Piano Recital

Vol 2 Issue 4
Piano Recital Magazine is a magazine for all.
Big Bag Papers is the Press which brings to you innovative ideas, it
is the location for your artistic curiosities, intersections with commu-
nity, history, food, fashion, sustainability.

Est. 2018
“Better Days & Sustainability”
Volume 2 Issue 4
Thanksgiving 2020

How to Use this publication: Suggested... clip, steal, respect, render,

share, burn with supervision and proper ventilation, away from dry
grasses and forests, please recycle, repurpose, turn into wrapping
paper, turn into period papers*, oh and read it.

Find out more by visiting:

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ig: @pianorecitalparties

Creative Director:
Andie
andrea.f.nguyen@gmail.com

Editor, Contributor and Illustrator:

Shannon

Editor, Contributor and Digital Artist:

Claire

Contact
General: bigbagpapers@gmail.com
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Partnerships: bigbagpapers@gmail.com
 - Poem or single line quote here -

Table of Contents here

 Artist Interview

A Jungle of Refuse
Designer of PRM Claire Rausser Interviews Local Artist Bach Nguyen About
recucled and upcucled art. They Touch on his drive to collect old metal, cars,
droft wppd, motivated by the hassles of every day working and american life.

CLR: What do you call your artistic style?

B: Recycled / Repurposed Art -- it’s been around since 1960 and there are several artists who’ve
done this before. They repurpose art -- it’s had different names and different movements
throughout the years -- Roxemberg started the movement. He recycled art pieces and from there
made his own newfound art. Throughout the years people have been doing that. I’m interested
in the same movement. Whenever I see metal, and for me it’s metal, I collect it for my art pieces.
Metal lasts a long time in my backyard. Whenever i -- urban ore - remodeled berkeley homes,
people toss away things so he collected them and compiled them at urban ore. I go there pret-
ty often, a couple times a month, I look for metal items and lights, because I like incorporating
plants. Those are my three elements that I use. I want them to be solid so they can last and with-
stand weather. Then lights and plants <disabled people using yarn for art - google>
CLR: What has inspired you to work with the mediums that you choose? Does this interest stem
from a desire to comply with environmentally conscious practices or just because this is your
chosen way of expressing yourself (ie, your aesthetic)?
B: It’s mainly just a way to express myself. As far as environmental, I try not to buy new stuff; I
go to Urban Ore in Berkeley and not big name stores like Home Depot. I also spend time walk-
ing the shore and finding plastics. Over the years I started using plastics in my projects because
it lasts a lot longer. I rather collect stuff that’s free than go buy new items. I don’t want want to
spend money to create art. That defeats the purpose of recycled art. It’s not that I’m thrifty--
sometimes you can’t help, it you have to have certain nuts and bolts.
CLR: What is your foundation in sustainability & environmental awareness -- is this an import-
ant factor or is it just a benefit of your style?
B: No, actually I don’t have a foundation in sustainability. I just know that people from 3rd world
countries -- I’m originally from Vietnam -- don’t have a lot of stuff. They can’t go to Home De-
pot, they have to create from scratch, their resources are very limited. I’m trying to give back to
the environment. I want to create art from recycled stuff. This is the foundation that - the less
you have, the more you have. I’m not share what makes sense, so the less resources you have, the
more creative you can be. If you can go to Mexico, or central , the best mechanics don’t have a lot

mexico City, Mexico

of parts. I went to Mexico once, a bus broke down and they broke it down. It was amazing. Here in
america they tow it and bring in another bus, in third world countries they don’t have a lot so they
use what they have. They spent several hours just fixing the bus. --- differences of values --- in 3rd
world countries, time is more spread out and not as valuable as it is here.
CLR: Because you use a lot of previously owned or recycled materials, what is your relationship
with material (whether necessary or not) like? Are you very aware of what you have/own in your
own home from a quantity standpoint, are you meticulous with your purchases (purchasing pow-
er)? What is your relationship with waste?
B: It can sustain out in the weather -- metal -- i start using more plastic now because it also weath-
ers well outside. Some of it I find by the shore, some of it I get from urban ore. These are hard
plastics, not flimsy.
I never take inventory, but I am very conscious of what I buy. The inventory that I have, we never
take inventory of the art we collect. We try not to go out and buy - at least to …
Because of my job, I waste a lot of stuff. Today I’m in Berkeley and we’re trying to get this house for
rent. I’m wasting a lot. I’m changing light bulbs even though they are working, I’m changing them.
I want to replace them because in expensive homes, you don’t want these exclusive tenants to come
and say the light bulb won’t work. It’s a business decision I have to do to make my clients happy.
I am very conscious of how wasteful I am, but in society it goes unnoticed. That’s why I try to do
my art the way I do. It’s cheaper to just buy new than have someone disassemble parts.
CLR: Can you envision a world without waste? What does it look like to you?
B: It would be pretty tough for me to operate my business without producing any waste. In
America, time is money, so I just gave an example of a facet. I dont have the time to hire a
plumber to change a washer, we just go ahead and replace it. The washer ends up getting tossed
away. I do sometimes use the faucet to make art.
I dont think it’s possible in america. When my parents were in the hospital, talk about waste. It’s
necessary because we need all these clean equipment. We pay the price for it, it’s expensive.
I can’t envision a place without waste. Unless we change our perspective on time. I can only
Coloring Page
How to fill out the previ A-Z coloring page
---andie writing max 300 wc
 Miur Woods
Located in the Mill Valley region is
a famous redwood sanctuary, Muir Woods
Monument.
As conservationists from an earlier
decade were already aware of the trade-offs
that appeared anywhere where civilizations
take off, headed by the direction of John
Muir, they successfully urged the US gov-
ernment to set aside 295 acres of land as a
Natural Monument (preserved unbuilt on
earth.) Muir woods has been a designat-
ed ground for people to observe nature’s
biodiversity since 1908. One of the longer
trails in the monument can take 3-5 hours;
you can efficiently allocate 3-5 hours for a
walk around. The unique point about Muir
Woods is being surrounded by very tall and
shady redwood trees and looking at the
plaques to learn about them.
Make a detour to Bootjack Wood
Fired Pizza for some pizza, salads, and small
plate options. It serves craft beers
Day Trips
and wood-fired pizzas and
accommodates dietary
preferences (vegan
cheese pizza and
conventional piz-
Hiking Mill Valley or Chillin
on Montera State Beach?
A Guide by Shannon Wong image: Close up
of two feet stand-
ing in shallows in
vintage LL Bean
image in the background is the point of view of a hiker looking at a dirt trail ahead. Surrounding the edges of the Hiking boots, at
trail is a thicket of dark ferns and sloping treas. Bbehind the trees at the end of the trail is the sun; the title and Stinson Beach.
subtitles are in Elephant font, in white.
zas). You can bring along extra slices to-go
for the next part of the trip.
You can expect a roomy parking
situation 20 mins away at Muir Woods
Overlook and Muir Beach, which also takes
you to the continent’s very edge. This beach
permits sunbathing, starting fires in one of
the six public fire rings, and bringing your
pets along as long are responsive to voice
commands and stay within close quarters.
In Autumn, this site is popular with Lepi-
dopterist (people who scientifically study
butterflies and moths) because it is a docu-
mented site for the monarch butterflies to
cross during their cross-coastal migrations.
Another unique spot that is ‘next
door’ that shares the same parking lot and
is a few minutes away from the beach is the
Muir Woods Overlook. It is particularly ad-
vantageous if you are not scared of heights
because a very long stairwell takes you on
top of narrow cliffs that open
up to a close to full-cir-
cle views of the
pacific coast.
SAN MA-
TEO
Water sports lovers will enjoy this San Mateo
coast side getaway because these suggestions
provide access to several beaches for swimming,
surfing, kayaking, jogging, horseback riding, and
windsurfing.
Start the day at Montara State Beach and
enjoy soaking in the view of the long strip of
sandy beach that leads up to the ocean and the
sculpted sandstone cliffs. Not far away, you can
walk on following the directions of a physical
or virtual map to take you around the multiple
trails inside Montara State Beach. One of the
most heavily trafficked trails is the 2.2 miles
“Gray Whale Cove Trail” because it is mostly flat
and covered with beautiful wildflowers, allow-
ing people of all ability levels to enjoy it. Gray
Whale Cove doubles up as the name of a sub-
sidiary attraction, a relatively calmer beach that
is 140 steps down from the end of the trial. On
some lucky days in the day, groups have spotted
whales.
After you enjoy these waterfront views,
you can take a 10-minute bus ride or a 2- minute
car ride (approx. times) to the El Gran Amigo
for lunch. Many past-goers have cemented its
reputation as a hole in the wall taqueria for the
restaurant owners
Montera
State Beach
no-frills approach to food, the fresh Picante sal-
sa, and the rustic feeling of this restaurant. The
tables up to recently confirmed info in January
2020, were rectangular wooden mess hall tables.
An appropriate spot to exchange amusing stories
or have trite banter with your companions over
the common man’s burrito, this will only bring
you closer. They don’t serve hand-held foods,
but plate too and the interior has not changed in
twenty plus years. Others like to take their food- Fitzgerald. At this Reserve, you will see sea anemones, starfish, sea urchins, crabs, sea lions, hermit
to-go and eat it outside. One thing I enjoy from crabs, harbor seal, and other creatures. You can also reserve a spot(s) to a tour led by a trained vol-
reading the reviews of from repeated patrons is unteer and get to learn a lot more specific information.
that this place is it hasn’t changed over the years.
By five in the afternoon, return in the ROUTE:
Montara State Beach
Free Park
Website: https://www.thatsmypark.org/parks-and-beaches/montara-state-beach/
El Gran Amigo
People rave about their homemade salsas
Unpretentious Spot
Reference this guide to Tex Mex Food: https://www.menuism.com/guides/getting-to-know-the-7-
essential-regions-of-mexican-cuisine-1003
Point Montara Lighthouse and Hostel
You cannot go inside the lighthouse
Hostel ground is well kept
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Is also a popular spot for youth science amps
Tips: Check the tide forecast, low tides have best viewing. Wear waterproof clothing and shoes with
good group to reduce chances of slipping on rocks. tides.net/california/2193
same direction you came, and end your day at
the charming Point Montara Lighthouse and
Hostel. If the weather permits it, you can catch
a beautiful sunrise, which makes it a photogenic
spot. You can spend the night here for approxi-
mately $112 a night (when it is in business). This
lighthouse is located on private grounds and
surrounded by immaculate landscaping main-
tained by the hostel owners. If you wake up in
the middle of the night, it will be to hear waves
crashing. Accommodations include an on-site
expresso bar and on-site laundry.
If you did not leave the night before, you
could choose to drive for 5 minutes or walk for
22 minutes over to the Fitzgerald Marine Re-
serve and learn about the ecosystem at designat-
ed Nature’s learning day. The lab takes its name
from a respected nature conservationist, James
 According to scientists, a vegan diet has a smaller carbon footprint than the average diet.
When I began my research on March 29th for picnic ideas, we were still approx approximately 15 days
Kimbap
away from June 15th, the declared start date for phase two of the reopening order in San Francisco. I fore-
saw a demand for healthy picnics - after all, what will we do when outdoor seated restaurants are the only
type of dining experience restored? Sitting in a vast, spacious park sounded more preferable to me than
unintentional arms shoved in your way by the other face-wearing populace, being cramped, while gazing
possessively at five tables, standing in a line behind thirty other people.
I was interested in how to serve a vegan picnic that wasn’t just snack foods. We are going to feast.
My question, “what dishes can we include in a picnic meal that is both balanced and still satisfying to
picky eaters?” led me to the results below. I am not vegan, but I like experiencing alternative eating and
refreshing balance in my body from time to time. My interest in food along with my co-editors’ interest in
healthy eating led us to develop this menu below. -Shannon

Mango Collins
Vegan Detox Filipino
Cookies
Falafel
Vegan Crustless
Asparagus Quiche
 O O O
O O O
O O
O
O O Mint & Basil Grid- Vegan Crustless As- No-Bake Vanilla
O O O O dled Salad paragus Quiche Cake Bite:
O O O Ingredients: lime, Ingredients: extra Ingredients: Dates,
O O O O rapeseed oil, mint, firm tofu, soy milk, walnuts, coconut
O O basil, peaches, flour, asparagus, flour, and almond
O quinoa, fine beans, ground flaxseed, flour, vanilla ex-
O O O small red onions, dill, onion, rose- tract, and shredded
little gem lettuce, mary, pepper, salt, unsweetened coconut
rocket, avocado oil (optional)
Total Time You Total Time You Total Time You
Spend in the kitch- Spend in the kitch- Spend in the kitch-
en: ~30 minutes en: ~30 minutes en: ~10 minutes
Source: BBC Source: Gourman- Source: Minimalist
delle Baker

Vegan Bean Burritos Vegan Kimbap (“Ko- Vegan Lasagna

Ingredients: left- rean Sushi”): Ingredients: baby
over rice, cilan- Ingredients: gim Bella mushrooms,
tro, lime, onions, (Korean seaweed), cashews with sea
garlic, vegetable tofu, takuan (Kore- salt, spinach, two
oil, black beans, an pickled daikon jars of organic to-
chili powder, cum- radish), carrots, mato & basil pas-
in powder, burrito spinach, cucumbers, ta sauce, two jars Falfel Vegan Detox Cookies Mango Collins Fili-
wrappers, hot sauce burdock, and sesame of harvest tomato Ingredients: Gar- Ingredients: 1/2 c. pino
(optional), tofu oil. sauce, no-boil la- banzo Beans, Onion, peanut butter, 1/2 Ingredients: Gin,
(optional) Total Time You sagna noodles, gar- garlic, Parsley c. cocoa powder, Mango Juice, Cala-
Total Time You Spend in the kitch- lic hummus, orega- lemon, olive oil, three overly ripe mansi Juice, Ice,
Spend in the kitch- en: ~30 minutes no, black pepper, Tahini, Garbanzobe- bananas and a dash Soda Water or Spar-
en: ~15 minutes Source: Okono- garlic powder, an flour, Oil for of sea salt. kling Mango Water
Source: The Spruce mikitchen salt, extra vir- Frying, Salt, cum- Total Time You Total Time You
Eats gin olive oil, and in, Lemon; Lettuce, Spend in the kitch- Spend in the kitch-
dried rosemary Tomato, Pita and en: ~30 mins en: ~10 minutes
Source: A Couple of humus for garnish Source: Rezel Keal-
Cooks Source: oha
 Caulipower and Atlas Princess (golden Re- Bean Peach Toast and
treiver) and Atlas Atlas

pianorecital mag big bag pianorecital mag big bag pianorecital mag big bag
issue 4 2020 issue 4 2020 issue 4 2020

Atlas’ Purple Sunset Mirror Pic w/ Atlas Plummies and Atlas

White Rabit by Gabe Chavwz Review

pianorecital mag big bag pianorecital mag big bag pianorecital mag big bag
issue 4 2020 issue 4 2020 issue 4 2020
 AMONG THE FLOWERS LIPSTICK IN BEETROOT | $18
Left Page: “IN LOVING MEMORY OF SMILING” in 3-D Fortunashwein from fontmeme.com and
photos of the lipstick and flowers Right Page: a close up of Andie’s lips in Beetroot.
Rice Journey
Rice is estimated to have been
agriculturally domesticated in
6000 B.C. first in Southeast China
and quickly brought to Vietnam,
Thailand, and India. Ancient civ-
ilizations in 6000 B.C. and pres-
ent-day societies use a particular
system - paddy fields - to grow rice.
What paddies are is a purposefully
man-flooded field often plowed
over through the use of tools and
is for managing the production of
semiaquatic crops.
Rice is a precious crop that nour-
ished many. I am grateful for its
existence as it is a widespread crop
and familiar in my earliest memo-
ries of my family’s home cooking.
s Re c i p e 1 good the second or third day after a
Po rk B o n e C o n ge e
(Topped with: Dried Shredded
Pork, Chili Oil and Preserved Pick-
les Kale Borecole) I love that this
dish shows how clever my mom
is with her ingredients, and the
by Shannon Wong
kitchen resourcefulness principle
found in many Asian households.
We use these same ingredients for
other home cooking; we can put
together into this congee and un-
ambiguously this dish taste just as
quick reheat over the stove. I’m just
as content eating it fall, winter or
spring. The short version of how we
prepare it? Salt store-bought pork
backbones overnight. One cup of
uncooked rice and soak in water for
half-hour. Separately, take the salted
pork bone in a large pot with four
quarts of water and bring it to
a boil (5 minutes). Add peanuts
and other desirable ingredients.
Simmer for four hours until we
get a real bone broth. Add the
soaked rice and boil for another
hour until it becomes a congee,
and we see the right consistency.
Finally, when it’s time for me to
eat, I top it off with as much or
little of each of my to-go top-
pings I want over the congee. I
usually eat this dish by itself, and
I’m hungry for another bowl or
two bowls afterward, depending
on the day I’m eating.
It’s the same dried shred-
ded pork floss I can toss over a
bowl of white rice or sticky rice
rolls or cooked into pancake
rolls. It’s the same chili oil I keep
to dip my dumplings and pot-
stickers in. It’s also the same jar
of preserved Kale Borecole found
in the Encyclopedia of Food and
Health. Placed in front of me is
congee of my common house-
hold ingredients, and I’m amazed
by how simple and flavorful this
dish is.
s Recipe 2
Sweet Potato Congee
One day at home, we decided
to cook sweet potatoes in plain
white congee, and I must say
it’s a game-changer. I like sweet
potatoes as they are tasty boiled
just as much dropped in congee -
moist but firm and vibrant. I love
throwing in both the deep purple
and the orange-fleshed ones.
This dish is clean. It has bounti-
ful potential to pair with any stir
fry dish, contrasting against any
savory dish we make.
Outside my kitchen,
one of my best memories in
Chinatown S.F. is from busting
into a Chinese Breakfast place,
line-waiting in the distinct aro-
lived in Guangzhou in any given
chunks of time beyond half a
year, but I must have visited at
least four times in my life.
One Chinese saying
meant to express care and
well-meaning is “ 食咗飯未呀?” It
translates to “Have you eaten rice
ma of being in such a place, and yet?” It is a fascinating phrase as
taking a pause before I place it is ubiquitous in purpose as a
an order with the cashier - 89% person from the older generation
chance of it being some-type of asking, “How are you?” at first
congee and one order of sweet sight of you or a close friend
fried dough (牛脷酥/ niúlìsū). Our politely asking, “What have you
congee is a free enterprise at been up to? Have you eaten lunch
home, very unconstrained; inside yet.” Sometimes it is an invita-
these restaurants, this comfort tion to get food together. w
food prepared by the chefs inside
an industrial kitchen is capable Sources: Carr, K.E. Rice history: Where
of feeding a copious number of does rice come from? South-east Asia.
customers. Quatr.us Study Guides, June 23, 2017.
Web. June 24, 2020.
s Crop in Circulation
Overseas, many people in
Guangzhou China are waking
up and stopping by at break-
fast eateries too. They are also
ordering similar items as I am.
Many of them are ordering many
to-go portions of the same thing
to share with their coworkers,
family, or friends and taking out
yuans from their pocket to pay
for it. Some people are carrying
them aboard a busy bus; others
have delivery boys in bicycles
bring their orders over. People
are moving very quickly and in a
seemingly synchronized fashion,
not pre-planned in any way but
from an unsaid drill that comes
by living in and being mindful
of others in a city of over 13.3
million individuals. I’ve never
 WELL I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS FOR YOU.

Depop: a review

I joined Depop probably two years ago. I had asked a housemate where she got a really cool black skirt and
the way she responded made it sound like she said something else. I actually had to go back to her to ask
a second time to clarify: it was an app and not a traditional website. This initially blew my mind because I
hadn’t ever heard of anything like this before. Upon looking into it, making an account was really simple and
listing items was really easy. While there were some problematic aspects that plagued the app, the worst one
was dropshipping. Dropshipping is where someone will list an item for anywhere from three to ten times the
price it costs them to purchase it on AliExpress (a notoriously cheap Chinese online company -- things cost
only cents or dollars to buy on there) and then will issue a warning of a three week shipping duration (because,
remember, it’s shipping from China) all while claiming it is an authentic item from their own closet. Another
was people’s unhinged ability to tag items like crazy -- it was so bad, if you looked up “high waisted straight
leg pant”, you would get a return of an entire person’s shop that exclusively sold necklaces and handmade jew-
elry. The search algorithm was compromised, and nothing meant anything anymore.

A workaround to this was to search specifically in the pants category on the search page, and then look up
the specific style. After some time, Depop heard the complaints and made adjustments to the app, and since
then it’s been significantly more enjoyable to surf. There are fun functions about it: you can like someone’s
item and it gets put into your likes, which is effectively a collection of all your favourite styles and it’s public,
so anyone can see -- this is useful if you find someone with similar style to you, and can also help the sellers
publicise their items. Purchasing an item is also extremely easy, your PayPal account is directly linked, and it’s
easy to reach out to sellers to try to haggle or adjust the price, ask about bundle discounts, or request they hold
an item for you.

The app’s dowdy, incomprehensive features aside, Depop (and Poshmark and ThreadUp for that matter), pro-
vides an excellent space and opportunity for people to uphold the values of sustainable fashion practices. You
can literally reduce, reuse, and recycle (or upcycle) items here. This is particularly meaningful to me, as some-
one who has obsessively shopped fast fashion brands in the past, I can wholeheartedly appreciate being able to
1) make some money back from my items, 2) help someone else avoid shopping fast fashion and buy second
hand, 3) support others and find items that are unique and fit my individual style. There are probably five other
reasons how the app provides a great space for resellers and sustainably-minded people, but these three are the
top benefits in my mind. Think about it: there are companies like Burberry that actually burn their overstocked
clothing when the season ends so as to avoid people getting their hands on it ~ because the brand’s status
mustn’t be tarnished by being associated with a sale ~. All articles of clothing have a story and a past, and your
ability to appreciate something and give it a second life is a first step towards minimizing the production and
consumption of unnecessary and wasteful items in the fashion industry. The way I look at it, these products
are already out here -- why not take a chance with something sturdy and reliable (it’s made it this far) that may
represent a style from 1 to over 20 years ago? For real, what else does the fashion industry really have to put
out there to get people to lose their minds enough to support unhealthy and dangerous working situations for
children and adults alike in third world countries? For real.

Shop thrift!

DO YOU LIKE WORKING WITH YOUR HANDS?

DO YOU HATE WASTE?
DO YOU HAVE AN INNATE SENSE THAT YOU WANT TO CREATE PIECES OF ART TO PUT INTO
THIS GOD FORSAKEN WORLD THAT SEEMS TO INCESSANTLY BUSTLE WITH CONSUMPTION
AND PRODUCTION, BUT NOT ENOUGH CONSERVATION OF RAW MATERIALS?