SU-CHIN PANG - PHOTOGRAPHY

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

DISSILIENCE : An All Women ArtShow


DISSILIENCE: Noun 1.the emergence of seeds as seed pods burst open when they are ripe...

Dissilience is a collaboration of eight women artists, in and out of the Los Angeles area. The focus is to give creative women an opportunity to share their work with the public and support one another through a common passion. The contemporary list of artist works include Illustration, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Short Film and Media Art.

The event will take place in a 2000 sq ft historic warehouse in Korea Town, Los Angeles. It houses 2 gallery rooms and an outdoor space. We suggest donations at the door and will be serving wine and vegan dumpings by Bling Bling Dumplings. There will also be live music (TBA) and DJ Haizee (Betty Heart) will be spinning Electro Beats throughout the show. So come down and join us for an amazing night of Art & Culture.

Artists Line-Up
Beth Kucharski (Painter) 
Yvette Marthell (Photographer) 
Maria Loewenstein (Sculptor/Photographer)
Su Pang (Fine Artist/Photographer) 
Donatelle Liens (Illustrator/Photographer)
5 a.m. (Painter)
Malia Fishel (Painter) 
Jenn Garrison (Film-Maker) 
Tara Maria Ford (Media Artist)

Event Date
June 25th, 2011 6p.m.-11p.m.

Website

Friday, January 28, 2011

The Swedish Movement...

For most swedes, Andreas Sjödin is a household name. Born in Sweden, his photography has made an impact to the International and U.S Fashion Market. From H&M to Vogue, his photography expresses movement, elegance and artful composition. I am in awe at his lighting techniques and photo processing. With every campaign, Andrea brings a different dynamic while maintaining his unique style of capturing human beauty. I'll let his work do the talking....





Thursday, December 30, 2010

5 Day Shanghai....


Traffic Rules do not exist in Shanghai. I can't say if its just Shanghai or all of China, this being my first trip to China. Green here means step on the gas pedal and pray that anything or anyone crossing your path or in the opposite direction don't kill you first! I grip the side of the taxicab's door in doubt, as we narrowly miss cars, scooters, bikes and people approaching in all directions. Big cities have proofed to be similar in my world travel. They leave contradicting footprints, one that leads to a pinball machine world of noise and visual stimulation, another, to intangible humanity. Cities accelerate and lack collisions of compassion. In Shanghai's underground tunnels, doors open, citizens force their way onto the train before riders have the opportunity to exit. Put your helmet on and when the doors open "Charge"! One of Shanghai's best highlight can be experienced at rush hour. 

There are the fortunate who have found fortune in this city. Then there are the poor who live in tiny one room homes within an overcrowded community. A bulk of my time was spent in these neighborhoods to understand and learn more of my Shanghainese culture. Many of the old buildings, some dating as far back as 100 years and more, hid details that had been overlooked or forgotten. We precariously walked into locals' homes trying to blend in. My camera and the blond girl might have given us away but highly unlikely :).We were often greeted with questions like "What are you doing here?" and "Why are you taking photos of these old ugly buildings?". It is common here you find neighbors sharing kitchens and bathrooms, dark corridors lined with padlocked doors, sometimes a steep wooden staircase, leading to a maze of other living quarters. These spaces are far removed from simple. My eyes never saw an empty wall, shelf or counter space. I remember seeing all sorts of objects hung from hooks, wooden sticks, hangers for storage. If there is a space, it had a purpose. I now fully understand why while growing up, we had all sorts of hanging knickknacks. It wasn't dysfunctional after all! 

It snowed in Shanghai on the second day of my visit, making the next few days of photographing outside less desirable. While I was complaining about the cold, I witness a local washing his hair outside his home, with a bucket of cold taped water, mixed in with hot water contained in a stainless steel flask. I am clueless to how they shower. Their access to hot water is over a portable gas stove. Their kitchens are small rooms enough for one person to stand in, separate from their living quarters. 

If you are ever in China, you have to get your money's worth on your taste buds. The authentic foods of China are sold off the food carts on the streets. It is a little scary thinking about the hygiene standards, but I can guarantee your wallet and tummy is in for a treat! I can't remember a time aside from school days, I could buy a bowl of noodles for less than a dollar! A lot tastier than what I have ordered in most restaurants. The hole in the wall eateries would scare most civilians. They reminded me of old coffee shops and food stalls growing up in Singapore. I indulge in inexpensive tasty food parked under my nose, praying i won't regret throwing up in both directions :P!

Shanghai has everything America has to offer, including - The Mall! I spent ten minutes in what appeared to be the busiest shopping district of Shanghai. Truthfully I could not tell. The chinese have a reputation for being hard workers. I have seen locals standing in freezing temperatures just to make a few bucks. They have, over time, developed tolerance to their harsh environments for self-survival. China is also resourceful at reinventing the wheel. If you want to buy clothing, jewelry and a lot of fake counterfeit brand bags and watches, there is metro stop mall just for that!

As old buildings are torn down to make room for new high-rises and malls, we observe Shanghai taking form. There isn't much of old Shanghai left standing. If you look deep enough, you will find charming locals and a lot of history in these corridors. These images traced my path over 5 days through city streets and narrow alleys, I mingled with the locals and attempted to communicate with my superb mandarin skills. I hope you enjoy following my footprints, to discover the "Real Shanghai". 

To View Photos:

Thanks to my cousin Anni, who was mostly my voice on this trip.


Tuesday, December 7, 2010

24 Hour Shanghai

My first impression on China in 3 words - Warmth, Smiles and Kindness. I had an unexpected change of plans, Shanghai for 24 hours after a 14 hour flight, and back on the plane to Singapore. I will be back to Shanghai in 10 days when my visa issue gets sorted out. I stayed outside of Shanghai City for the night and a hotel for $28, would have costed $150/night in america. I cannot even tell you where i was. The next day turned out to be a pleasant clear day. I had an interesting asian breakfast at the hotel's top floor, filled with noodles, buns and more noodles. I took a stroll in the neighborhood, where a big river runs through. Within 10 mins of new discoveries, I find myself in the path of a scruffy kitten with melting eyes. It must have been weeks old. He was weak, thin and scrounging for food in the back of a restaurant. My immediate respond was to shelter "it", he clung on to me as if to say "don't leave me", "Please take me home with you". I attempted to speak to the food washing ladies in mandarin, asking them if they knew where the kitten's mother was. They had told me it had wandered through the streets looking for food. Sad, sad, sad :(((_-_-_I feel so guilty for not doing more. 
I continued making my way through the narrow streets, to photograph this foreign town. I encountered more sad animals (you will see in my photos). It was heart wrenching for me to even work on some of the photos. I also met some really genuine hardworking poor people, who were so kind to invite a stranger "me" into their homes for lunch. I was sure to get their address so that I could mail them their photos when I return to China. On the way back to the hotel, I couldn't help buying a chicken leg, or was it duck? I had to go back to feed the poor defenseless kitten. About 6 of the ladies working at the restaurant were on their break and were camera shy. After talking to them more, they warmed up quickly and I managed to get my photo op. They brought me a bowl so i could wash my greasy hands from feeding the kitten. 

This is the culture here, it is real, as cruel as it may seem. Still hard to swallow and hard not to hold back the tears. I am so connected and removed from this society. It makes me happy and sad experiencing what seems to be the norm here. Think twice when you do complain about what you don't have. If you ever feel discontent, I suggest taking a trip to suburbia China. What you may experience is something very unique, quite hard to put in words. I hope my photos speak for me.To view more of my images, please visit:

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Vintage Tableware with an Attitude!

I had been searching for a flower pot for a plant that had outgrown it's cramped plastic container. During my rush shopping lunch break, I discovered a store with 30-50% off signs plastered over it's window. I found myself a beautiful Jade Green pot and decided to browse through the aisles of cheap china before I stumbled upon these amazing pieces of tableware! They were sitting on random shelves, collecting dust and completely forgotten about. The collection below is a mixture of three manufacturers. Most well-known - Mikasa, Sango Rainbow & Carousel Stoneware, all made in Japan and dates back to the early 70s. One of the tea cups still had its barcode label stuck on it. 

In the early 1930's, Mikasa was established as an international trading company based in Secaucus, New Jersey. The American company looked to Japan for inspiration and imported only from countries like Japan, Ireland, England, France, and Germany. Mikasa's secret was mixing feldspar, quartz and flint to the clay, making it incredibly durable. It is an American classic - strong, practical and above all, beautiful! They sure don't make them like they used to.


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Clean Living & Butter??

I have neglected my blog page for quite sometime. I guess i have been more foucsed in getting my photography project together. Its hard to be focused on just one thing when life is constantly throwing  opportunities. There is always some other exciting activity that presents itself!

I am not sure how you all feel .....“I LOVE BUTTER!” The way it tastes, its texture and color. Potato is my second favourite but i won’t do without my butter in them mash potatoes! Anyway, I stumbled upon an inventive way to carry your butter. This reminds me of wooden ice-cream spoons from the 70s. The wooden spreader acts as a lid for the container. It simply snaps on when not in use. This design is functional, portable and minimalistic.

I am also posting [ BETTER LIFE ]’s line of house cleaners. The difference is the concept of humor. Cleaning supply packagings always market how well their products clean and sanitizes. Sure we all want a cleaner that works well but we all dread house cleaning! If you do enjoy cleaning, you can come over my apartment anytime! I appreciate packaging humor to a not so motivating part of life :)

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Found Treasure in the Mid-West

My 2 day journey begins.....photographing decayed structures and open land in the humid air of Missouri. 6a.m Sunday morning, we will load the pickup and head Southwest of Kansas City towards Jefferson City, MO to find Bates-Geers House (AKA Monster House). I am excited to ride these unknown country roads, stumbling upon whatever presents itself. We will then drive west to a town call Ozark, to seek out a historic mill call Hoover Mill. In case of any emergency....my mosquito repellent and bottle of alcohol will be at waist side! This photo was taken by a photographer by the name of Jerry E Shelton in Missouri. Thanks to Jerry, the house is waiting to be found by ME!

Here is a little history of Monster House. 
A view of the Bates-Geers house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, described as having significant Greek Revival architecture , and located in northeastern rural Texas county. The house was built in the early 1840's by Addison Bates, who moved to the area from North Carolina and built the first sawmill in this area. The large chimneys on either end are made of locally quarried sandstone. The house was used as a stagecoach stop around the time of the civil war. After the war, the house was sold to John Geers, a union soldier from Illinois who had been in the area during the war. He and his descendants lived here until the 1970's. At the time the documents were filed in the 1980's to have the house placed on the National Register of Historic Places, the owners stated it was their intention to have the house restored.