Though it was a good 14 hours before the SLT New Year, RMB City Team rang in 2009 at the Beijing Mini-Marathon held at “the shop” of Vitamin Creative Space in Beijing.

(Marathon Man: Hans Ulrich Obrist interviewing Cao Fei, translation by Venus Lau)

This series of interviews by Hans Ulrich Obrist featured Cao Fei as one of the first conversations, where she discussed the latest progress of RMB City in the context of her own work, as images of RMB played on the wall. RMB Team Member Venus Lau (Nokan Vlodovic) translated, and continued to work her linguistic magic for several hours into the night and into the next year!

We’re now in the count-down to the grand opening on January 10th, which will almost be a *new* new year for the city itself…

More pictures and information about the marathon below.

Battery City: A Post-Olympic Beijing Mini Marathon is the continuation of Marathon events conceived by Hans Ulrich Obrist which have been taking place at the Serpentine Gallery Pavilions since 2006. Through interviews conducted by Hans Ulrich Obrist and group discussion conducted by Jiang Jun, chief editor of Urban China, the Beijing Mini Marathon seeks to map the most pressing concerns of the minds of Chinese artists, architects, writers, and intellectuals at this moment, and to re-generate energy for future development within the Chinese context.

Hans Ulrich Obrist interviews: Ai Weiwei, Cao Fei, Zhang Anding, Xiao He, Zhang Da, Dai Zhikang, Wang Jianwei, Jia Zhangke, Jiang Jun, Ma Yansong, Yangjiang Group, Zak Kyes, Yan Jun.

Sound Performance: Yan Jun THE STETHOSCOPE
Calligraphy creation: Yangjiang Group (Zheng Guogu, Chen Zaiyan, Sun Qinglin)
Media Partner: Urban China Magazine
Translator: Venus
Stenography: Ruize Stenography Company
Supported by: Subjam, Zak Group

Time: 31 Dec 2008 2pm – 4am 1 Jan 2009
Venue: the shop Jianwai SOHO West Area Tower15 B1-1503