Name: Bill Aitchison
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Occupation: Director/Actor/Teacher in Theatre
Years in China: 7 Years
How did your journey in China begin?
It all started when I was a student doing my masters in London. By accident, I got a part time job in the School of the Oriental and African studies so that sparked my curiosity in China. I thought that I should go and visit so as a student I decided to make a trip here. A bit later, when I was getting art residencies, an offer was made to me to come to Beijing to produce some art projects. I accepted this art residency position in 2009 in Beijing and my China journey officially began. Back then, Beijing was not the city that it is now. A couple years later, in 2011 to be exact, I was offered another residency in Xiamen and I can also say that this city was rather different back then.
What fascinated you the most about living here?
I like the sense that things happen quickly. There is always a lot of opportunities so you don’t have to be what you thought you were. As I stated earlier, when I first arrived in Beijing and Xiamen, things were completely different back then. For example, I would describe Xiamen in 2011 as greener and rougher around the edges with not that many tourists crowding the streets. Back then it felt like a smaller city as there was not nearly as much development. Also, I would say that being in China, if you are open to opportunities, you can find yourself doing new things, meeting new people and more!
What do you like the most about Xiamen/ China?
Overall, China has an extremely dynamic atmosphere with the dynamism being an interesting thing. I more and more get the feeling that the trends that are the future on the global level appear first in China. This is a place where things are up for grabs in the early stages and as an artist that’s important for me. The art scene is growing and diverse albeit not as organized as in other places in the world. In Europe, where I’m more familiar, things are more organized and predictable as there’s more support for the arts industry. But if I’m being completely honest, the lack of organization in the art scene here makes the industry more unpredictable and creative. Right now, we’re currently in a building phase here as officials and developers are building museums and spaces at an incredible speed, the next thing to accomplish will be a greater sensitivity to the art programmes that fill the spaces.
What is your unique China story?
The art group I founded happened by accident and as such we call it Last Minute Live Art. It came about as a result of a last-minute cancelled art festival in Hangzhou. I had some students who were travelling to join us there. I felt bad so I asked some friends who run a museum in Nanjing to set up a festival of our own in 3 weeks’ time. And they said YES! That was how the group was born and now we have done quite a few festivals and many events… from nothing to the main promoter of experimental performance in Nanjing and working on a national level too.
Would you like to mention any of your current projects?
I am doing 2 shows at the moment that are complete opposites. The first is an experimental movement piece which could be described as having a very dark energy, which is pretty unusual for China. The team is made up of 6 strong performers and I begin directing it in Beijing this coming October. The second one is a very arty children’s show usually performed by an Italian theatre group who cannot come to China at the moment so I’ve been cast in it along with two other local performers.
Fun fact about Bill’s hometown
Portsmouth is an island like Xiamen, so the mentalities are surprisingly similar here and back home.
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