When we got to the studio in the morning, it was a different atmosphere. There was a fan, the A/C was on, and we were told that the lights in our living room would be repaired. I could not believe that I had to send an email to CAC in Manchester for things to change in Chongqing.

In the evening, YanYan and Mao Yan Yang (who had done a residency with Chinese Arts Centre earlier this year) took us to a Mao/Revolution-themed restaurant. After dinner, there was a song and dance performance, and I was able to interview one of the managers for my research on Chinese restaurants.

In the morning, we met with Gao Xiang, a recent MFA graduate from the university, who took us to get fabric for my cut-out project. The first place, some sort of wholesale fabric market, was already closed by the time we got there around 2pm. The next place, also another wholesale market, specialized in vinyl, fake fur, sequined, and man-made materials, was a treasure trove. I ended up buying 16 metres of gold, silver, red, and blue glitter/sequined fabric. It was very fortunate we found Gao Xiang, otherwise I would still be unable to source out materials, and this being the end of my first week!

The sun finally came out, and my mom and I went into Yangjiaping to look for maps and a Chongqing guidebook, as YanYan had misplaced his. We also found a Walmart. When we got back to the studio, I edited more images for my colouring book project.

...torrential, non-stop rain....

...and poured all day, all night....

We went to the studio for the first time- a huge space divided into 3 sections, one for the resident artist. Checked emails and got Great Firewalled when I tried to log into my blog, Facebook, and Youtube accounts. YanYan and I discussed my work plan for my residency.