NY Times’ David W. Dunlap on memory and imagery, and the Tower of Lights’ dress rehearsal. Even as I’m never quite sure where I stand on the re-building process, I’m of the view that the Tower of Lights are the best kind of tribute.
Category: Manhattan
Cultural Tofu
SSW mentioned the ongoing Asian American International Film Festival that we both attended, and so far has been summarized by the panel that we attended on Saturday about Asian American Aesthetics. My witty quip summarizing the panelists, which included thespian David Henry Hwang and director Wayne Wang, was “cultural tofu” – kind of amorphous, absorbs surrounding flavors, is “value added” (or what we would call in a different decade, “hamburger helper“). Like tofu, artistes strive for something unmistakenly Asian or subdue it to be almost invisible. Do other cultures run into this phenomenon?
I felt that way representing the “Hong Kong” team at the 72 Hour Shootout competition. I’m familiar enough with Hong Kong that I can name everywhere that we (actually they of Hong Kong – I just took care of the delivery part at the end, and other than the team leader, I had not met anyone) filmed in the movie, but am I part of that aestetic? Is belonging a necessary function to adopting an aestetic? We didn’t win, but we were unique as the first ever entry shot in Asia, and I had plenty of people ask how we pulled off getting the film back to New York in time. We’re going to have to top this next year – how remains to be seen.
Asian Pacific Heritage + Mother’s Day
Saturday: worked a table at the CAPA Festival, held at the UN instead of Union Square because of construction. Attendence not quite as good as it usually is at Union Square, but the site is a lot better for the people there. First – actual trees that provide shade. Second, the Japan Society is across the street, and they have Toto Washlets – WOW, I really miss those restrooms in Tokyo. The current Shibata Zeshin exhibit is a tour de force in lacquer works – the lost art of painting with lacquer is something spectacular.
Dinner in Flushing for P-‘s mom at the Full House Seafood Restaurant – a whole steamed fish and calamari were spectacular, the chicken and beef dishes kind of ok. The thing to get that we missed out on was the steamed seafood casseroles.
Sunday: Studio photos with my mom courtesy of Microsoft, followed by lunch-dinner at Teresa’s Polish Restaurant, and then a hairstyling makeover for my mom with my hairstylist. All worked out real well.