book.
S: Uh, most of my work consists of photographic self-portraiture. Um, I’m interested in using myself as the subject, um, not only as the creator of the image but as the, the character, or the performer of, of the images. So in my portraits I’m trying to capture, um, a deeper essence of a person, um, more or less. This work here is done with a pinhole camera, which requires a very long exposure so, with a portrait you can get this feeling of time passed. It’s not a, it’s not an instant, per se, it could be five minutes of exposure.
A: So this is another project I’m working on. I’m almost finished with it but I still need to work on the reflections in the water, um, and the face of the boy before it’s finished.
S: I often work with multiples and, you know, using a mirror or the same image twice and what I wanted to do was link the two portraits together with the string. It’s kind of the string of thought or this idea of remembering or the resilience（弹力；恢复力） of memory.
A: I don’t just paint from photographs. I try to make a work of art. Um, I try to make a painting that goes beyond a mere photographic image. I try to capture something about the soul of the, or the essence of this person.
S: This piece here is, uh, it’s called The Measure of Decay and behind the piece there are portraits, again, of me I have this clay(黏土) covering on that has cracked and so it’s, it’s kind of like the process of decay. So as each portrait goes around you can, you can see the image in a different focus. I love painting portraits.
A: I love painting but portraits are very special because they’re about
people.
S: I’m fascinated by portraiture in general, and the human body and how the image lives over time. I like to capture what is unique and special about an individual in paint.
? Listening in Conversation 1
Lily: So what was the highlight of your trip to (South) Korea?
Hugh: Well that's…let me see...it's got to be going to see Nanta. Lily： What on earth is Nanta?
Hugh：It's this amazing live show-part theater-part dance-part music. Lily: Sounds really interesting. But why’s it so brilliant?
Hugh: I think it's the energy of the performers. Also it has a unique
concept. It's a mixture of traditional Korean music, percussion and drums, into a western style performance
Lily: I've never heard of it. Has it ever been performed in the West?
Hugh: Yeah, it's been a sell-out. They've toured in over 30 countries since
the show began in 1997.It's a non-verbal performance so there are no language barriers. That's what's made it an international success.
Lily: What else makes it so special then?
Hugh: Well...the other thing is that all the action takes place in the kitchen.
You see these four chefs preparing the food for a wedding reception. The performers use knives, dustbin lids and various other kitchen utensils（厨房用具） to create a hypnotic（催眠的） soundtrack. The food literally flies everywhere! It's hilarious（欢闹的）.
Lily: That sounds quite funny I must admit. Is there an actual story
though?
Hugh: Oh yes, there is a story. The four chefs have to prepare the meal by 6
o'clock and they also have to give the manager's nephew cooking lessons too, which adds to the fun. There’s loads of audience participation and despite there being no language involved you get completely engrossed（全神贯注的）. It's really quite wacky（古怪的）!
Lily: And what about the audience? I suppose they start throwing food
around?
Hugh: Not quite! But they are totally involved in what's going
on---everyone loves it. It's a really great family show. In fact it's one of the best shows I've ever seen. Jim, my friend, says he takes all his visitors. He's seen it about eight times and still loves it. Lily: I bet it's popular with tourists then.
Hugh: Well apparently over a million foreign tourists in (South) Korea have
seen the show and it's had a run on Broadway too. It first got popular after they appeared at the Edinburgh Festival. Now they are planning to tour more cities in Asia where (South) Korean popular culture is becoming incredibly trendy. Lily： By the way what does “Nanta” mean?
Hugh：It means random drumming in Korean. The English name for the
show is Cookin’, which gives you a clearer idea of what it's all about.
Lily： You've got me interested now. I'll have to check it out on the
internet.
Conversation 2
Interviewer: Kathy Richards is a specialist art tour guide. Kathy-can you tell
us what trends you've noticed in recent years?
Kathy: Well, one of the biggest phenomena I've noticed is a huge
increase in visitors to galleries-and a growing interest in modern art in general.
Interviewer: What do you think the reason is for that?
Kathy: Well, there are several reasons, I think. The most important
ones are firstly, that some new contemporary art galleries have opened which have had a lot of publicity, and secondly the younger generation feel more comfortable with modern art so the kind of people visiting galleries is changing. Finally, the new generation of galleries have become destinations in themselves...they tend to be housed in amazing buildings.
Interviewer: So which are the most popular new galleries?
Kathy: Well, the Tate Modern in London has had over 30 million
visitors since it opened in 2000. The annual average is now over 4.5 million. The Museum of Modern Art, or MoMA in New York is an older gallery, it was founded in 1929 but has been recently renovated and expanded. This work was finished in 2006 and it had over 2.5 million visitors in the first year after reopening. Another very successful new gallery is the Guggenheim in Bilbao in Spain. It opened in 1997 and now gets about a million visitors a year.
Interviewer: Those are pretty impressive figures. Maybe the fact that the
Tate Modern is free to visit might have something to do with it?
Kathy: It's true that entrance to the permanent collection is free but
the numbers of people visiting the temporary exhibition are also high and the entrance fee is usually about ten pounds.
Interviewer: Do you have to pay to get into the other galleries you
mentioned?
Kathy: Oh yes. You do. Admission to MoMA is 20 US dollars and the
Guggenheim in Bilbao costs eight euros.
Interviewer: Do people mind paying, do you think?
Kathy: No, I don't think they do mind. Most people feel the fees are
reasonable considering the outstanding collections of priceless works of art that they get to see.
Interviewer: You mentioned that the buildings that art galleries are in can
be an attraction themselves these days.
Kathy: Well, yes, the Guggenheim has literally revitalized the whole
city and put Bilbao on the tourist map. It's got a futuristic, curvy metallic（金属的） structure and people love it. The Tate Modern has helped redevelop an old industrial area beside the River Thames. The gallery itself is actually inside a huge, old, brick power station. And MoMA is interesting as it's in downtown New York.
Interviewer: And who visits these galleries? What's the profile of the
average art lover?
Kathy: Well, in the past museums and galleries were seen as appealing
to the older generation. But in fact, 48 percent of visitors to the Tate Modern are under 35.
Unit4
? Inside view
Joe: So, you're all set for the interview with Janet's Chinese friend? Andy: Sure. We're meeting him tomorrow at midday. Joe: And Janet, you're OK to give Andy a hand? Janet: Yes. Thank you very much for giving me another chance after last week.