Duets: Poetry and Music with Jennifer Lee Tsai and Xiaoxiao Hou

23 Jun 2024

Overview

Sun 23 Jun, 2pm | Free entry
Join us for the second of two performances with our artist in residence Jennifer Lee Tsai. Lee Tsai will perform readings of her poetry alongside musician Xiaoxiao Hou. The performance will take place within Michelle Williams Gamaker’s expansive gallery installation, amongst seating made from shredded scripts and posters.

Xiaoxiao (筱潇 xiǎo xiāo) will perform playing the Guzheng 古筝 (gǔ zhēng). Also known as a Chinese zither or harp, the Guzheng is plucked string instrument with a tradition dating back more than 2,500 years. It is not only an instrument, but also a piece of art and decoration. It shows a close relationship between painting and calligraphy, such as carved art, painting, shell carving with jade, and so on. The strings, once made of silk, are these days almost always made from nylon-coated steel, which increases the instrument's volume as well as changing its timbre. Performers of the Guzheng often wear fingerpicks on one or both hands, which are often made from materials such as ivory, resin or hard plastic.

In Chinese classical music, Guzheng were often used to represent things as grand as mountains, but also as delicate as streamlets. Guzheng players are always elegant and peaceful, like they just walked out from one of the Chinese paintings. The way to play and demonstrate Guzheng music is connected very closely to Chinese philosophies as well as other art forms in Chinese culture.
 

https://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/whatson/duets-poetry-and-music-with-jennifer-lee-tsai-and-xiaoxiao-hou

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