boston progress radio

Shuffled! is a new feature on BPRLive, in which we ask some of our favorite people on the scene to set their mp3 player of choice to random, and tell us about the first few songs that they hear.

Today’s Shuffler: An Xiao

An Xiao grounds her urban photography in the aesthetics of haiku and Henri Cartier-Bresson, as she seeks the Zen of the present moment in the hustle and bustle of busy city streets. Her photos span urban America, particularly New York and Los Angeles.

Her award-winning work has appeared in magazines and galleries internationally and throughout the New York City area, including Hun Gallery International 2006, the dual-continent Circular Exhibition with Hun Gallery and Gallery Ho in Seoul, the Asian Contemporary Art Fair with Tenri Gallery, and Cheryl Pelavin Gallery’s holiday benefit in TriBeCa.

An Xiao was recently named Best Emerging Artist in Photography by GLAAD outAuction’s Arts Advisory Committee and was chosen for Hun Gallery’s first annual calendar exhibition.

For more information on An, visit her at anxiaophotography.com.

On to the shuffle…

This was a tough one for me. I have such a wide variety of musical tastes, and I like to pick and sample from all the many genres out there. I grew up in Manila and a diverse section of Los Angeles, and now I live New York, so you could say this musical selection is a reflection of my various life experiences. In one weekend, I’ll be at a karaoke party with the pinoys, then an art world cocktail shindig, then a photoshoot in Coney Island, then up to Washington Heights for dinner, and then next week, I’ll hit four very different neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

Hips Don’t Lie
Shakira

I started listening to Shakira right before she recorded the majority of her English-language songs and exploded in the U.S. This is the song of hers that popped up on iTunes, but I also enjoy Ojos Asi, La Tortura and Objection as well. Shakira’s background is about as varied as mine, and she fuses Columbian and Lebanese music, which both reflect her ethnic heritage. If she didn’t sing in Spanish, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to pin down where her music comes from. I wouldn’t be able to, at least.

I always smile when I hear this song because it’s about those first few moments when you realize you’re totally into someone new in your life, and he’s into you, and you’re both starting to feel those sparks of attraction. I think that’s one of the most magical points in the relationship, because you’re finally past the awkward first date and into what (you hope, at least!) is going to be a wonderful relationship.

Dear Mama
Tupac

Growing up in Los Angeles, hip hop and R&B were the most popular musical genres, and it was the peak of the 90’s west coast-east coast battles in the rap/hip hop industry. Tupac was definitely one of the kings, if not the king, of west coast rap and hip hop. I very much disagree with the violence associated with the east coast-west coast battle and some of Tupac’s lyrics, but I could relate to many of his songs, having come from a low-income community in Los Angeles myself. I like “Dear Mama” because it’s so tender. It recognizes on the one hand that Tupac had a difficult life growing up, but it also recognizes his mother’s love and dedication. Life isn’t always easy; friends and family are the ones who help us through.

San-zen (Moment of Truth)
Tony Scott, Shinichi Yuize, Hozan Yamamoto

Like Shakira’s music, this song, which comes from an album entitled Music for Zen Meditation and Other Joys, blends two cultures quite skillfully - traditional Japanese shakuhachi and koto with modern American jazz. This song never fails to help me relax and enter a more meditative state, and I like listening to this album after, and even before, a long day in the city. I’ve also found that some of my best photos come while listening to this music; it really gets my mind ready to catch those fleeting haiku moments on the busy streets of Manhattan and Los Angeles.

Kaleidoscope World
Francis Magalona

Like many Filipino-Americans I know, I don’t speak Tagalog, so I can only listen to so many pop songs from the Philippines without being lost. This is one of those songs, and I’m grateful it also has a heart. “Kaleidoscope World”, which is about the many ways we live on the planet, brings back to mind memories of my summers in the Philippines, which I would spend with my grandmother and the rest of my family out in Manila. I miss those days quite often, and listening to Filipino radio on the Internet helps me pretend I’m back in Manila, even for just a little bit.

In the Chess Court
Tan Dun

Zhang Yimou’s Hero is by far one of my favorite films of all time, and this song comes at the first fight scene, really setting the tone for the rest of the story. This particular song, which is so meditative and yet so energetic, plays while Jet Li and Donnie Yen engage in a thrilling swordplay sequence occuring almost entirely in their minds. Instead of brute fighting, kung fu is elevated to the level of art, and it’s compared throughout the film to calligraphy and music.

This particular scene really captures my own philosophy of art, which is very much informed by my studies of Zen Buddhism and Taoism. For me, photography and poetry are really the same art form, and for me, art is a kind of spiritual practice. The song, the fight scene, and, as we see, the entire film all come together in this beautiful, breathtaking way. That’s what I’m trying to do with my own photography and poetry. I want to show people that art as a spiritual practice can be practiced everywhere. It’s not just confined to a studio or swanky gallery in Chelsea. Beauty and haiku moments are everywhere, even in the dirt, grime and rush of everyday life in New York City.

Last 5 posts by shuffled

• Shuffled! Adrian Tomine - May 15th, 2008
• Shuffled! Ed Lin - May 8th, 2008
• Shuffled! Catzie Vilayphonh - May 1st, 2008
• Shuffled! Danny "Dandiggity" Le - April 24th, 2008
• Shuffled! Goh Nakamura - April 17th, 2008

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