The 4th Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial, dubbed the world’s largest outdoor art festival, is currently held (July 26 to Sept 13, 2009) in the Echigo-Tsumari region, encompassing Tokamachi City and Tsunan Town in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.
Artists from 38 countries collaborated with local residents and urban supporters to create over 350 artworks in rice paddies, abandoned houses, and closed schools etc. Check the event’s official website for more pics and details.
Colourful murals in Qingdao, China; covering more than 60,000 square metres on 21 buildings at a shopping street in Qingdao’s Taidong commercial district. The painting was completed in June 2008 in conjunction with the Beijing Olympics, where Qingdao was the venue for sailing events… [image from Xinhuanet (Cn)]
Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki is releasing her new album “Next Level” in USB flash drives (limited version) along with regular CDs…
The idea is not new; American stars Matchbox 20 and Jennifer Lopez have done this before. Ayu is probably the first popular Japanese singer to try this though… I guess she is stamping her mark as the trendsetter at the land of the rising sun yet again.
CowParade is an international public art exhibition which featured in major cities worldwide, where fibreglass sculptures of cows decorated by local artists would be distributed over the city centre. The cows are normally auctioned off after the exhibition at each city with proceeds donated to charity.
Taipei City is the 65th venue for the parade; the exhibition has just ended in early February… a pretty fitting event to welcome the Chinese New Year of Ox.
Some fun and offbeat news from various sources…
Art – Amazing cityscape art made from unusual objects [Neatorama]
Canada – Three Canadian men have claimed a new record for the fastest trek across Antarctica to the South Pole [BBC]
China – A Chinese farmer shows off his self-made rickshaw-pulling robot (pic) near his home in a village at the outskirts of Beijing [Cri]
Germany – Two German children, aged five and six, have been stopped by police on New Year’s Day from eloping to Africa for a sunny wedding… poor kids lol [BBC]
Japan – Said to be Japan’s scariest suspension bridge [Youtube, via Yamatologic]
Space – National Geographic’s top 10 space photos of 2008 [Nat-Geo]
S Korea – Emergency exits used at preschools… cute, but doubtful reliability [Brian]
USA – 6-year-old missed school bus, took mom’s car instead [Neatorama]
Some interesting tomb design of the Giarai (or Jarai) tribe, an ethnic group based primarily in Vietnam’s Central Highlands…
Interesting culture and places in Taipei, Taiwan; as featured in the 4th and 5th episode of The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) season 3.
Ximending, Taipei
Ximending is one of the most bustling areas in Taipei with a mixture of new and old culture.
You can find the latest trends and hype in Ximending… fashion, books, entertainment, cosplay, games etc; and on contrary also home to some of the oldest shops and restaurants in Taipei.
Ximending is also a popular place for celebrities to hold fans meeting or small concerts.
Went to the National Rice Museum (Muzium Padi Nasional) in Kedah, Malaysia, in March 2008. The museum is near the city of Alor Setar, and is famous for its huge 360-degree ceiling painting on one of the interior domes.
The painting is a nice piece of art work, featuring the bird-eye-view of the surrounding environment around the museum, as well as the growing cycle of the rice crops from ploughing to harvesting and celebrations etc…
