Musicalligraphy performance, by Luo Qi and Collegium Musicum Almae Matris

The performing arts event is a musicalligraphy (write:hasPerformingArtType) held during the opening ceremony of the exhibition entitled Luo Qi: Calligrafie musicali (洛齐:写乐) (wdt:P608, exhibition history; wd:Q464980, Exhibition). The exhibition was held at the University Library of Bologna (wdt:P276, location), in March/April 2019 (wdt:P580, start time and wdt:P582, end time), was curated by Adriana Iezzi (wdt:P1640, curator) and was organised by (wdt:P664, organiser) the Bologna University Library, the Department of Interpretation and Translation (DIT) of the University of Bologna, under the patronage of the Collegium Musicum Almae Matris.

During the musicalligraphy performance, the calligrapher Luo Qi (wd:Q215627, Person) was inspired by some famous Italian opera arias played by the Collegium Musicum Almae Matris.

As a part of the performance, the artist was writing a set of calligraphic signs along a 20 metre long white paper scroll and has thus created a new contemporary visual artwork (write:createsArtwork, wd:Q4502142 Visual Arts). To keep the roll of paper stretched out he used a set of already-existing artworks (wd:Q4502142, Visual Arts) called Lanting Xu Stones (write:usesArtwork), which is a set of Carrara marble stones. Luo Qi decorated these stones before the performance using the black ink to write some verses from the “Orchid Pavilion Preface” (Lanting Xu 兰亭序, wd:Q7725634, Literary work) written by Wang Xizhi 王羲之 (303–361) in 353.

The calligraphic scroll has two "Calli-Writing" units (write:hasUnit, class write:CalliWritingUnit) identified as CWU 1 Luo Qi and Collegium Musicum Almae Matris - Musicalligraphy Performance (signs), CWU 2 Luo Qi and Collegium Musicum Almae Matris - Musicalligraphy Performance (《兰亭序》), as well as the used stones with the CWU Lanting Xu Stones (《兰亭序》) . Luo Qi's writing (CWU1) is an original transcription of the Italian opera arias played by Collegium Musicum Almae Matris. It is written using the Dunhuang musical score system (Dunhuang qupu 敦煌曲谱, wdt:P282, writing system) as a set of meaningful sings (write:hasSignificance). This calligraphy was made with a brush (write:madeUsingTool) with black ink (wdt:P186, made from material) on white paper (write:hasBackgroundColour). Additionally, on the same paper sheet, Luo Qi wrote (CWU2) the “Orchid Pavilion Preface” (wdt:P144, based on; wd:Q7725634, Literary work), a meaningful writing (write:hasSignificance) written with running script (wdt:P9302, script style) and traditional chinese characters (wdt:P282, writing system and write:hasCharacterForm).

Luo Qi, the performer (wdt:P175) and the calligrapher (write:calligrapher) of this performance, as well as the creator (wdt:P170) and the right holder (wdt:P127) of the aforementioned Stones and the calligraphic scroll, is a professor of calligraphy at the China Academy of Art, one of the most renowned art academies in China. He was born in Hangzhou, China (wdt:P19, place of birth; wdt:P27, country of citizenship) in 1960 (wdt:P569, date of birth). Luo Qi received both familial and academic (traditional) calligraphic education(write:hasCalligraphicTraining). He speaks Chinese (wdt:P103, native language), and lives and works in various cities, such as Hangzhou (China), Lisbon (Portugal) and Milan (Italy) (wdt:P937), place of activity.

Explore this artwork in the archive

The complete artwork record is available in the WenDAng – WRITE Digital Archive.

Open the graph

With Irresistible Force (势如破竹), by Kwanyin Clan

With Irresistible Force is a graffito made by the Kwanyin Clan (wdt:P170, creator, instance of the class wd:Q1400264, Artistic Collective) in 2008 on the external wall of the Nike 706 Art Space in the 798 Art District, Beijing (wdt:P276, location; wdt:P6375, street address). This art space was established in January 2007 in the subfactory 706 by Nike China, so it was called “Nike 706”. The main aim of this cultural experience centre is to promote (privately commissioned for commercial purposes - write:hasGraffitiGenre) Nike brand (wdt:P88, commissioner) in China and to ignite Chinese athletes, leveraging the power of creativity, sport, and self-expression (wdt:P180, depicts). This graffito is part of a larger project entitled “Lebron Experience Center” sponsored by Nike China to explain and promote the game of basketball to the Chinese public through a series of events showing the history and the future of the game. For the opening ceremony of this experience centre (the night of 6th February, wdt:P571 date of creation), a huge hall-of-fame was decorated with six graffiti pieces, including Shirupozhu. The crew shaped a graffiti piece in Chinese characters embellished with calligraphic inscriptions and painted with the typical colours of traditional calligraphy. It is a 6x6m (wdt:P2049, width and wdt:P2048, height) graffito created by mixing three graffiti styles - wildstyle, 3D style and tagging (write:hasGraffitiStyle). It has been made with spray paint on panels (wdt:P186, made from material) using the aerosol spray (write:madeUsingTool), coloured in black, white, red and grey (wdt:P462, colour).

Three "Calli-Writing" units (write:CalliWritingUnit) can be identified in this graffiti piece, namely CWU 1 With Irresistible Force (势如破竹), CWU 2 With Irresistible Force (《满 江红》), and CWU 3 With Irresistible Force (tags).

CWU1 is the central part of the artwork and is composed of the four characters of the title (shi ru po zhu 势如破竹), literal meaning (write:transcriptionAndTranslation) “Having a power to cut down a bamboo”, which is a reference (wdt:P144, based on) to the Book of Jin (晋书) (wd:Q7725634, Literary work), composed by Fang Xuanling in 648. This section of the graffito is written in a very hard wildstyle (write:hasGraffitiStyle) using black, red and grey aerosol spray (wdt:P462, colour; write:madeUsingTool) on a white panel (wdt:P462, colour; wdt:P186, made from material). Despite a very hard wildstyle, the calligraphic line (write:hasCalligraphicLine) is echoed in the different thicknesses and joints of the characters’ strokes. The text is written in simplified Chinese characters (write:hasCharacterForm; wdt:P282, writing system) and presents meaningful writing (write:hasSignificance) referring to the idea of breakthrough, battle, force and power (wdt:P180, depicts).

CWU2 is another reference to the concept of war and battle, and it is an exhortation (wdt:P180, depicts) to perseverance. It was written in running script (wdt:P9302, script style) and traditional characters (write:hasCharacterForm) on a white background (write:hasBackgroundColour), using a black aerosol spray (wdt:P462, colour; write:madeUsingTool) and shaping calligraphic lines (write:hasCalligraphicLine). The content of this meaningful writing (write:hasSignificance) is a poem entitled Full River Red (Manjianghong 满 江红) (wd:Q7725634, Literary work), composed by Yue Fei 岳飞 (1103-1142), an officer of the Chinese army.

CWU3 was written on the white background (write:hasBackgroundColour), using a red aerosol spray (wdt:P462, colour; write:madeUsingTool). This inscription in simplified characters (write:hasCharacterForm) contains meaningful writings (write:hasSignificance): the four writers’ tags (ERICTIN, NAT, YUMI, QUANER) (write:isTagOf) and the name of the crew (观音) written in two different writing systems (Latin letters and Chinese characters, respectively; wdt:P282, writing system), using a calligraphic line (write:hasCalligraphicLine) and the same style that evokes the form of cursive-running script (wdt:P9302, script style).

With Irresistible Force is created by the Kwanyin Clan (instance of the class wd:Q1400264, Artistic Collective), a crew (write:hasArtisticCollectiveType) based in Beijing (wdt:P276, location). The most important members (write:hasMember) of the crew are two notable graffiti writers (wdt:P106, occupation) named Natuo and Eric Tin (instances of the class wdt:Q215627, Person), who were born in Beijing, China (wdt:P19, place of birth and wdt:P27, country of citizenship). They have not had any form of calligraphic education (write:hasCalligraphicTraining), but one of them (Eric Tin) studied Visual communication design (wdt:P812, field of study) and is also a designer.

Explore this artwork in the archive

The complete artwork record is available in the WenDAng – WRITE Digital Archive.

Open the graph

Music Script, Still Night (静夜 音乐字), by Fung Ming Chip

The visual artwork (instance of the class wd:Q4502142, Visual Arts) entitled Music Script, Still Night is made by (wdt:P170, creator) Fung Ming Chip (wd:Q215627, Person). The artist realises this calligraphy (write:hasVisualArtworkType) while the music resonates in the air. This harmonious and rythmic artwork is made by (wdt:P186, made from material) black ink using brush strokes (write:madeUsingTool) on paper (wdt:P186, made from material).

The artwork contains one "Calli-Writing" unit (write:hasUnit, class write:CalliWritingUnit), which is the writing based on (wdt:P144) the poem (class wd:Q7725634, Literary work) called Still Night (Jing ye 静夜) written by (wdt:P50, author) Fung Ming Chip. The CWU contains calligraphic lines (write:hasCalligraphicLine) that form a meaningful writing (write:hasSignificance), written in traditional Chinese characters (write:hasCharacterForm, wdt:P282, writing system) in running script (wdt:P9302, script style).

Fung Ming Chip is an artist and a calligrapher (wdt:P106, occupation) born in Guandong, China (wdt:P19, place of birth; wdt:P27, country of citizenship) in 1951 (wdt:P569, date of birth). This self-taught calligrapher (write:hasCalligraphicTraining) lives and works between Hong Kong, New York city and Taipei (wdt:P937, place of activity).

Explore this artwork in the archive

The complete artwork record is available in the WenDAng – WRITE Digital Archive.

Open the graph

Best Wishes (如意), by Shao Yan

This artwork called Best wishes (Ruyi 如意) is a piece of Chinese ceramics (write:hasDecorativeArtworkType), designed by (wdt:P287) Shao Yan (class wd:Q215627, Person). This bottle vase is made using (wdt:P186, made from material) Chinese porcelain, glaze and blue pigment. It costs several thousand renminbi (wdt:P2284, price).

This piece belongs to a series of works (wdt:P179, is part of series; class wd:Q7725310, Series of Creative Works) called Shao Yan White and Blue Porcelain – Calligraphy and Ink Shooting Series made by (wdt:P170, creator) the same artist in Beijing (wdt:P1071, location of creation) in September 2022 (wdt:P571, date of creation).

The vase contains one "Calli-Writing" unit (write:hasUnit; class write:CalliWritingUnit) realised using a brush (write:madeUsingTool) and blue ink (wdt:P462, colour; wdt:P186, made from material) on a white background (write:hasBackgroundColour). It is characterised by a set of traditional Chinese characters (write:hasCharacterForm; wdt:P282, writing system) written in two different scripts (wdt:P9302, script style) - running and seal script. The present calligraphic lines (write:hasCalligraphicLine) form a meaningful writing (write:hasSignificance) and depict (wdt:P180) Ming dynasty, luck and wish.

Shao Yan is a Chinese calligrapher (wdt:P106, occupation) born in Wendeng District, China (wdt:P19, place of birth; wdt:P27, country of citizenship) in 1962 (wdt:P569, date of birth). He studied both fine arts and calligraphy (wdt:P812, field of study) at the Fine Arts at Shandong Laiyang University and at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, but other than within academic context, he also studied and practised traditional calligraphy together with his father (write:hasCalligraphicTraining). Besides being a calligrapher, he is also a painter, a researcher and a professor (wdt:P106, occupation). He currently lives and works in Beijing and Shandong (wdt:P937, place of activity).

Explore this artwork in the archive

The complete artwork record is available in the WenDAng – WRITE Digital Archive.

Open the graph