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The Shanghai Beat: Graffiti Shanghai

Danwei TV presents episode 4 of The Shanghai Beat, titled "Graffiti Shanghai" (with bilingual subtitles). Featured band: 21 Grams. You can also watch on Tudou (faster loading / higher quality in China).

For this episode, host and producer Adam Schokora (小石) meets up with three of Shanghai's best known graffiti artists: Popil, Zhang Lan (AKA: Mr. Lan), and HKer, to get their inside perspective on the local graf scene and catch them in action painting a few pieces.

After the show, stay tuned for a musical performance by 21 Grams, a Shanghainese experimental post-rock band whose introspective music is largely inspired by their passion for film (featured band courtesy of www.neocha.com).

Credits:
Produced by Adam Schokora & Ginger Xiang
Soundtrack by Nara, K.C. Accidental, and Peter Bjorn & John.

Contacts:
email & msn IM: the.shanghai.beat@gmail.com
skype: the.shanghai.beat
AIM: theshanghaibeat
qq: 847022231

Special thanks:
Peng Xin (Banyue), Annie, Nara, Sean Leow, Katie Grube, Stephanie Tung and John Meckley for helping make this episode happen.

If you missed earlier episodes of The Shanghai Beat, check them out here:
Episode 3 Slaughterhouse Shanghai
Episode 2 Neo Shanghai
Episode 1 Gay Shanghai

There are currently 15 Comments for The Shanghai Beat: Graffiti Shanghai.

Comments on The Shanghai Beat: Graffiti Shanghai

Every time when I take line 3, I can see the graffiti near the stop of Jin Sha Jiang Road through the window, I guessed who was the artist, now I got the answer. Goood job!!!!

slightly off-topic, but does anyone know the story behind the extensive graffiti mural located on the outer south wall of RenDa?

the tags and murals there, which were painted several years ago (2005?), are largely olympic-themed and seem as though they might have been legitimately commissioned.

another "Harlem World" experience abroad. pansies.

Great piece.

I live in Beijing and oft wonder about the Graffiti artists here.

That said - whats the music you were playing in the backround for the first interview. Its pretty nice.

@ Erb: the intro song is "The Chills" by Peter Bjorn & John...great tune, great album.

The background music for the first two interviews (Popil & Mr. Lan) is from Nara, a Chinese electronic musician who I believe is from Beijing, but is now based in Shanghai. She plays solo mostly, but is also 50% of the Nara + Xiaowei combo (aka: Narawei). She is a favorite of mine...massively talented. Check out her solo stuff at: http://www.neocha.com/naranara also, have a listen to the Narawei tracks: http://www.neocha.com/narawei If you are looking to get a copy of her/their stuff, ping Nara via her Neocha profile (http://www.neocha.com/naranara)...she is very kind and will point you in the right direction.

The background music to the HKer interview is a song by K.C. Accidental titled "Them (Pop Song #3333)."

Hope that helps.

祝爽,

小石

VERY COOOOOOOOOOOOL!

小石,

你每次的题材都很棒!他(她)们画的也很酷!我喜欢!


louis.

视频做得很好```谢谢你们```:)

So 小石 is on one of the walls near Zhonghshan Park? :))))I love this episode~~~

great!!!
i like them doing that!!
不错的作品

very cool~~
good job~~
小石,你的中文越来越厉害了!

Honestly, the Chinese kids are too humble. The graffiti craps I have witnessed in Boston area are not in comparison to the talents displayed in this video. Mostly are pure vandalism, ugly and profane.

really cool, thanks for the piece...

haha,,my pic on the video~~~

RUC earthquake-themed wall (Beijing)
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/bloggingbeijing/2008/06/one_month_later_1.html

RUC Olympics-themed wall (Beijing)
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/bloggingbeijing/2008/02/the_peoples_wall.html

Everyone have done a good job..Keep on going

Really awesome show. I wonder if anyone knows a little more about the following?

1. State-Citizen interactions: Popil, Mr. Lan, and HK when asked about their interactions with the police were generally positive about their experiences...has anyone heard about negative interactions with authority? Is it a bottom-up reaction to previous censorship?

2. The issue of general attitudes towards graffiti: all three also characterized the general population as not understanding how graffiti is an art. Has anyone seen that change? How is opposition expressed? To what degree is the commercialization of graffiti occuring?

3. The question of location: Is it the case that graffiti is prominent in marginal areas (brownfields, abandoned warehouses, yet-to-be-gentrified neighborhoods) or has it assumed greater prominence in urban centers? I think that there is some state sponsored graffiti in Beijing, is there any in Shanghai?

4. Content issues: Are there political messages?

5. Subcultures: How are graffiti communities organized? Who is being communicated with in the dissemination of graffiti images both on the street and on the web? Is it national, transnational? Does the existence of graffiti say something about how Shanghai as a city is being reimagined/represented?

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