My first bicycle in Japan was an old one given to me by my boss. It didn't have a bell, and therefore I had to make it known to pedestrians that I was approaching by yelling "Ching Ching," in an attempt to emulate a bell sound. People stopped, some laughed, but I didnt think much of it.
At reading time with my class of 5 year olds, I began reading the Three Little Pigs. When I read the part " not by the hair on my chinny chin chin," the entire class roared in hysterics. I thought I was a wonderful teacher, and continued to read the book, getting the same result at the same "chinny chin chin" part.
I later found out that chin chin is japanese for penis.
Your arrival here means that you’re likely aware of my new multi-media installation entitled Déviations, that explores the in-between moments and spaces created by transit. The exhibition continues until 29 November 2008 at WARC Gallery in Toronto, Canada. My point of departure for the exhibition is a project, entitled Art Ride, realized June 2007 in Europe. Over the course of twelve days, I cycled more than 1600 km from Venice to Basel then Kassel to Münster – at each location, I attended opening ceremonies for each of four international arts-related events taking place that summer. En route, I documented (using still photography, video and a project blog) my experiences. These documents were uploaded daily to the virtual space World Wide WARC.
This current exhibition Déviations, comprises original video, photo and the ephemera collected during the Art Ride intervention but is intermixed with found footage that focuses on travel stories. The installation creates a non-linear, fragmentary travelogue that maps the emotional, economic and political terrain of my experiences in transit between four places of global (often cultural) profile. My diaristic stories are blended with fictitious accounts, creating a layered narrative that vacillates between documentary and fantasy.
As a complement to the gallery installation components of Déviations, I am looking to involve the viewing public by developing a databank of reactions to a proposal - I want you to post your personal travel stories here. Whether funny, scary or awkward, I’m looking for revealing experiences of foreignness and alienation, or transition and liminality. Tell me about your experiences of discovery, disappointment, romance, loss, freedom, disorientation, etc. From the politics of identity to the dynamics of lust and from meaningful to meaningless, I’m interested in your stories.
Over the course of the exhibition I will regularly post my reflections and musings – I do hope you will too. Your participation can be totally anonymous so, be creative and revealing.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to let me know at rondeau.cheryl@gmail.com. Cheryl Rondeau Toronto 2008
My first bicycle in Japan was an old one given to me by my boss. It didn't have a bell, and therefore I had to make it known to pedestrians that I was approaching by yelling "Ching Ching," in an attempt to emulate a bell sound. People stopped, some laughed, but I didnt think much of it.
At reading time with my class of 5 year olds, I began reading the Three Little Pigs. When I read the part " not by the hair on my chinny chin chin," the entire class roared in hysterics. I thought I was a wonderful teacher, and continued to read the book, getting the same result at the same "chinny chin chin" part.
I later found out that chin chin is japanese for penis.