1、跨文化交际第五六单元补充阅读跨文化交际第五、六单元补充阅读 You will read three texts oncommunicating through cultureIn this reading exercise we are going to: 1. Look at some of the ways in which countries introduce themselves to other countries through means other than language.2. Experience some of the specialist vocabulary of
2、 museums and exhibitions. Text 1 Focus question for text 1 What is the central theme of the exhibition? Commentary Indian arts aesthetic values are entangled with religious meaning, and this ancient work - now housed at the British museum - dates from a time when much of london was still marshland.
3、Some of these treasures will be among a cache of precious objects heading east to india in the museums biggest ever travelling show. Richard blurton The enduring image exhibition is a magnificent exhibition which will go to india to be shown both in delhi and bombay later this year to mark the 50th
4、anniversary of indian independence. It will also be an occasion to show in india, for the first time, some of the great treasures from the British museum. Commentary The items going to india come from a collection of seven million artefacts in the museum - one of the oldest collections in the world.
5、 It attracts almost as many visitors each year - half of them from overseas. Richard blurton The subject of the exhibition is the way in which in world cultures and throughout time, man has used the depiction of the human form or the suggestion of it as a way of communicating ideas or beliefs. The i
6、tems in the exhibition have been chosen from the nine antiquity departments and it has been a joint process arriving at the final list of objects for the exhibition, some three hundred in total. Partly it has been a choice by myself, the curator in charge, partly a choice depending on what is availa
7、ble within the museum, what is required for other exhibitions, what is required for other loans. There is also the matter of whether objects are fit to travel. We are in the basement of the department of western antiquities and we are going to look at a sculpture here which is going in the exhibitio
8、n. It is this one here - it is from the ancient syrian city of palmyra, a caravan city which grew up on the rich trade between the settled roman levant and the east. It is now quite evident that certain features of palmyrean sculpture influenced the sculpture of areas such as gondhara in the north w
9、estern sub-continent. Commentary Cross-cultural influences abound even with treasures that seem quintessentially English. Richard blurton There are certain objects in the exhibition which have a certain resonance or interest as far as india is concerned. Im thinking for example of the anglo-saxon je
10、wellery set with garnets. Now, we know that the tiny cloisonnes - the little inlays of garnet - that are shown in this jewellery originally came from india. Commentary This earthenware piece is a haniwa figure - made in Japan in the sixth century. Regular meetings between the curator, the British co
11、uncil and the designer confront some of the difficulties of creating special settings for the shows. Richard blurton An object with which weve had considerable problems or debate with the designer is the monolithic head of amunophis the third, which is at present displayed in the museums egyptian sc
12、ulpture gallery. This is very heavy to start with. It can clearly only go on a floor space which will support it. It is very large so it has to be shown at a certain height. Therefore design considerations that have to be taken into account when making the plans for the display of the sculpture. Thi
13、s exhibition gives us an opportunity to forge close links with colleagues in india and it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other better and to understand the way in which international exhibitions work. Words & expressions Aesthetic valuesPrinciples for the appreciation of what is beau
14、tiful (usually in art) CacheA hidden or guarded store of itemsDepictionNoun from the verb depict meaning to represent, portray, describe, paintCurator in chargeHead curator, person who catalogues and arranges items in a museum, library, or other collectionRoman levantThe eastern part of the roman em
15、pire; levant means rising and is therefore an alternative to east - the opposite is occident (setting)meaning westThe sub-continentLiterally any land mass smaller than a continent, but used (especially by the British) to describe the area covering pakistan, bangladesh, india, sri lanka Anglo-saxonPe
16、riod in British history from 5th - 11th century ad, named after the angles, saxons (and jutes) invading from north west EuropeGarnetA deep red precious stone (gem) CloisonnesIn full, cloisonnenamel is enamel coating in which is separated by strips of precious metal and often set with jewels InlaysSe
17、tting metal or gems into another material so that the surfaces are flushHaniwaCylindrical clay figures put outside Japanese tombs 5th - 7th century adMonolithicMade from a single block of stoneForge linksA chain is a series of rings (links) which are beaten in a forge, a workshop with a furnace.Answ
18、er to focus questions The depiction of the human form - how different cultures use sculpture and other art forms to explain themselves to themselves and to the world. Some other possible comprehension questions 1. How many artefacts are there in the British museum? 2. How many of them were sent to i
19、ndia? 3. What is cross-cultural about the anglo-saxon jewellery? 4. What are the obvious problems with the head of amunophis? 5. What is the personal advantage to the museum staff in such an exhibition? Answers to the extra questions 1. 7 million 2. Some 300 3. The inlays of garnet came from india.
20、4. Its size and its weight 5. Chance to get to know indian colleagues Topics for further discussion 1. Is it only in india where there is a connection between art and religion? 2. What is ironic about sending some of these artefacts to india? 3. Discuss how you think the depiction of the human form
21、can communicate ideas or beliefs. 4. What do the cross-cultural connections tell us about ancient times? 5. What do you think these artefacts tell us about British history? Text 2 Focus question for text 2 What is unusual about the way these artists create their art work? Commentary A Chinese takeaw
22、ay restaurant in manchester - one of thousands across the uk. Traditionally many of Britains Chinese community have made their living in the food business. Julie fu works only part time in her uncles takeaway. Julie, who was born in the uk is one of a growing number of second generation British Chin
23、ese now working to make their living as artists. Julie fu In my family I got my mum and dad and four sisters and one brother and we used to help out in the takeaway all the time. I remember when we were about five years old squatting round in the kitchen helping my parents peeling king prawns and th
24、ey just worked all the time and we just stayed behind them watching television and playing behind the shop. I do get fed up sometimes working in the takeaway, but I still work in this business because it can support me financially and it gives me inspiration for my work. Commentary Julie recently st
25、aged an exhibition at manchesters Chinese arts centre. Her work, in part , investigates her identity as an anglo-Chinese woman. Julie fu Language comes into my work a lot because I was born in England and later I went back to hong kong for five years and during those five years I didnt learn a word
26、of English so when I came back I struggled all the time and thats why I always put language in my work. This piece of work is about the Chinese community in England and how Chinese people have been integrated into this western society. Im using bean shoots to represent each generation. Each ring of
27、bean shoots represents a generation and it shows how these generations have expanded. Commentary Kwong lee is also from manchester, also an artist and, like julie, his family also worked in the restaurant business. Kwong lee Food is very central to Chinese culture and is something that I, as second
28、generation, can identify with. Food is also such a strong image of - in British society - of Chinese culture. I use food spices and flavourings, in part in homage to that scene, but also to try to create something for myself to say that im from that background, but I can also make strange marks with
29、 it as well. With this work I suppose Im making references to the kitchen and trying to create that energy you have with cooking. In the central image ive got a kind of a wok, but the marks of this circular sort of image ive made with a wok suspended on a spring, and the circular motion of the sprin
30、g creates that mark. The red you see is red food colouring in the Chinese kitchen and this is a mixture of curry powder and ginger powder mixed with this kind of paint. Commentary Hhang fang li is also from manchester and, again, her family are in the food business. Hang fang li My parents came to B
31、ritain. Their purpose was better opportunity for them, better opportunity for their children. Also they had dreams that they wanted their kids to fulfil. So its a bit of a surprise that they find me trying to have some sort of a living as an artist. Its another world to them really. They expected me
32、 to be an accountant or a doctor or some sort of high income profession, but not as an artist. When I was a child I grew up with Chinese embroidery on the walls, so I think my influence comes from that. This is like a shimmering nylon and with these manufactured colours I layered these different manufactured colours together to create something much more personal, much more me. The final result is something like this. Its the start of a combination of paper and fab
