Taking it up a notch

Hand painted wooden clogs by Swedish fashion designer Asa Westlund and half-naked robots by China's Unmask are among the art works at the Nordic-China Arts Festival that opened on Saturday.

Themed "Notch 2009-Identity" and based on the New Sanlitun Building, on the north side of Sanlitun Village, the festival features 70 artists from Nordic countries or China and will continue until Nov 7.

"We want to bring art to the larger public through creative artworks and common products," says Liu Zhan, one of the three Chinese members of Unmask that created the robots.

Held simultaneously in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the non-profit festival's program includes futuristic audio-visual performances, design and art exhibitions and live music.

Founded in 2006, the festival this year in Beijing is based in Sanlitun Village, where various art exhibitions, workshops, second-hand exchange markets, silent discos, a sleeping concert and meetings will be held over the following two weeks.

"The art groups we are presenting at the festival are those who engage themselves in a variety of multi-faceted activities, which enables viewers to open up through the possibilities of design," says Jiang Jian, chief curator of the exhibition.

As part of the ongoing Icograda World Design Congress 2009, the top floor of Sanlitun Village will be transformed into an open production platform for the public.

"It will be an open office, embracing initiative and constantly seeking possibilities," says Caroline Ektander, the curator of the Swedish Section and the Open Studio.

"This is where you meet Nordic artists, architects and musicians, and let your own creativity flow. It is about mixing and sharing. It will not be judged. It is simply about doing and creating," Ektander says.

"In the modern art jewelry field we often hear artists talking about identity," says jewelry designer Dai Xiang. "As an artistic media, artists use it as a way to express themselves. The context has already gone beyond jewelry design. It is a symbol of self-identification."

"Notch has evolved from a small-scale music event to a festival exhibiting Nordic contemporary culture and lifestyles. We hope this festival will be able to give Chinese visitors a better picture of the Nordic countries," says Mattias Lentz, from the Swedish embassy.

All exhibitions are free. At N8 Building in North District, The Orange in South District, South Plaza, North Plaza, Sanlitun Village.