THE DOCUMENTARY
What is the purpose?
Unsung Heroes of Ink seeks to bring recognition to the production of handmade xuan (宣纸) paper, the favoured paper for leading painters and calligraphy from the late sixteenth century, to a wider audience. The documentary will show the technical processes of xuan papermaking, carried out by craftsmen in Jing County (泾县), Anhui Province, the foremost region for the production of high quality artists’ papers since the Tang dynasty. The documentary will show the steps of making xuan paper — from the gathering of raw materials to producing sheets of paper, and eventually the treatment of paper for specific artistic purposes.
The craftsmen — and some of their descendants — of the papermaking factories, to this day, have played a crucial role in the ink art ecosystem. These “unsung heroes of ink” carry out a multitude of labour intensive processes to produce the perfect handmade paper to meet the demands of the artists. This documentary will give voices and faces to these craftsman, and show how they take pride in their unique craft and industry.
In order to convey the continuing importance of high quality papers today, Unsung Heroes of Ink will feature two Chinese artists who are exceedingly respectful of and exacting about the papers they use. While the oeuvre of each artist is markedly contemporary, they highly value traditional materials. Each artist’s relationship with his materials is closely tied with his innovation techniques. Why is the quality of paper important? How does a deeper understanding of one’s materials affect an artist’s work? Each artist has his unique approach towards paper. The documentary will also feature a scholar and art historian who has carried out extensive research on the papers that ink artists use to create their paintings, from antiquity to present day.
Contemporary ink art has received a growing level of attention in recent years. Premier museums, both in China and elsewhere, have presented exhibitions highlighting the genre. Similarly, galleries and auction houses have staged solo and group ink exhibitions to actively cultivate collectors. Whilst these efforts have kindled growing enthusiasm for this genre from international audiences, there has been limited attention given to the materials that artists use to create paintings and calligraphy. The majority of audiences today are unaware of the importance of the papers that ink artists use. By bringing recognition to the art of papermaking, Unsung Heroes of Ink will provide a vital context and backdrop to the ink-painting tradition. Ultimately, a greater understanding of this essential material will contribute to an enriched appreciation for ink art.
Who is the target audience?
My intended audience is someone who has an interest in art and Chinese art. For those who already have an understanding of ink painting, the documentary will provide an enhanced appreciation of the art form.
What is the format?
The documentary will be approximately 20-25 minutes long.
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Olivia L. Wang
Producer & Director
Olivia L. Wang is an independent art consultant, curator and writer, with a focus in contemporary Chinese ink art. Her writing on contemporary Chinese art has been published in the Wall Street Journal, ArtAsiaPacific, Orientations, Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, among others. (See her writing here)
Olivia is Representative of the Ink Society (Hong Kong), a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting ink art. She is on the panel of judges for the UOB Art in Ink Award, which was inaugurated in 2017.
Vincent Du
Director of Photography
As director and/or cinematographer, Vincent Du has made four documentaries for Al Jazeera English. His fiction film Five to Nine (2015), co-produced with three other Asian directors has been screened at the Singapore International Film Festival, and Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival. Vincent now teaches documentary at the Journalism School of Tianjin Normal University.
See his website here.
Bob Lee
Editor
Bob Lee has been a non-fiction-film editor since 2010. He has worked as editor and co-editor on numerous feature-length and short documentaries. He was co-editor of Plastic China (2016), winning the Best Editing Award at the 2017 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Other recent projects include The Hammer And Sickle Are Sleeping (2013), where he served as editor, which won the Best Short Film Award at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, and Please Remember Me (2015), for which he was an editing assistant.
Noam Faingold
Music
Noam Faingold's music career includes composing, lecturing, curating, performing, and coaching/conducting.
Noam’s music has been performed by some of today’s great performers, including oboist Rob Botti (New York Philharmonic), violinist Dennis Kim, saxophonist Kenneth Radnofsky, and organizations, festival and ensembles all over the world.
Noam currently teaches Music and Film courses at The University of Tulsa.
THE TEAM
THE TEAM
Olivia L. Wang 汪鈴
Producer & Director
Olivia L. Wang is an independent art consultant, curator and writer, with a focus in contemporary Chinese ink art. Her writing on contemporary Chinese art has been published in the Wall Street Journal, ArtAsiaPacific, Orientations, Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, among others. See her writing here.
Olivia is Representative of the Ink Society (Hong Kong), a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting ink art. She is on the panel of judges for the UOB Art in Ink Award, which was inaugurated in 2017.
Vincent Du 杜海
Director of Photography
As director and/or cinematographer, Vincent Du has made four documentaries for Al Jazeera English. His fiction film Five to Nine (2015), co-produced with three other Asian directors has been screened at the Singapore International Film Festival, and the Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival. Vincent now teaches documentary at the Journalism School of Tianjin Normal University.
Bob Lee 李博
Editor
Bob Lee is a Beijing-based non-fiction-film editor. He has worked as editor and co-editor on numerous feature-length and short documentaries. He was co-editor of Plastic China (2016), winning the Best Editing Award at the 2017 Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival. Other recent works include The Hammer And Sickle Are Sleeping (Best Short Fiction Film, 2014, Golden Horse Awards), and Please Remember Me (2015), for which he was an editing assistant.
support from
Camera, location & travel, research, post-production & editing, music, marketing, promotion and talent all cost money. In order to bring this project to the world, it requires funding.
Our target is to raise US$40,000. A portion of funding has already been raised.
We are grateful for any and all support.
How can I support?
Bank details:
Account Name: Scholar’s Ink Studio Ltd.
Account Number: 499-827574-838
Bank Address: HSBC, 1 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
Swift code: HSBCHKHHHKH
Bank code: 004
Are there any perks?
Your support will go towards bringing wider recognition to the Unsung Heroes of ink. But of course, we would like to offer some perks (TBC) to thank you for your contribution!
For those who make a major contribution, we'd love to recognise you in the documentary's credits, subject to our discretion.
Further questions?
Please email: olivialwang@gmail.com