| China Birth and Belonging: A two-day event of performance and talks |
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| Culture | |
| Thursday, 11 February 2010 | |
CHINA: BIRTH AND BELONGINGWellcome Collection 26 & 27 February 2010 A major two day symposium tackling the notion of identity in one of the most exciting nations of our time Wellcome Collection joins forces with Chinese Arts Centre to produce a major two day symposium to tackle the idea of identity in one of the most exciting nations of our time: China. The two day event takes place 26-27 February at the the venue in Euston and will be exploring hot topics and questions including: how the one-child policy has influenced attitudes towards the family; stem cell research and conflict in 20th century China; China: Birth and Belonging will bring together experts from the worlds of performance, the humanities and science to provide exciting new insights into human identity.  Exploring the Essence of Chinese Identity In various ancient Chinese philosophies, a person's identity is founded by their interaction with the world. Life therefore does not begin at conception, but at birth. In traditional medicine people are influenced by inheritance, the environment and also Qi ('breath of life'). This symposium will explore these ideas and what they mean for China today. Ken Arnold, Head of Public Programmes at the Wellcome Trust explains: “As part of our Identity Season, we wanted to explore a completely different national identity. Is there an essence of Chinese identity? Is the nature of the individual within it distinctively different? Does 'Chineseness' remain unchanged when exported to 'Chinatowns' around the world? This symposium aims to go beyond common assumptions to delve into these fascinating questions.” China: Birth and Belonging co-incides with ‘Identity: Eight Rooms, Nine Lives’, a major temporary exhibition at Wellcome Collection which launched in November 2009 and explores contributions made by diverse individuals spanning the worlds of science, the arts and history, who collectively have provided a fuller understanding of what distinguishes each one of us, as well as setting challenging questions about our own sense of our individuality.
 Friday 26 February: An evening of performance Chinese Arts Centre curates an evening of newly commissioned interventions and performances which will provide elements of intrigue, opportunities to try out drawing skills or to simply relax and listen to haunting vocals. ‘Identity: 8 rooms, 9 lives’ will be open and the curators will be present. Sally Lai, Chief Executive Officer at Chinese Arts Centre comments: “Working with Wellcome Collection Chinese Arts Centre is presenting an evening of intriguing performances that explore the complexity of identity. Reflecting a current trend in Chinese contemporary art of art as an event the three performances on the evening offer unique perspectives that are at once playful, mesmerising and challenging.” The contributing artists are: Brendan Fan  Brendan Fan’s practice consists of discreet gestures, actions and interventions. His work utilises absurdity, humour, futility and failure to investigate the nature of the art object and the contexts in which it exists. During the course of the evening, Brendan Fan will carry out a series of interventions involving the audience. Yuen Fong Ling Yuen Fong Ling: picture courtesy of Jonathan Purcell Artist Yuen Fong Ling will lead a performative workshop that will reconfigure the notion of the traditional life drawing class, in order to question issues of identity, reflexivity, power and ownership of the gaze. Taking a photograph from Wellcome Collection, of an artist painting in his studio by John Thomson (1837-1921) during his travels to China, as its starting point, Yuen creates a life-drawing class which the delegates can take part in, themselves becoming part of the artwork, while others observe. Seaming To  Photograph by Jeni Sadler Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and composer Seaming To will perform a set with musicians Semay Wu (of Mayming/Homelife) and Paddy Steer (Homelife). Pulling together influences from her heritage with her own experimentation of mixing tradition with identity and stories from her childhood the set will be an atmospheric reflection on fantasy versus reality. Seaming has been writing and producing solo material for an album of pulsing and atmospheric song-based electronica to be released in early 2010.
Saturday 27 February : Talks and discussion evening The One Child Policy: impact on attitudes and reproductive choice Therese Hesketh, Professor of Global Health, UCL Centre for International Health and Development Since its introduction in 1979 the One Child Policy has had a direct impact on the lives of over one fifth of the world’s population. The Policy has influenced reproductive choice, preferred family size, and access to abortion. How has this had an impact on sex ratios and what does this mean for the future? Eating Qi: Food, Identity and Inheritance in China Vivienne Lo, Senior Lecturer, Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL In ancient China knowledge about the potency of flavours, and their ability to nourish body and soul, was framed in terms of nurturing the body’s Qi, its Yin and Yang. It also connected individuals to their community and ansectors. Do these ideas still have an impact today? Wartime and identity in modern China Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, University of Oxford. Conflict has had a major impact on the diversity of China’s population. The war against Japan in the 1930/40s affected the identities of women, ethnic minorities, and refugees. China’s turbulent history is reflected in the shaping of contemporary Chinese identity in the twenty-first century. Unborn life and stem cell research in China: changing values and scientific quests Jack Price, Professor of Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London Margaret Sleeboom-Faulkner, Reader in Anthropology, University of Sussex Some have argued that China will soon become the world’s leader in stem cell research. How does its cultural and legal context have an impact on this science? What does this mean for the country’s population? Art, Migration and the Complexity of Belonging Diana Yeh, Visiting Lecturer, University of East London By revealing rarely told stories of artists and writers of Chinese descent in Britain, Diana Yeh will challenge our assumptions about Chinese notions of identity and belonging. While family, ancestry and birthplace are often vital, they relate to identity and belonging in complex and often unexpected ways.
China - Birth and Belonging: Event dates: Friday 26 February, 7-9pm, Saturday 27 February, 10.30am - 5pm Tickets: Tickets cost £30 or £20 concessions. Venue: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE The price includes entry to event on both days and refreshments throughout (including lunch on Sat) Public booking line: 020 7611 2222. Find out more at www.wellcomecollection.org/china
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