Feel the Contemporary World

"No man ever steps in the same river twice." said Heraclitus.

Standing by the riverside, the master sighed: "May time go on and on like this, never ceasing day and night."

All the changes, or things in the process of change, are the existent forms of our world that is both familiar and strange. It is a good idea to feel, understand, record and express from distinctive perspectives, to convey the cultural difference of various cultural traditions and cultural forms, to combine them in the communication and recognition process and to present them in an independent, unpredictable and skillful way. Through the images with different interests, contents and styles, we can clearly feel Chinese and American college students' determination and sincerity in constructing an age with tolerant, harmonious and multi-dimensional culture.

On the basis of last art cooperation "Crisis", Beijing Film Academy and Department of Art, University of Minnesota developed another communication program on the topic of "Transitions". Since both Chinese and American students are confronted with the rapid changing era, we explored the outward changes and the inner-ward changes to different extents and from different perspectives.

Everything in the images happened right now, and it is the contemporary existence. Of course, the existence will ultimately turn to relics.

Tang Dongping

Art Director of the Transitions Chinese-American image communication program

Teacher of Beijing Film Academy visiting US in 2011