interviewer: IRIKI (Radd Lounge)
translator: Hiromi Umeki

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【interview】
Kim Laughton says,
China/Shanghai
"now" and "future"
interviewer: IRIKI (Radd Lounge)
translator: Hiromi Umeki

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■ Shanghai continues to evolve,
I think it's going to be special now visually and aurally.

- Please introduce yourself first. When did you become interested in the world of art and started your career as an artist?
First of all, please introduce yourself. What made you interested in arts and when was that?

"I don't even know when I became interested in it. It's kind of like growing up and becoming conscious of it. Soon after I moved to Shanghai, I started concentrating on 3D video to VJ at events. Yeah, around 2011, the world was totally immersed in publishing work online (I was mostly on Tumblr at the time).”
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"I don't really know when I became interested - I guess like other things it's just something you become aware of when you're growing up. I started focusing on 3D video soon after moving to Shanghai to VJ for events here, and then in around 2011 got really into what was happening online in the rest of the world (mainly on Tumblr at that time)”

ー I assume that you are commissioned to produce works by famous artists such as Shanghai Club ALL. Please tell us about some of the works that have left a particularly strong impression on you.
I know that You have done a lot of astonishing works for famous artists such as a Shanghai 'Club ALL'.

“The work I made for Club ALL last year and other clubs (such as Oil in Shenzhen) left a strong impression on me. It's been great to create something that works and see how other people use the space."

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"Actually working on the design for ALL (and another club, Oil in Shenzhen) last year were some of the most interesting projects so far. Parts of the process were stressful at the time with short deadlines etc, but it's nice to make something that's actually functional and then see how other people use the spaces.”

ー What is the current state of the art scene in Shanghai?
How's the art scene at Shanghai like today?

" Music and fashion have evolved rapidly in the last few years as people moved to Shanghai from around China, so it's very interesting to be here. All the things and places here have been here until now. It's all about new things that aren't bound by the history or set rules.There's a desire for fresh things here, but it's not too sophisticated or competitive. It's still early days, but I think Shanghai will continue to evolve and become something special, both visually and aurally.
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"Music and fashion have been evolving fast in the last couple of years as people from around China have settled in Shanghai, so it's an exciting time to be here. Because it's all so new there are no set rules or expectations which leads to freedoms that don't exist in many places. There's an appetite for fresh things even if those things aren't too polished and a competitive atmosphere. It's early days, but if it continues Shanghai will soon have a distinct look and sound.

■ I would like to collaborate with other designers.

- Do you have a routine that you do every day without fail?
Do you have some everyday routines?

"Well, if it's a little thing, maybe I'll wake up and walk to the computer eight meters away, but it's nothing special."
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"I guess when I'm working it's pretty routine - get up, walk eight meters to the computer - but nothing too interesting."

“I love spicy food, especially the Shanghai hotpot. Japanese food is great too, yakitori with chicken skin , liver and beer is the best combination.”

“Also, I find Japanese convenience stores to be creative, maybe because they are so competitive. There is always new packaging, new instant food, and new alcoholic beverages to go with it.”
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"I love spicy food - especially the hotpot here is amazing. Japanese food is also great of course, yakitori chicken skin, liver and beer is hard to beat!"

"I like the creativity you find in Japanese convenience stores - I guess driven by competition. Every time I visit there's new packaging and new half synthetic replicas of real food to enjoy with half synthetic alcohol."

■ "Bounty/Voyage of Love and Rebellion"
I like your soundtrack.