Chang Bizi

Jingdezhen

2009-07-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

Jingdezhen

2009-07-31T14:54:00.001-07:00

Jingdezhen

2009-07-31T14:44:00.001-07:00

Jingdezhen

2009-07-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

PWS Brochure

2009-07-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

brochure design for the Pottery Workshop that I made. Hopefully it is done being edited and re-edited

Solar Eclipse/ Meiwan Fire Pleasure International Ceramic Festival

2009-07-23T01:05:00.000-07:00

More Pictures of Jaixing. Though it was a short trip it was a lot of fun. I also forgot to mention in the previous post that one of the photos is from Papa Johns. We were served every meal at the Meiwan Tea House and lets just say the food was very traditional. Chicken feet, heart, eel, pig knuckles etc... Normally I would never eat at a Papa Johns in the sates but it was absolutely delicious we had a haiwan pizza and cheese and peeperoni.

Solar Eclipse/ Meiwan Fire Pleasure International Ceramic Festival

2009-07-23T00:33:00.000-07:00

almost the entire staff hopped on a bus for a six hour ride through the Chinese countryside. The bus was excellent (a.k.a air conditioned) and the journey was through some of the most breathtaking countryside I have ever seen. We went through the Yellow Mountain, mountain range. The highway was incredibly modern and the rest stops were nicer than any I have seen in the sates. We arrived to the "Meiwan Fire Pleasure International Ceramic Festival" in Jaixing. All of the staff and residents that wished to participate brought work to be in an exhibition there and to take part in a raku firing and other ceramic festivities. Jaixing was a great town with some excellent Chinese architecture. The whole festival happened becaused The PWS wanted to travel somewhere to see the total eclipse. Even though it was overcast for most of the eclipse it was still amazing. It was incredibly dark for 9:40 in the morning and we all watched it on the dock of the river, there was a lot of hootin & hollerin

Ancient Kiln Museum

2009-07-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ancient Kiln Site

2009-07-19T01:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday is holiday and we decided, despite the heat, to make a trip out to the ancient kiln site museum. It was 50 yuan to get in, expensive by Jingdezhen standards, but it was worth every yuan. the grounds were immaculately kept and the buildings and plants were amazing. I could have stayed there the entire day. Along with ancient kilns there were some amazing buildings and shrines. There was also a lot of blue and white porcelain being sold. The ticket taker quickly ushered us into the main gift shop before we went anywhere inside the museum.

Yu Zhou Factory

2009-07-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

I made a morning trip to the Yu Zhou factory to look around. I think it might be my favorite factory i have been to. The streets are mazes of workshops and houses. It was immensely fun getting lost in the winding allies, paths and streets. Also, any trip that starts and ends with a ride on a motorcycle taxi is sure to be a good time.

Potter on the roof

2009-07-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Jingdezhen landscape from atop a building in the sculpture factory. Damn, I loaded these photos and they almost seamlessly join together.

The Great Wall Of The PWS

2009-07-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

The 2 Chimneys Educational Space at the Pottery workshop is a multipurpose space that offers studio rentals, classes, lectures and more. Because of its need for flexibility and its diverse use I was asked to come up with a movable wall design to be built so that the space can be divided up and readjusted if needed. I have attached the plan that I created on the computer and a photo of it in process. We took the plans to the welder, he made the base and today the carpenter came an constructed the frame. For the majority of the frame he made it using traditional joining techniques. I think there was a total of 8 nails involved in the making.

fourth of july festivities at WVU-JCI

2009-07-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

The new group coming to jingdezhen through WVU invited some of us lowais over for a 4th of july lunch. they made potato salad, frenchfries, chicken and a whole lot more. We also had some fireworks. All in all it was your typical 4th celebration but only in china.

Over glaze workshop

2009-06-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

Some of us went to an overglaze painting workshop right outside of the sculpture factory. They had amazing skills. While in the show room I asked the attendant if I could take one of the postcards and she gave me a tote bag with a really nice catalog of the work being made there. I felt bad because not only did I have no intention of buying but I had to leave after a short time to meet some of the staff at Jingdezhen univ to play Basketball.

Basketball was awesome and I will play next week, maybe I will remember to take some photos.

Big space movable walls

2009-06-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to come up with a movable wall design to be built for the big space. The staff wants to be able to divide the space into different uses. Chen Chen and I went looking for materials and prices. It was an interesting experience going to building supply stores in China to say the least.

Design studio Factory Trip

2009-06-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

trimming slip cast teapots

Dryden, the design studio manager, going over plans and contracts with factory manager.

They were expanding the factory and cementing a new part of the floor, they were just pouring it right over the trash and this guy was stuck in the middle.

on the way to the factory

I went along to another factory trip, we went to a few. Our final stop was 15 minutes outside of town at this enormous factory where the design s

Ling ling's Birthday; A Karaoke Extravaganza

2009-06-30T05:01:00.000-07:00

Ling Ling, the manager of the coffee shop and gallery, had her 24th birthday and it was her wish to go to Karaoke. Now many of you know I enjoy the Karaoke, making an ass of myself in public is usually a pretty fun time. Chinese karaoke is different, instead of singing in front of all the strangers who come out, your party gets its own room and you sing to each other. The place we went to was massive! there were so many rooms for karaoke parties it was unbelievable. what is even more unbelievable is that in the taxi ride there the driver asked if America had similar karaoke streets? That's right, the whole street was lined with shining neon karaoke bars, literally a whole street.

Here is a video of Ling Ling singing a traditional Chinese song, don't be fooled by the video she can sing very well. it was really dark so you can't see very much. so also posted is a photo with flash.

Tuesday night Dance Party

2009-06-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Had to walk to the ATM on a Tuesday night and we cam across a regular site in the Jingdezhen night life, synchronized dancing! It strikes me as quintessentially communist to have large groups of people in multiple areas of the town dancing to the same songs in unison. I tried to take a video but it was too dark.

Design studio Factory Trip

2009-06-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

A factory shard pile.

In the design studio there is a large order of vase forms to be made for the Peninsula Hotel. The client wants traditional Chinese vase forms with are deco designs painted on them. Dryden, Carola, who was looking for large vase forms with lids, and myself went to The Wanning Da Factory (assuredly that was spelled incorrectly) to find vase forms that were over 52 centimeters tall. The client has very specific vase forms in mind. At this factory you can purchase the slip caste forms to use theem how ever you wish.

Clay reclaiming factory. Below is a video of thier reclaiming machine.

Design studio project

2009-06-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I posted pictures of the thrower who came in to throw the top section of a vase form. After the two pieces are bone dry the trimmer comes and assembles the composite pieces together and trims them into the desired shape. Here are some photos of us going over the designs and of him at work. Also posted is the design I made from the photo the client sent the design studio.

The Lake

2009-06-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, to beat the heat, a few of us went to the lake that is a 20 minute car ride out of the city. Carola's assistant arranged the car ride for us. It has been incredibly hot here the past few days. It was great to get out to the water, about 20 minutes after being there though the thunder rolled in and on our walk back to the car it poured on us. It was very cold and refreshing, we got back to the PWS and it hadn't rained at all and was still incredibly humid.

We had to walk through the rice field trails to get out to a good spot.

Living on the edge

2009-06-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

I went with Carola, a designer from Holland, and her assistant to go swimming in a river 20 minutes bike ride outside of Jingdezhen. There were a lot of locals swimming but i wouldn't put my head under. It was very clear and the water flowed into town not out of.

Wei min Factory

2009-06-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the Wei Min Factory.

Working in the design studio

2009-06-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have been passed along a project in the design studio. It is a vase form that a client wanted made 70 centimeters tall. I worked from an original picture, sketched it out on the computer and had to make all the corresponding adjustments in scale. We decided to have the base press molded and the top form thrown. Here is the computer rendered form and a picture and video of the thrower we hired to come in and make the form.

Sanbao Dinner setting

2009-06-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

A Few of us went to Jackson Lee's Sanbao Artist residency and restaurant to see Chase's work he made the past two months. Chase is a grad student at Texas Tec Univ.