SHADOW HUNTER
This semi-improvisational practice reveals performer's deepest shadows in mind through ordinary events and is an experiment on audience's connection and response to recreation/representation of the moments from performer's past; for the improvisation part that includes performer's physical movements, audience's reaction to the attempt of physical interaction from performer decides the quality and texture of this whole performance.
*The part of the interaction among the performer and two participants was not set up. Neither were the reactions from spectators/participants from the last part. The piano playing, the gazes and the interactions were genuine. I truly appreciate that things happened unexpectedly in the space, which somehow transforms the meaning (and ending).
The project starts with the concept of social animals and solitary animals, and how we interact in society. Gradually, the grey area between the two extremes becomes more and more visible, following by the realization that it is not fair to divide our complicated nature into two categories. Thus, I became interested in what I call 'solitarily social animals' and 'socialized solitary animals' and the causes behind, which leads me to trace back to the past, the events, that seems to shape us secretly yet profoundly on how we treat and interact with people.
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These moments of events have come visit during the curation process. They are always there, except that I do not talk about them; I see them in my actions, whenever I am concerned about how to start or respond to a conversation or interaction. Hence, this is a self-confronting practice towards the shadows from the past.
The whole performance is organized in the style of collage, or montage in some sections. Since this is a collection of memories regardless of age and time, the connections among these fragments or to the audience are open and decided by each individual participant. The last part is designed to be several unrelated images, indicating a person reaching out for others in society, expecting to be responded with uncertainty.
Darkness and silence play a significant role in the practice: building the atmosphere for 'memory vibe' as well as a means of conveying emotions and tensions.