Shows
Of the Earth 本土China's Southern Paradise: An interview with Dr. Yiwen Liu of the Cleveland Museum of ArtIn this episode, Cortney & Ellen interview Dr. Yiwen Liu a research assistant at the Cleveland Museum of Art about the special exhibition China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta (open till January 7, 2024). If you are in the Cleveland area, be sure to check out this extraordinary exhibition! The exhibition catalogue is currently available online and in the museum store. Thanks for listening to our podcast!
2023-12-2532 minOf the Earth 本土Hidden Letters: A Conversation with Violet Du Feng (Part 2)Part 2 of our conversation with award-winning director and producer Violet Du Feng. We talk about her recent documentary film Hidden Letters, which follows the stories of two millennial Chinese women connected by their love of Nushu, a secret language of sisterhood that dates back hundreds of years. For more on Feng's film see: www.hiddenlettersfilm.com. Hidden Letters is available for viewing on Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play and Amazon Prime Video. Follow Hidden Letters on instagram @hiddenlettersfilm.Shout out to J.M. and J.O. for supporting Of the Earth! Thank you!If y...
2023-01-3117 minOf the Earth 本土Hidden Letters: A Conversation with Violet Du Feng (Part 1)In part 1 of this two-part conversation, we sit down with award-winning director and producer Violet Du Feng to talk about her most recent film Hidden Letters, a documentary that follows the stories of two millennial Chinese women connected by their love of Nushu, a secret language of sisterhood that dates back hundreds of years. For more on Feng's film, which is currently shortlisted for an Oscar, see: www.hiddenlettersfilm.com. Hidden Letters is available for viewing on Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play and Amazon Prime Video. Follow Hidden Letters on instagram @hiddenlettersfilm.Shout out to J.M...
2023-01-1225 minOf the Earth 本土Zhang Hongtu: "Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?"What does Bodhidharma (founder of Zen Buddhism) have to do with Van Gogh? In this episode Cortney & Ellen sat down to talk about NYC-based artist Zhang Hongtu, political pop, and a series of ink paintings where Zhang Hongtu merges Bodhidharma and Van Gogh to challenge "East" and "West" dualities. The question "Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?" is a koan, or a thought riddle, used in Chan/Zen Buddhist practice to help practitioners break through rational patterns of thinking and bring about a greater awareness. Many thanks to all our listeners. For more Of th...
2022-06-0918 minOf the Earth 本土Xu Bing: The Art of Non-BeingIn this episode of Of the Earth we chat about one our all time favorites, contemporary artist Xu Bing 徐冰. We share our experiences co-curating his 2012 exhibition at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, along with the artist's many Wisconsin connections. Considering works like Book from the Sky (1987-1991) and Background Story: A New Approach to Traditional Landscape Painting (2004-ongoing), we explore the relationship of Xu's works to the Chinese concept of Wu (non-being, emptiness). For more on Xu Bing's art works visit his website here.Read about Huang Gongwang's famous handscroll Wandering in the Fuchun Mountains at S...
2022-03-1425 minOf the Earth 本土An Otherworldy Murder Mystery: The Ghost Bride with Special Guest Yangsze ChooJust in time for Halloween, Cortney & Ellen sit down with New York Times Bestselling author Yangsze Choo to talk about her debut novel The Ghost Bride. We dig deep into the origins of this ghostly murder mystery that takes us on a journey from late 19th century Malaya into the Plains of the Dead and beyond. How would you feel if you received a proposition to marry a ghost? Why are offerings to the dead so important in Chinese culture and Chinese diaspora cultures? How do modern death rituals relate to those of the past? Tune in to find o...
2021-10-3151 minOf the Earth 本土Bonus Episode: The Politics and Pyrotechnics of Cai Guo-Qiang's "Sky Ladder" with Shanny LuftRecently, Cortney & Ellen sat down with Shanny Luft, host of podcast No Cure for Curiosity and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, to talk about contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang and the Netflix documentary Sky Ladder. We discussed the impact and scale of Cai's explosion events, the collaborative nature of his work, and the precarious line between art and propaganda. Check out No Cure for Curiosity for an alternate cut of our conversation with Shanny!
2021-10-0535 min
No Cure for CuriosityFamed Firework Artist Cai Guo-QiangSend us a textShanny talks with Cortney Chaffin, an art historian at UWSP, and Ellen Larson, a PhD candidate at the University of Pittsburgh, about Cai Guo-Qiang. Cai is a Chinese artist renowned for his firework art you have to see to believe. We watched the documentary Sky Ladder, available on Netflix, which documented Cai's effort to complete an art piece he has worked on for decades. We talk about what it takes to create firework art displays, the tension between art and propaganda, and whether seeing his work on film is a sufficient experience. You don...
2021-10-0427 minOf the Earth 本土Prophetic Tortoises: Divination and Augmented Reality Through Time and SpaceIn this episode, Cortney & Ellen dig into one of the earliest existing records of writing found anywhere in the world. Once believed to be dragon bones, these objects have evoked fascinating, even controversial links between the past and the present. So settle in as we discuss prophetic tortoises.Show notes:Curious about King Wu Ding's favorite wife General Fu Hao? Check out Cortney's essay on Smarthistory.org to learn about Fu Hao's many roles in Shang society and the discovery of her tomb at the last Shang dynasty capital at Anyang, in Henan Province.
2021-09-0621 minOf the Earth 本土Staging the Afterlife: The Temporalities of Lady DaiIn this episode, Cortney & Ellen discuss everyone's favorite 2,000 year old Chinese mummy who dreamed of immortality. How was this ancient Han dynasty woman's body so well preserved? Why did she drink mercury regularly and how do we know? What do objects in her tomb have to do with lunar exploration and Netflix? Tune in to find out!If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to our podcast, share with your friends, and leave us a review! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at @ofthearthpodcast. We'd love to hear from you! www.facebook.com/oftheearthpodcast
2021-07-2028 minOf the Earth 本土Bonus: Learn the Chinese Dynasties with Cortney & Ellen!Ever felt overwhelmed by how many Chinese dynasties there are to learn?! In this bonus episode, Cortney & Ellen introduce the "Chinese Dynasties Song," an incredible tool for learning the names of the Chinese dynasties. Impress your friends at the next cocktail party! Fair warning--this tune is an earworm. Before you know it, everyone will be singing along with you! We want to hear from you! Send us your own video performing the Chinese Dynasties Song and tag us @oftheearthpodcast on Instagram and we'll send you official Of the Earth 本土 merch! Shang (the a in Shang has a...
2021-07-0403 minOf the Earth 本土Staging the Era: The Temporalities of Cao FeiIn Episode 1, Cortney and Ellen discuss contemporary artist Cao Fei's latest retrospective organized by UCCA Center for Contemporary Art.Link to "Cao Fei: Staging the Era" virtual guided tour with UCCA's director and CEO Philip Tinari and Cao Fei : https://www.theartnewspaper.com/interview/cao-fei-ucca.
2021-06-2834 minOf the Earth 本土Of the Earth PrologueSeries introduction to Of the Earth--A podcast that digs into the connections, complexities, and contradictions of Chinese art across time and space.
2021-06-1601 min