Lesser Heat Festival 小暑节庆活动

JULY 4TH, 2015 // SATURDAY 4-8PM @ LIJIANG STUDIO

" s m a s h   d e  a r t c h r i a r k i "

Flier composed on Dongba paper. "s m a sh  d e  a r tch r i a r k i," (English title) spelled with Taiwanese BPMF phonetic alphabet- originally Chinese symbols, but eradicated in the Cultural Revolution. Central figure …

Flier composed on Dongba paper. "s m a sh  d e  a r tch r i a r k i," (English title) spelled with Taiwanese BPMF phonetic alphabet- originally Chinese symbols, but eradicated in the Cultural Revolution. Central figure is the symbol/ illustration for Dongba dance "La Mu Tso." She represents "a woman with magical powers" or "Dongba's wife." The shapes behind her form half-a-dodecahedron; it echoes her Dongba crown, while also referencing Jixiang Orb's dodecahedral structure. /// Design: Frog Wing 

Featuring live music and performances by: 

  • Crystal Pascucci
  • Frog Wing
  • Ozzo Ombro
  • Naima Fine (Fine Fine Small Mountain)
  • Miranda Hill (Fine Fine Small Mountain)
  • Jixiang Orchestra
  • Yang Zemin
  • HeXiudong
  • WuZhimi
  • Jen Torrence
  • Lizzie Peacocke

Event program

4-6pm: Part I

  • "174 Fire Drawings"- interactive art installation (week long) by Ozzo Ombro
  • Traditional Naxi music- Jixiang Orchestra
  • "White Clouds" + free improv- Yang Zemin (dizi), Miranda Hill (bass), Crystal Pascucci (cello), ZhangLun (erhu), Naima Fine (flute)
  • "We Keep Going- Crystal Ruth Bell"- by Naima Fine Fine // performed by Miranda Hill (bass), Crystal Pascucci (cello), Naima Fine (flute), Jen Torrence (percussion)
  • "Climate-driven Change in Himalayan Rhododendrons"- by Naima Fine Fine, based on source data by Robbie Hart // conducted by Lizzie Peacocke; performed by Miranda Hill (bass), Crystal Pascucci (cello), Jen Torrence (percussion), Naima Fine (dizi), Frog Wing (harmonium)
  • "Lijiang Flute Poems"- by Crystal Pascucci // Movements I-IV (out of V) // Performed by Crystal Pascucci (cello), Jen Torrence (percussion), Miranda Hill (bass), Naima Fine (harmonium), Frog Wing (singing bell)

6-7pm: DINNER

7-8pm: Part II

  • "Street Dentist"- short story and slideshow by Lizzie Peacocke
  • "6 Bowls/ Women's Work"- by Jen Torrence and Miranda Hill // bowls performed by Jen Torrence, Crystal Pascucci, Lizzie Peacocke, Naima Fine, Miranda Hill, Frog Wing
  • Cover Songs- Yang Zemin (dizi), ZhangLun (erhu), Sunny (guitar)
  • Procession to the Orb- led by Jen Torrence (drum) and Miranda Hill (banjo)
  • Nature God Ritual + Tiger Dance (Jixiang Orb Blessing)- performed by Lijiang Dongba HeXiudong and Dongba apprentice WuZhimi

<< FIN >>

At the end of the night, Dongba shaman-priest HeXiudong gave Mark a palm reading. The tattoo on Mark's forearm inspired further thoughts; he expressed with a long string of hand gestures rather than with words. Mark and HeXiudong sustained silent eye contact for a while, and then HeXiudong burst into song. Jen Torrence was quick enough to start recording immediately with her cell phone (she only missed the first few lines). 

Two days later, we showed this sound recording to HeXiudong to ask him what the song lyrics meant. He said he didn't know, and he also couldn't remember that the event had ever happened. 

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