Heesun Wee

"You Got Eyes"

2009-10-10T10:41:00.012-04:00

[Photo credit: Robert Frank, 1955, US 90 en route to Del Rio, Texas; courtesy Hamiltons Gallery, London]

That's how Jack Kerouac described Swiss-American photographer Robert Frank. The famed beat writer went on to write, Frank's photographs are the equivalent of poems on America -- on film.

Big, ambitious shows can disappoint but the NY Met's "Looking In," a look at Frank's "The Americans" series was vivid. (Click here for more exhibition information.)

INTIMATE STYLE, THEMATIC SEQUENCING

It's easy to miss Frank's ground-breaking vision as it's so prevalent today. Frank, who came to the States in '47, helped pioneer an intimate style of photography. Up-close and personal, sometimes the focus is below the subject's torso, slightly off focus, as if Frank didn't even bother to look into the viewfinder and just clicked.

Frank also pushed the thematic sequencing of images, lining up of images to tell a story, something that seems to basic today.

When Frank first came to New York he worked for Harper's Bazaar and other magazines, work he despised. Disillusioned he traveled to Europe and South America including Peru.

I know the show is called "The Americans" but my favorite image was "City of London" '52. It's a shot of men, bankers presumably, walking down a foggy city street. The man in a bowler hat (?) scowls slightly at the camera, as if angered he's been caught in the dirty act of making money. The city's buildings are sharp, looming. I loved it and had to go back to look at it again.

GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIP; RETURN TO AMERICA

When Frank returned to the U.S., he applied for and received a Guggenheim Fellowship to capture the expanse of America from '55 to '57. His fellowship letter, drafts, along with letters from friends, supporters including Kerouac are on display as well. (Typed letters with pen edit marks! Ah the days of hand copy-editing. Remember those green visors?) Frank's art colleagues included photographer Walker Evans, who shot "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" that documented white sharecropper families in the South in unflinching closeness.

Side note, the NY Met show features edited contact sheets, with markings by Frank, illuminating his editing process, deciding which images were the strongest. This is a key reason why I think the show was such a success (and what was lacking in other big recent NYC shows like Frank Lloyd Wright at the Guggenheim). Detailed, meaningful curating lets the viewer in on the art-making, editing process. Very tactile experience.

Frank's "The Americans" indeed was the trip of a lifetime. Chinese cemeteries in San Francisco. Crowded Canal Street in New Orleans. A small-town view with smoke from chimney stacks from a hotel in Butte, Montana. A lunch counter in Detroit offering 10c(ent) orange whips to weary-looking blue-collar workers.

ART VS. REAL LIFE?

But there was a price, it seems. At one point Frank in '55 invited his wife Mary and two kids to join him on his epic project.

U.S. 90 en route to Del Rio, Texas. Mary sits inside a car with her child tucked against her, a moment of love, safety. But Frank -- the photographer -- captures the moment outside of the vehicle, the photographer on the outside looking. The curator text says it was the price (the separation) Frank paid for pursuing his art.

"I'm always looking outside trying to look inside, trying to say something that is true..." -- Frank, '85.

The show runs until Jan. 3, 2010; and the museum is open Columbus Day Monday.

Online Video: Raising the Bar

2009-10-05T13:13:00.011-04:00

Location: Iowa City, Iowa.
IMAGE CREDIT: Danny Wilcox Frazier, documentary photographer based in the Midwest. (Frazier spent four years chronicling the devastating economy in his home state. Click here for more info.)

It's fascinating to watch the bar for online video just get higher and higher. Check out a series by Frazier about small-town life in Iowa; a series produced with the help of the MediaStorm project, which recently won an ONA, Online News Association, award. Click here. The "Town Bar" segment is among my favorites.

It's clear Frazier spent quality time with his subjects and gained their trust (and thus incredible access to their private lives) in the tradition of great photographers and journalists. (Think Walker Evans and James Agee.) I laugh when folks want in-depth storytelling in today's budget-conscious, thinly reported blog world. You only get so much from Googling.

The photography, shooting is just amazing.

One wish: I wish the producers had thought to interview the actual migrant laborers for the story, get those different voices in the piece, even if it meant translators and subtitles. This is the value of diverse news talent in general, who speak various languages. Hispanics are outnumbering whites in America's Midwest, and nobody except migrant workers want to do this kind of work -- even for higher wages. Wasn't this the lede?

Pay Model for Media: Seeking the Holy Grail

2009-09-02T10:42:00.007-04:00

Have been surrounded by media shop talk lately with colleagues. Out west, layoffs pending at the SF Chronicle and OC Register down south (their parent will declare chapter 11). And you can't tell me the NYT will continue with business as normal as their stock hovers at seven bucks.

So as hopes for a quick, V-shaped recovery fades and media firms scramble to repair annual revenue numbers, I'm focused on Murdoch, Dow Jones and other media outlets that are dipping their toe in the pay model.

Interesting item from Popular Science that tried the pay model but didn't execute well and has abandoned the project. Pop Science publisher as quoted on mediabistro:

"...he blamed the low response on the buying experience. 'To go in and put in your name, address, credit card number for a 99-cent product they haven’t had before is really a challenge,' he said."

Bad product management, bad user experience. Innovate smartly, or become extinct.

"We're Going Right Back Into the Tank"

2009-08-27T13:58:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite TT guests of all time!

Heesun Wee, TechTicker: When retail expert and all-around economy watcher Howard Davidowitz appeared on Tech Ticker in February declaring the worst was yet to come for the U.S. economy and that Americans' standard of living has changed permanently, our comment boards lit up.

But surely with the latest rally off the March lows, bearish Davidowitz is more bullish, right? Not a chance. Look at your financial history books.

Two of the biggest rallies of more than 40 percent occurred during the Great Depression, says Davidowitz of Davidowitz & Associates,a retail consulting and investment banking firm. "People were sucked in and ultimately were destroyed," he says. It's a warning to today's investors, who are hoping to extend the rally.

Don't get Davidowitz started on the economy or fundamentals. "Barack Obama's numbers have all gone mad," Davidowitz says. The Obama administration recently announced the U.S. budget deficit will be $9 trillion during the next decade; $2 trillion higher than the original forecast.

And, the proposed price tag for health-care reform? "Minimum $3 trillion," Davidowitz says. "One trillion? Are you kidding?"

Stimulus binges? Roller coaster equity performance over years? Stubborn consumers holding out for sales as deflationary pressures loom over the recovery? Sounds like the U.S. economy is turning Japanese, Davidowitz says.

China's Solar Project: Economic Stimulus, the Right Way?

2009-08-25T17:04:00.009-04:00

[Addition on Aug 26: Biz Insider writer debunks the Times' story, click here.]

One of the most popular NYT's stories today is about China's solar energy growth. Click here for the story. Armed with subsidies and in some cases free land, China is outdoing the U.S. in solar production, despite Obama's pledge to go green.

Interesting graph:
Keith Bradsher reports: "Since March, Chinese governments at the national, provincial and even local level have been competing with one another to offer solar companies ever more generous subsidies, including free land, and cash for research and development. State-owned banks are flooding the industry with loans at considerably lower interest rates than available in Europe or the United States."

Construction? Jobs? Banking activity? Federal level down to local provinces? Sounds like a stimulus to me.

Keep in mind despite the appetite for Priuses and going green: 84 percent of all U.S. energy consumed in '08 stemmed from fossil fuels, according to govt. stats. Renewables accounted for 7.4% of consumption. Americans actually consumed MORE nuclear electric power than renewable energy in '08, according to the Energy Information Agency or EIA.

That renewables consumption figure (7.3 quadrillion BTUs to high sixes) essentially has remained flat the last 15 years = a concise summary of America's energy policy.

China: When Business, Politics Collide

2009-08-14T11:51:00.008-04:00

Interesting NYTimes piece this morning from Michael Wines amid fallout from the Rio Tinto arrests that focus on what's considered appropriate business practices in China.

From the NYT's Wines piece: “This is a country in the middle of a big transition in its global role,” said Kenneth Lieberthal, a veteran China analyst now at the Brookings Institution. “They’ve always looked in the past to what’s good for China, and they still do. But for the first time, added to that is the consideration that they’re in the position of being rule-makers, not just rule-takers.”

Click here to view the article.

During my first trip to China in June, I was struck by the region's leaps forward toward capitalism -- but always spiked with a few steps backward as demanded by the party. But despite the rules -- all around me there was a hunger -- for a better life, SBUX, a car, clothes, middle class. The energy is palpable.

This much I know. When businesses or individuals get a taste of freedom, push a boundary and there's no rebound -- it's nearly impossible to forget and retreat. You'll push a little more. And a little more. So businesses will continue to figure things out -- bribes or no bribes? Under, over the table or combination of both to ink the deal? This is the fascinating business experiment going on in the region as I write this.

American College Grads Fleeing for China

2009-08-13T13:05:00.005-04:00

Well, fleeing may be extreme.

But one of the most popular NYTimes stories this week -- American grads finding work in China as U.S. unemployment edges toward double digits. Click here for the story.

NYC's High Line Park

2009-08-04T21:23:00.047-04:00

[See video below]

Aug. 5, 2009 -- No trains have run on the High Line in western Manhattan since the 1930s. The elevated train tracks -- 30 feet into the air -- were designed to remove dangerous trains from street traffic, part of a massive public-private infrastructure project.

Fast forward a few decades. Preservationists and city officials joined forces to turn the area into a public, elevated park, which opened in June.

So go, take a walk. Stop texting/yelling into your mobile a moment -- and enjoy the walk/view, will ya?

It's gorgeous! Make the trek for the flowers, greenery and unique view of the NYC skyline.

It's FREE, and open 7am to 10 pm daily. (Click here for more park info.)

No dogs allowed, sorry. (I didn't make the rules.)

Yes, it's summer and there will be tourists. Be nice to them, we need their $$.

There was a gelato stand around 14th Street, yummy. $3 one scoop, $4 for 2 flavors.

No, you can't drink alcohol on the cute wooden chairs or anywhere else in the park. (Just exit on Gansevoort Street and hit one of the many restaurants/bars including Pastis, a favorite.)

Entrances/access are available at:

Gansevoort Street

14th Street (Elevator access will be available later this summer.)

16th Street (elevator access)

18th Street

20th Street

Head west toward 9th Avenue.

Click here for cool IMAGES from the architect.
Click here for details on public art at the park.

Navy Pilot Capt. Found 18 Years Later

2009-08-02T09:11:00.003-04:00

I'm up, drinking coffee and read this ... The remains of Capt. Speicher, who was shot down in 1991 during the beginning of the first Gulf War have been discovered -- ending the saga of the only American who remained MIA during that war.

Eighteen years. There was speculation he had been captured. I can't begin to imagine what his family has been going through. I reflected on my own family history, families separated by Korea's 38th parallel for 60 years.

The legacy of war.

Click here for the full NYT story.

'Spectacle' in Philadelphia

2009-07-27T11:46:00.008-04:00

[Image credit: Sebastiao Salgado]

My Philly adventure included a stop at the city's museum. (Note first Sundays of the month are pay as you wish. Regular adult admission is $16.) And yes the museum's steps are the Rocky steps, see video below.

Among the museum highlights: The Matisse exhibit runs through Oct. 25 in the Perelman building, located a block away from the main structure. There's a free shuttle that goes back and forth with departures from the back of the main museum.

Matisse moved to the French Riviera or Cote D'azur in 1917. He and others among the Fauvist group pushed the use of non-naturalistic, vivid colors.

+++++++

What I really enjoyed though was Spectacle, a collection of photographs that runs until Sept. 7. It's a small but worthy collection of prints about the desire to look and document. Many name photographers are represented. Henri Cartier-Bresson , Arbus.

My favorite images were by famed photog Sebastiao Salgado, who hails from Brazil. (See top photo) He's known for his epic projects and social issues he documents. One project focuses on hard labor around the world -- including the harsh realities of tuna fishing in Sicily. A few of these samples are on display at the Philadelphia museum. Click here for his bio.

Jim's Cheese Steak Sandwich in Philly

2009-07-27T10:49:00.007-04:00

A lot of hype surrounding the city's famed food item but, damn, the sandwich at Jim's Steaks on South Street was GOOOOOD! (Click here.) Definitely worth the wait in the hot summer sun.

I had mine with white, American cheese, caramelized onions and mushrooms. (Other toppings include peppers and pizza sauce.) I hear Velveeta gives it that extra something. (I screwed up on the video, it's not cheese whiz.)

With soda my meal was $10. Why is the sandwich so good? It's clearly the high quality meat. Tender, juicy, TASTY!

The short-order cook was fun to watch, holding court at his grill station. Tossing the extras delicately in between the folds of bread. Seating is available upstairs.

The record for most sandwiches eaten is 12 in 1 1/2 hours, oh boy. (Paula and I had intended to take tasteful plate footage but we were so famished and enamored by the sandwich, we plum forgot.)

Doing Philly Right

2009-07-27T10:29:00.003-04:00

Paula and I had a blast this weekend doing Philadelphia. Check us out on the famous steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Wasting Not in China

2009-07-18T10:17:00.011-04:00

[From "Waste Not" installation by Beijing-born artist Dong Song, MOMA]

NYC, July 17, 2009 -- There were so many visitors trekking the second floor MOMA exhibit "Waste Not" by Chinese artist Dong Song, the floor shook. (Click here for the MOMA link.)

We were all peering at Beijing-born Song's installation. When his father died in 2002, he suggested his mother deal with her grief by organizing all the goods she had hoarded over 50 years. The collection is ordinary -- shopping bags, wash basins, plastic bottles, old belts, plastic hangers -- yet extraordinary in its exhaustiveness and scope.

The NYT's described the installation as "about attacking the powers that be than about regretting the diminishment of the powers that were, or might have been: familial cohesion, social stability and spiritual certainty." Click here for for the full NYT's write up.

MORE THAN LOSS

Yes there are feelings of frustration and "what could have been" that the installation inspires. But I found the work also about less romantic, arty things. Like my mother, grandmother, anyone who has survived war, political instability -- you hoard because you're afraid and there's comfort in making order out of domestic chaos.

One day the communists could find the underground hole, where your sons are hidden from the army. One day your crops could be taken away and you have to hide your precious cargo of rice in your ballooning blouse sleeves for fear the military will discover you're not giving your entire livelihood to the party. One day your brother could disappear behind the 38th parallel.

A girlfriend told me that her father, who survived Japanese internment in California, was hoarding goods in his basement.

It's caution, fear, sadness, anger, rolled up into loss and what could have been.

Song's mother, Zhao Xiangyuan, passed away this year. In the end, the installation reminded me of the redemptive power of home and love. In a note, Song writes to his father and describes he and mom are alright. War, though strong, cannot destroy everything.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 7. And yes, pay-as-you wish Friday nights are a zoo so be zen and bring your patience.

The American Consumer Retrenched

2009-07-15T17:01:00.013-04:00

Proof I'm worried about the economy, etc. I colored my own hair. What a pain.

In other recession news, great discussion this morning with bear economist Gary Shilling. He's concerned about deflation, which could stick around for a decade. Just think about your own personal spending habits. You're probably Not buying much at full-price because you know it will get marked down -- with further reductions, if you just wait a bit. Same with housing. From sellers to buyers, we're all on the sidelines waiting to see who will blink first.

MORE GENERICS PLEASE
On a more granular level, Gary notes retailers have even cut the number of brand-name goods on shelves to make room for cheaper, in-store generic brands. Wal-Mart has reduced its microwave popcorn varieties by 25% and Rite-Aid has cut its pain relievers by 14%, according to his research. (Remember when companies were pushing $4/$5 designer bottled water? Seems laughable now.)

And by Gary's analysis, we'll need a second stimulus to keep unemployment from completely collapsing and a populist uprising. So longer term, if the U.S. runs out of stimulus money/momentum, home equity continues to evaporate, and we're in this rut for the long haul, what's the larger effect to the American consumer psyche?

Chatting in the green room, we noted America isn't like Japan, whose consumers seem willing to suffer through a decades-long slog. We Americans want hockey-stick recovery in housing, stocks, weight loss, everything ASAP, or else! I think I need some wine and sunshine to cheer me up.

Kayaking on the Hudson

2009-07-13T14:32:00.005-04:00

Go Paula!

Michael Jackson Memorial: From Times Square

2009-07-07T15:43:00.003-04:00

43rd and Broadway.

Gonzo Journalists Document North Korean Defectors

2009-07-07T11:15:00.006-04:00

I think the term gonzo journos is used too readily. But the 3-person investigative team of Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo are true rock stars.

For about a year, they posed as undercover North Korean defectors to capture -- with hidden video cameras -- the perilous 3,000-mile journey defectors make from China to Laos to Thailand and then finally to South Korea. Check out the PBS show here. The documentary, "Crossing Heaven's Border" is part of a larger documentary project, my pal filmmaker Hein tells me.

Not only is the journey treacherous as the North Korean refugees aren't always welcome in China, Laos or Thailand, the cost to be ferried by smugglers is about $1,500 USD -- roughly a year's salary for a NKorean defector hiding in China. The smugglers/drivers are half asleep in the video footage. Can you imagine risking your life fleeing a Communist country to have your life end by some driver falling asleep at the wheel? Unreal -- but it is.

For others who have more money, they buy a fake Chinese passport and fly into Thailand and then South Korea, where they seek asylum.

I'll never forget the footage of one woman [picture above] who successful makes it through immigration. When she safely passes security, she pumps her fist discreetly. Yes!

She just became a free woman.

Happy Fourth from NYC

2009-07-04T11:47:00.005-04:00

For NYC Fourth happenings, see NYorkology. Fireworks start at 9:20 pm off the Hudson, yay!

Visiting Wong Tai Sin Temple

2009-06-23T21:35:00.009-04:00

Wong Tai Sin Temple is a famous shrine in Hong Kong. Most worshippers were practicing Kau Chim. Basically you use incense sticks to make wishes.

From Wikipedia: "They light incense sticks, kneel before the main altar, make a wish, and shake a bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until a stick falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number, and then the soothsayer will interpret the fortune on the paper for the worshiper." That's why the air smells of incense, and everywhere you walk you hear the sound of cylinders being shaken.

I didn't know this so I just bowed three times in the altar, Korean style. Note, photography is not allowed in the main temple.

Hong Kong Notebook: The Economy, and Going Green

2009-06-23T21:16:00.008-04:00

[Subway ad, reminding HK residents that 50 cents will be charged for plastic bags -- with handles -- beginning July 7.]

HONG KONG, June 24, 2009 -- It's not difficult to feel the effects of the global recession here. Sit in any coffee shop, bar and talk leads to layoffs and making do with less. Bankers and traders laid off. Civil servants getting pay cuts. Couples eating out less frequently. Cooking and entertaining at home are in vogue here.

I was in a local hotel and I took an elevator with about a dozen folks in their 20s, attending a risk management seminar. They were no doubt networking or trying to boost their skills, resume. But bigger picture, the mood not surprisingly is not as dire as it is in NYC/Wall Street.

The savings rate is high in China and investors have been scooping up bargain assets -- from equities to real estate. In fact, with stabilization, I hear property owners are taking some properties off the market, hoping to fetch a higher price in a few months.

HONG KONG GOES GREEN

Following other cities like those in Canada, HK will begin charging for plastic bags -- with handles -- beginning next month. The loophole is the handles part, which perplexes me. HK has a land shortage problem and presumably landfill problem as well.

Related, the city a few days ago tried a "lights off" night for the city's buildings along Victoria Harbor. The iconic skyline went blank for a few minutes. It saved energy but was deemed "gloomy" by some locals. I wonder if HK's daily 8 pm light show along the harbor uses any renewable energy resources.

Find Your Signature

2009-06-22T06:55:00.012-04:00

[Hong Kong Museum of Art on Salisbury Road, above and below.]

[Pottery horse with white glaze, Sui dynasty, 581 - 618. I want it. Can I have it, please?]

[Pillows from the Jin dynasty, 1115 - 1234. Single and double, ouch.]

In a video interview, architect Frank Gehry explains the impact Rauschenberg had on him as a young artist. How his "Combines" showed him how ordinary materials could be beautiful.

Gehry goes on to explain that he asks his students to jot down their signature, no two alike. Now, find your art equivalent of your signature. And when you're there, you're the expert on you -- no matter what anyone says or thinks.

The Gehry video is part of "Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation" exhibit at the HK Museum of Art that runs through the beginning of August and features a host of other modern artists. An associated exhibit is devoted to LVMH textiles and designs.

Macau: Down But Now Out

2009-06-22T06:31:00.009-04:00

Years ago, I'm told you could stroll the streets of Macau and imagine you were transported to a small Portuguese fishing village.

Today, big casinos and luxury hotel chains have taken over. While the boom economy crowds are gone -- along with needed jobs for the locals, the Four Seasons just completed and opened a massive complex. Other buildings, though, did stand unfinished.

In 1999, Macau was handed over back to China. Portuguese party officials, though, got one last jab -- demanding the downtown city sidewalks "needed" to be retiled. The same officials/groups pocketed the money from the contracts and apparently made off with a final, last fortune.

Walking around, I got a flavor of what colonial China must have felt like before modernity, Dior, and Starbucks. There was even a SBUX in Macau, oh boy.

Venice in Macau

2009-06-22T00:14:00.005-04:00

The Venetian in Macau. It seemed like the size of a stadium -- or two. It was easy to get lost inside the hotel/mall/gambling complex. Despite the global downturn, the hotels and casinos were not uncrowded with families looking for a weekend getaway of food, gambling and pools for the kids.

During the boom years, HKong city/government workers/blue collar folks quit their jobs to work in the Macau casinos because the salaries and jobs were plentiful. As a visitor, the ferries were packed and it was difficult to find a cab.

Dim Sum: Brunch, Hong Kong Style

2009-06-22T00:03:00.007-04:00

Above: HK version of fast food, Hainanese chicken and rice. We had this on the ferry to Macau.

Above: Delicious dim sum or HKong brunch rush hour. Pris is serving me a pork dumpling with soup inside. So delicate and yummy!! To die for!

Above: African chicken with spices and coconut milk. We had what's called Macanese food in Macau -- a combo of Chinese and Portuguese cuisines. Macau was a Portuguese colony.

Part II: Night Out in Hong Kong (or Adventures in Architecture)

2009-06-19T22:59:00.014-04:00

[Above, local district court building in downtown Hong Kong. Unlike historical societies in the States that hold a lot of power, in HKong real-estate developers reign supreme as colonial structures like the one above in the downtown/govt. building neighborhood are rare. Much of the colonial buildings are/have been demolished and "refurbished." An old maritime structure on Canton Road near the Star Ferry is being built into - shock - another mall. Sad.]

[For PART I of my night out in H Kong click here.]

FINANCIAL DISTRICT

After Lan Kwai Fong, we headed to the government buildings and bank towers, hovering over the city. And amid bailed out names such as BofA, AIG, etc. stands the black Star Wars like monolith that is the I.M. Pei's Bank of China tower.

The structure with trademark x design markings and sharp modern lines is no accident. Constructed from 1982 to 1990 before HK's handover back to China, story goes that the US consul general at the time had a row with party banking officials. The building's design purportedly was tweaked to symbolize a knife pointed at the consul's residence in the city -- and an omen to bad feng shui. Don't mess with the party.

HK's Dirty Dozen (or So)

Commercial buildings also reveal the stories of the dozen or so families that own the bulk of Hong Kong's wealth, buildings and land. One undeniable presence is Li Ka-shing. Frequently on billionaire lists, Li owns the local telecom company, HK's version of Best Buy and on and on and on. Go about your everyday life here with goods and services and you've put money in Li's pocket.