Dòng

The photograph on the cover of “Dong” depicts a musician cleaning with water a traditional stringed instrument called Niutui Qin. Slightly out of focus, the body of the instrument is printed in metallic silver ink, while a bright orange-colored oval dominates the cover, which is also adorned with unfamiliar phonograms.

This book is a kind of documentation for the three-year long project on Dong culture in which two Shanghai-based musicians transformed traditional Dong folk songs into futurist club dance music. The large format of the book refers to the size, shape and materials of vinyl albums. The content of the book allow readers to dwell a little longer and ponder over the particular aesthetics of the Dong ethnic minority group. Also included are QR codes for the two eponymous albums, DONG 1 and DONG 2. While listening, one can read the texts and look at the photographs in the book, as they transport the reader to a peaceful place deep in southwestern China.