Mer-chan: technocuddly, cute, arty, geeky stuff from Asia and beyond » Mer-chan

This Bubble Won’t Crash

merchan — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:34:46 +0000

Elaine McLuskey invented the “social spheres” speech bubbles so people could chat above the background noise in a noisy pub. Geekologie says they’re astronaut helmets that will help you get the girl or at least the freeze dried ice cream and Tang. They reminds us of Mer-chan’s canversate, where we try to allow intimate connections even in loud, crowded pubs. When you use it, you can actually feel the other person breathing. A cell phone doesn’t support that type of connection. And we’re in love with the girl in the on the right who is dishing the gossip and vibing Beth Ditto.

Nyah Nyah Cultural Capital Teasers

merchan — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:57:45 +0000

Teaser 1 Art Fair Montages:

Teaser 2 Animation & Censorship:
The feature length documentary Cultural Capital: Finding Art in Dubai examines the creative process in urban spaces and the socio-economic realities that challenge the sustainability of Dubai’s boom. The reality of a creative culture, like much of Dubai, is optimistic and still under construction.

Swiss + UAE + artists from all over

merchan — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 06:19:13 +0000

How was Vanilla Ice when he finally performed? Too cold! As if you had to ask, but full details to come. Turning our attention to more artistic pursuits, what do you get when the Swiss Art Gate goes into a UAE hospital? The Tracking the Emirates art exhibition at the RAK Hospital. The opening is in a few days on April 7th, but we thought to give you a head’s up since Katy’s in the show, and the show is in Ras al Khaimah, “the top of the tent” of the UAE, quite beautiful but a little far out from Dubai.

Dancing in the Souk

merchan — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:36:00 +0000

As I lament the lack of public art in Dubai, sometimes the city surprises me and I stumble upon something even better — public performance art! While shooting Cultural Capital I caught some rather fantastic dancing, which I’ll share with you in the next few posts. For some reason, I often hear from people how joyless the region can be, and music and dancing is haram (not allowed). This video shows that public music and dancing is alive and kicking in Dubai. Near the gold souk, Chinese line dancers sashay in the shadow of the Twin Towers…only in Dubai.

Digital Dubai

merchan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:37:56 +0000

GesturoDubai: a mer-chan souvenir was performed live at yesterday’s opening of the MinD (Made in Dubai) exhibit at Ductac. The performance used the 20 most important digits (10 fingers and 10 toes) to translate memories and experiences of Dubai into repeatable gestures. The technique is known as gesturo-haptic translation and was first developed by the Factory School collective. An earlier experiment in gesturo-haptic haiku can be viewed here. You can also read the description of GestruroDubai in the MinD Catalog after the jump. Go gesture! Go Dubai!

From the MinD catalog:

GesturoDubai: A Mer-chan Souvenir offers tourists and locals alternative keepsakes of popular sights in Dubai. The GesturoDubai video teaches us to fully embody our experiences through gesturo-haptic translations. Images of well-known landmarks are juxtaposed with scripted movements that reinforce spatial memory. We translate Dubai Creeks bobbing boats and seagulls with a wave of our arms. We remember the Burj al-Arab with a puff of our chests and a pat on our bellies.

Tourism is often an endeavor of passive consumption. Sites are seen, and pictures are captured. Tourists observe a city but are not participants. We would like to propose a solution. Our gestures translate a visit to Dubai into an embodied performance. The city is fantastical and overwhelming. Why should the memory of ones visit be anything less?

Each gesture serves as a mnemonic device. They strengthen ones memory of a particular location or experience. When we string them together, the gestures unleash a string of memories: the story of explorations across Dubai. Why buy another bauble when you can dance your experiences?

Cultural Capital Teasers

merchan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:48:47 +0000

Step by step our documentary is getting finished. Cue Cultural Capital: Finding Art in Dubai montage sequences:

Cultural Capital: Finding Art in Dubai Teaser from Katy Mer-chan.

* Music for the first video (Art Dubai) by Moby, with his ace Moby Gratis that lets indie filmmakers like me use his music for films. Thanks!
** Music for the second (Bastikaya Art Fair) by Katy.

Atomicpunk Computer

merchan — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:53:38 +0000

It’s only the 5th, but 2010 already has wonderful neolgisms like terror-prone and environmental refugee. May we humbly introduce another one? Atomicpunk. Not to be confused with the Van Halen album or the tribute band, atomicpunk describes the literature, art, design, pop culture and subculture happening now that references the Atomic Age, with all of its technological progress, paranoia, destruction, and optimism. Why should all ye new-olde tech be lumped into steampunk (which we love on its own way) that references the Victorian era? Atomic-era designs need to have their own classification. Examples of atomicpunk include the Brionvega tv and the Philco PC redesign by California-based SchultzeWORKS. There are even comments debating whether this is or isn’t steampunk. This isn’t, but it is atomicpunk.

Techno Burj al Arab

Katy Chang — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:01:51 +0000

We held our annual holiday celebration at the iconic sail-shaped Burj al Arab to support our adopted city. We strolled past a giant seawater aquarium and had afternoon tea which stretched into cocktails 200 m above sea level in the marine themed space. Even with so much to see, I was most taken with the random circuit board hallway with LEDs and the red LED wall with blinking lights. Are they the brains behind the Burj’s (robot) fish?

Direct on Digital Animation

Katy Chang — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:01:29 +0000

I’m working on the synopsis for Cultural Capital: Finding Art in Dubai and instead of thinking of words, I keep seeing images. The film will have hybrid live-action and animation. The animations/drawings comment on and interplay with the live-action, reinforcing the interconnection of art and life. Drawing and etching on film is of course the concept, but it takes a technocuddly-turn when the “film” is HD and the drawing is done on a graphic tablet.

Len Lye is an inspiration with his A Colour Box, made in 1935 by painting directly on film. And Norman McLaren’s Boogie Doodle has just a few simple shapes and it’s just riveting.

McLaren even plays with an optical printer in the 70’s to trippy effect. The thing that strikes me the most about these films is the way the music has such a big part in the film. For my documentary, I think we’re close to getting someone amazing to do the soundtrack; I used to watch him on stage but later realized he’s a close friend of someone very dear to me. The other thing that makes me think is how wonderful that most of these films were funded by the National Film Board of Canada. It makes me depressed that there’s really nothing like it in the US, but filmmakers have gotten smarter about other ways to fund a film.

Just in case

merchan — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:08:47 +0000

Laptop bags are so ubiquitous, it’s a little yawn to be writing about them. But this Gareth Pugh collaboration with funky French retailer Collette caught our eyelashes and drove them batty. We’re into the bold graphic geometric pattern and especially adore the silver star quilted lining. If you want something equally as graphic but a little more sweet stateside, may we suggest the white/black/red bow lap top bag?