for renting space has gone beyond the affordability of artists, and many have chosen to leave. In Songzhuang, the story is similar. In addition to rising prices, a legal dispute between artists and local residents regarding land property rights in 2008 drove some artists out of Songzhuang because they didn’t feel it was stable anymore (Smith). The district’s future as a centre of original art runs up against the aspirations of local officials for more tax revenue and tourist dollars. In the Songzhuang Cultural Creative Industries Cluster Design Plan (cited in Yang), which was developed by J.A.O Design International Architects and Planners Limited and sponsored by the Songzhuang local government in 2007, Songzhuang is designed as an “arts capital incorporated with culture, commerce and tourism.” The down side of this aspiration is that more museums, galleries, shopping centres, hotels, and recreation infrastructure will inevitably be developed in order to capitalise on Songzhuang’s global reputation. Concluding Reflections In reflecting on the recent history of artist villages in Beijing, we might conclude that rural locations are not only a cheap place for artists to live but also a space to showcase their works. More importantly, the relation of artists and outlying district has evolved into a symbiotic relationship. They interact and grow together. The existence of artists transforms the locale and the locale in turn reinforces the identity of artists. In Yuanmingyuan the artists appreciated the old “recluse” tradition and therefore sought spiritual liberation after decades of suppression. The outlying location symbolized freedom to them and provided distance from the world of noisy interaction. But isolation of artists from the local community and the associated constant conflict with local villagers deepened estrangement; these events brought about the end of the dream. In contrast, at 798 and Songzhuang, artists not only regarded the place as their worksite but also engaged with the local community. They communicated with local people and co-developed projects to transform the local landscape. Local communities changed; they started to learn about the artistic world while gaining economic benefits in many ways, such as house renting, running small grocery stores, providing art supplies and even modelling. Their participation into the “art worlds” (Becker) contributed to a changing cultural environment, in turn strengthening the brand of these artist villages. In many regards there were positive externalities for both artists and the district, although as I mentioned in relation to Songzhuang, tensions about land use have never completely been resolved. Today, the fine arts in China have gone far beyond the traditional modes of classics, aesthetics, liberation or rebellion. Art is also a business which requires the access to the material world in order to produce incomes and make profits. It appears that many contemporary artists are not part of a movement of rebellion (except several artists, such as Ai Weiwei), adopting the pure spirit of art as their life-time mission, as in the Yuanmingyuan artist village. They still long for recognition, but they are also concerned with success and producing a livelihood. The boundary between inner urban and outer urban areas is not as significant to them as it once was for artists from a former period. While many artists enjoy the quiet and space of the fringe and rural areas to work; they also require urban space to exhibit their works and earn money. This factor explains the recent emergence of Caochangdi and other artist villages in the neighbouring area around the 798. These latest artist villages in the urban fringe still have open and peaceful spaces and can be accessed easily due to convenient transportation. Unfortunately, the coalition of business and government leads to rapid commercialization of place which is not aligned with the basic need of artists, which is not only a free or affordable place but also a space for creativity. As mentioned above, 798 is now so commercialized that it is too crowded and expensive for artists due to the government’s overdevelopment; whereas the government’s original intention was to facilitate the development of 798. Furthermore, although artists are a key stakeholder in the government’s agenda for visual art industry, it is always the government’s call when artists’ attachment to rural space comes into conflict with Beijing government’s urbanization plan. Hence the government decides which artist villages should be sacrificed to give way to urban development and which direction the reserved artist villages or art clusters should be developed. The logic of government policy causes an absolute distinction between cities and outlying districts. And the government’s enthusiasm for “urbanization” leads to urbanized artist villages, such as the 798. A vicious circle is formed: the government continuously attempts to have selected artist villages commercialized and transformed into urbanized or quasi-urbanized area and closes other artist villages. One of the outcomes of this policy is that in the government created creative clusters, many artists do not stay, and move away into rural and outlying areas because they prefer to work in non-urban spaces. To resolve this dilemma, greater attention is required to understand artists needs and ways to combine urban convenience and rural tranquillity into their development plans. This may be a bridge too far, however. Reference Becker, Howard Saul. Art Worlds. 25th anniversary, updated and expanded ed. Berkeley, CA: U of California P, 2008. Collis, Christy, Emma Felton, and Phil Graham. "Beyond the Inner City: Real and Imagined Places in Creative Place Policy and Practice." The Information Society: An International Journal 26.2 (2010): 104–12. Commission, Outer London. 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