For the release of Yi Xin Tong’s NYC Fishing Journal from Gong Press at Special Special, artist and fisherman Yi Xin Tong will hold an informative and possibly useful workshop on fishing in NYC. Participants will learn about the various fish species traveling through the city, effective methods of meeting them, the advantages of fishing, and the inevitable disasters that arise. Gain hands-on experience making fishing rigs that you can take home. With air conditioning and cold drinks provided, this workshop is perfect for those who can’t make it to the beach on this hot summer day. 

This workshop is part of the poetry/performance series, The Frontiers Conference, organized by Wildman Clab at Special Special for their year long residency.

Yi Xin Tong is a nowhere-based artist and fisherman. He enthusiastically appropriates studio time for fishing, which brings him to urban peripheries where ruins fill in for buildings, social order becomes unstable, and wildness returns at a surprisingly fast clip. Fishing is an unusual exploration of the environment that leads to peculiar experiences. Casting in the scorching sun and engulfing fog along the shores, he searches for fish who feed with the ocean’s tides, at times disremembering what era it is.

Founded by Lu Zhang in 2017, Wildman Clab is a lab and club for researching and proving the existence of primitive individuals by providing activities and experiences. Wildman Clab currently resides in Special Special, organizing The Frontiers Conference (TFC) as their year-long residency. TFC is a series of experiences created in collaboration with pioneers at the frontiers of art, such as poets, musicians, and artists, in search of new forms of poetry readings and performances.