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 The Long March Art Project - Shanta Serbjeet Singh, New Delhi e-mail: shanta.serbjeetsingh@gmail.com November 1, 2010 Chinese art has begun to be taken seriously by the international high priests of art. One extraordinary success story is that of The Long March Project, a unique arts initiative which commenced in 2002, in Beijing. It takes its name, of course, from the historic event which was at the heart of Mao's political uprising that led to the overthrow of Generalissmo Chiang Kai Shek. While Mao Zedong was at the core of this, one of the twentieth century's great political upheavals, it was the Long March (1934-35) that became its symbol. The arts project that has been ongoing since the last eight years has used that March as a source of inspiration to pursue a remarkable artistic experiment. It is an ongoing initiative which organises international exhibitions, community-based educational programs and artist residencies. These are documented, archived and published online and in print. Numerous Chinese artists associated with the Long March Project have exhibited their works under its banner, most recently at the 'Art Circus: Jumping from the Ordinary: Yokohama 2005: International Triennale of Contemporary Art,' and 'Techniques of the Visible: 2004 Shanghai Biennale.' This unusual project began when its founding members departed from Beijing in 2002, inviting artists, writers, curators, theorists and art activists from China and abroad to join them in retracing the historical route of this phenomenal march. Exhibitions, lectures, workshops, performances, panel discussions and the creation of new art works took place at the first 12 landmark sites of the March, where ideas about art, history and cultural production were discussed from local, national and international perspectives. The Long March Project has since become a dealer, artist-run space, gallery, commercial enterprise and publishing house, supported and motivated by contemporary Chinese artists.  I was pleasantly surprised when we were taken on a visit to the 798 Art District or Factory 798, the sprawling Pragati Maidan kind of space where it is housed. This is now a hep, very chic, ultramodern symbol of the new China. It began life as a prime example of a military-industrial cooperation between the Soviet Union and the newly formed People's Republic of China. By 1951, 156 "joint factory" projects had been realized under that agreement, part of the Chinese government's first Five-Year Plan. However, the People's Liberation Army still had a dire need of modern electronic components, which were produced in only two of the joint factories. The Russians were unwilling to undertake an additional project at the time, and suggested that the Chinese turn to East Germany from where much of the Soviet Union's electronics equipment was imported. So, at the request of the then Premier Zhou Enlai, scientists and engineers joined the first Chinese trade delegation to East Germany in 1951. The architectural plans were left to the Germans, who chose a functional Bauhaus-influenced design over the more ornamental Soviet style, triggering the first of many disputes between the German and Russian consultants on the project. The plans, where form follows function, called for large indoor spaces designed to let the maximum amount of natural light into the workplace. Arch-supported sections of the ceiling would curve upwards, then fall diagonally along the high slanted banks or windows; this pattern would be repeated several times in the larger rooms, giving the roof its characteristic sawtooth-like appearance. Despite Beijing's northern location, the windows were all to face north because the light from that direction would cast fewer shadows. Ground was broken in April 1954. Construction was marked by disagreements between the Chinese, Soviet and German experts, which led at one point to a six-month postponement of the project. The Joint Factory produced a wide variety of military and civilian equipment. Civilian production included acoustic equipment for Beijing's Workers' Stadium and Great Hall of the People, as well as all the loudspeakers on Tiananmen Square and Chang'an Avenue. Military components were also exported to China's Communist allies, and helped establish North Korea's wireless electronics industry.  Shanta Serbjeet Singh, for twenty-five years, columnist, critic and media analyst for The Hindustan Times, The Economic Times and The Times of India, is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and Delhi Govt.'s Sahitya Kala Parishad for her contribution to the field of culture. She just finished her term as Vice Chairman of the SNA, is the founder-secretary of the World Culture Forum and continues as Chair of the UNESCO created NGO APPAN (The Asia-Pacific Performing Arts Network), a position to which she was appointed in 2001. Singh has authored several well-known publications such as 'Indian Dance: The Ultimate Metaphor' (published by Ravi Kumar (Paris), 'The 50th Milestone: A Feminine Critique' (Sterling Publishers, to mark India's fiftieth anniversary of Independence), 'Nanak, The Guru' (Oxford University Press) and 'America and You' (22 editions). |
