Matthew Byrne | Writer, Founder, Digital Marketer

The City as Poetry

Urban Fragments is poetry spread among more than 20 million inhabitants — memories of dry winters and humid summers mixed with the essence of stinky tofu. Words that ride down the street in their orange shared bike, trying not to bump into the Mercedes blocking the hutong or the old man with the recyclable waste coming down the wrong side of the street. Stanzas that come alive in a Didi driver’s spit or in the sounds of the fires laid at some of the intersections of the city while a feeling of displacement and insignificance gets conjured by the sight of mega buildings drowning in fog.

On 14th December 2019, as part of the Spittoon MEGACITY series, Aotu Space hosted Urban Fragments — a multimedia installation combining poetry curated by Sara F. Costa, sound by Julian, and visuals by Nina Dillenz.

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The Poems

Among Others by Edward Ragg

(…) Movement, which may  

be a cure of happiness.

 

In the city’s final covering

more hidden than 

 

the subway’s transfers, 

at least less visible, 

 

yet before our eyes.

 

Here, at last, I feel 

among others:

 

millions who wear

the tunnels of Beijing

 

and that they now exist

as so many hours 

 

from now, prised 

 

from the subway cars,

 

I will return

to your original face. 

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beijing fun/hutong by Jonathan Chan

sprawling urban sets bleed on display screens,

ruffling plastic cords, glinting frame of red.

promises are made- public art displays,

sculptured picassos, three-floor high cafes,

bookshelves by daylight, indoor garden cage,

beijing stock exchange, western facade made.

narrow passageways lead to hutong streets,

eyes cannot forget, dissonant and clean.

crumbling artifice, fibreglass scaffold,

crackling concrete drill, roadside xiangqi shift.

temple playgrounds hide lively crayon scrawls.

museums recall’ essence of beijing’ :

average workers’ hymns marching forth onstage,

creative writing troops, visual art enclaves.

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Participating Poets

Ana Padilla Fornieles, Chris Nash, David Seamans, Edward Ragg, Jenny Rowe, Jiarong Chen, Jonathan Chan, Lebogang Lebese, Michael Burton, Nancy Fowlkes, Pieter Velghe, Sara F. Costa, Simon Shieh, Tara Doolabh, Wenfeng Tong.

The Collaborators

Sara F. Costa — Portuguese poet and author of five published collections. Winner of the Glória de Sant’Anna award for best poetry book published in Portuguese-speaking countries in 2018. Based in Beijing coordinating Spittoon events and hosting the Spittoon Poetry Workshop.

Julian — Chinese musician and producer who spent his teenage years in Melbourne and studied music production at Dub Spot Electronic Music School in New York. His work blends sampling, electro, techno, and orchestral elements. Based in Beijing since 2018 as a freelance music producer collaborating with poets, artists, and designers.

Nina Dillenz — graduated with an MA in Theatre and Film Studies from the University of Vienna. Her visuals are characterised by layers of abstract, stock, and found footage interspersed with elements from nature. Has exhibited at Red Gate Gallery and Aotu Space, and co-directed the Macondo music video City of Mirrors.

Also on the Night: Julian — Every Connection

Every Connection is a multimedia artwork combining wearable installation, video art, experimental music, and performance. Antlers, a kendo helmet, and a spoon — seemingly unrelated objects connected through shared attributes of defensiveness, aggression, and sexual appeal. Red lighting and hand-drawn animation created an unsettling atmosphere, while analogue synthesisers generated intertwining high, mid, and low frequencies pacing in different rhythms.

Followed by GING ArtiLab

GING ArtiLab linger electronic tones of real instruments with a slight gap of intimacy. A simple and alternative instrumental atmosphere, wrapped in human voices and immersed in an illusory realm — sometimes experimenting with irregular beats, sometimes sculpting psychedelic auditory atmosphere. Vocal and keyboard: GING. Bass: Zhao Kuang. Keyboard: Ginger.

Originally published December 2019 on the Spittoon WeChat channel. Urban Fragments took place at Aotu Space, 67 Beixinqiao Toutiao, Beijing, 14th December 2019.