RUNAWAY VR:
A Chinese Hip Hop New Year Pop Up
January 24th–February 2nd, 2020
Tuesday, January 28th - VR Workshop
Thursday January 30th - Panel - Chinese Hip Hop + Youth Culture
Sunday Feb 2nd - Closing Party
325 Canal Street, New York City
​
Take a Virtual Reality Trip Through China’s Hip Hop Scene with Bilingual Rapper, MC Tingbudong.
​
Friday, January 24, New York City --Just in time for Chinese New year, bilingual chinese rapper and multimedia artist, Jamel “MC Tingbudong” Mims will premiere Runaway -a virtual reality music video that takes viewers on a journey through China’s hip hop and electronic music scene. As part of Wallplay’s On Canal project, the artist will premiere the video with Runaway: A Chinese Hip Hop New Year Pop Up: an interactive multimedia exhibition, featuring installations, performances, and panel discussions on the history and future of Chinese hip hop, at 325 Canal Street, from January 24th-26th.
Runaway is a 360 music video designed for a virtual reality headset, that takes viewers into the world of the bilingual storyteller and rapper, MC Tingbudong. From night markets in Taiwan to rural farmlands in Yunnan, back alleys in Shanghai to studios and venues in Beijing, the video takes viewers on a trip through China’s underground music scene. The video uses a bootleg Ready Player One filter, complete with blue screen error crashes and fourth wall breaks. Featuring cameos from established and emerging Chinese generation Z artists, the video profiles the artist’s journey through through a state-department funded music diplomacy program in 2018 and solo independent tour in 2019. Originally a freestyle recorded at a VICE-sponsored event, Runaway combines Tingbudong’s distinctive bilingual flow with off-kilter production from Brooklyn-based international music collective, Found Sound Nation. Watch a preview here.
Hosted by Wallplay, MC Tingbudong will premiere Runaway with an interactive multimedia pop-up, as part of the #OnCanal project. The event will take place at 325 Canal Street from January 24th-26th. Runaway VR: A Chinese Hip Hop New Year Pop-Up will feature the premiere of Runaway, an installation of MC Tingbudong's "Misadventures of MC Tingbudong" multimedia series exploring Chinese hip hop (2010), Meme Tactics from China Residencies, kungfu-mash up film Dukkha and projection/ AR work from WY Huang. Stay tuned for a weekend full of activities for Chinese New Year, including performances, VR workshops and panel discussion on Chinese hip hop and youth culture. RSVP for the Opening Night Party on January 24th, 7PM-10PM.
About MC Tingbudong
MC Tingbudong is a bilingual rapper, interactive media artist, and revolutionary based in New York City. The latest offering from the creator of Hands Up, a virtual reality music video that immerses you in the frontlines of protest, A Fulbright Scholar who studied hip hop culture in Beijing, his work in music culture, interactive technology and activism has been featured in New York Times The Nation, VICE, Noisey China, Radii China and more. For interviews, or requests for editorial copy about the project, please contact Amaris Modesto at amaris.modesto@icrinc.com.
​
For more information contact oncanal@wallplay.com
@cyberamaris @jamnopeanut #oncanal