Are you truly awake? — Dreamtalk

Dreamtalk (online) presented by NUS Centre for the Arts, 4 September 2020

“Are you truly awake, or are we all just passing-by in a dream?”

In the performance film, multiple images of the dreamer (Ranice Tay) and the guardian (Ang Gey Pin) are seen with the use of the superimpose effect. The uncanny doubling of the two characters poses a sense of duplicity and illusion, which questions: Who is dreaming? Who is the dreamer? Are we who we are? Or are we multiple versions of who we think we are?

The central images of the performance are a huge silky translucent cloth which gives the hazy and yet poetic portrayal of ethereal manifestation, and a black umbrella which is highly symbolic in the piece.

The silky cloth seems to suggest a web of dreams presented in our lives. The significance of the black umbrella speaks strongly to me. Though the performance centres around "dreams", it is about the in-between state of life and death to me. The black umbrella in a Taoist funeral ritual means "cover for the soul". It is used to transport the dead to another world. This is thus, a dream state of the spirits, ancestors, and ghosts from the present and the past.

The dreamer is holding on to a lamp and umbrella. She is like a spirit/soul being guided through the underworld of dreams haunted by her memories and subconsciousness.

The sounds of recurring heartbeats suggest that “dream” is a state between living and dying. The merging of songs, verses and sounds brings me through a surreal and intense journey in the dreamscape.

In a funeral, red packets/red strings are given to the family, relatives and friends who attend the occasion as a form of blessing to them. In the film, the use of red amid the dull colours of the costumes (black, blue, white) signifies auspiciousness, which gives hope to the dreamer.

The dreamer, covered in a huge sheet of white paper and waking from it, is hinting that the dead is moving from one realm to another realm, through the planes of existence. The way she carries the huge piece of white paper and sculpturing it with care is like paying homage to the ancestors before her…

The piece ends with predominantly blue lights with a tint of orange, which engulfs me with a transcendental and intimate experience. Perhaps, the whole human existence is about moving beyond death, and attaining deathlessness as life itself is an illusion. Wake up!

While the superimposed scenes which depict the double-images of each character work really well to provide a dream-like state, not knowing who the dreamer is, I wish to see less editing effects such as the constant shifts of edited shots and the split screen. For instance, I wish it could be a pan of camera angle from one action to the next instead of having a split screen to depict two simultaneous actions, which is closer to how a live performance is experienced in a continuous fashion. I wish that the videographer could follow through a one-shot sequence more often, even if there is a need to shift from wide angles to close-up angles.

However, ultimately, I admire the risk-taking spirit that the team has taken. It is courageous and this is definitely a theatre project much needed during this pandemic period. It is a truly powerful piece of work. I am totally immersed in the heightened experience.

Watch it! Two more shows today:

5 Sep 2020, 2.59pm SGT (GMT+8)
5 Sep 2020, 7.59pm SGT (GMT+8)

Get your tickets from SISTIC: https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/zldt0920

 

 (Photo credit: Sourcing Within)

 

 

Oh! We are the LEAPING FISH! - Leaping Fish in the City (20-22 March 2013)

“Are we living in a complex labyrinth and trying to find a space to breathe? Are we passing each other but have never noticed each other? Are we traveling from one point to another point of the Earth endlessly, trying to make a living or trying to live up to our dreams? Somehow, as part of the evolution into the frantic modern life, we learn how to live in the north, and also in the south; and we build our lives on earth and also live at levels beneath the earth. We have become adaptable. We are the

LEAPING FISH.”

Above is the publicity text for Leaping Fish in the City, a multimedia theatrical piece. What is a leaping fish? According to a report from BBC Nature, there are at least six different types of fish that are able to launch themselves into the air from a solid surface, and they are called the “Leaping Fish”.  This phenomenon is seen as an evolutionary snapshot of the transition from living in water to inhabiting land.

I was invited to view the work-in-progress of Leaping Fish in the City in November 2012. I especially like the segment that reflects the irony of humans inhabiting not just above the land but levels beneath the land too. This reminded me of Ion Orchard- shoppers travel all the way down to Basement 4!

Two main characters are presented in the piece.

One is a typical city dweller. One day, she starts to search for memories as part of her project. However, she is unable to find any. She starts to wonder “Am I living in a city without memories?”. She begins her search for memories, which include heritage, uniqueness of the city and people…

Another character is an unassuming peculiar man, who may irritate city dwellers with his seemingly undesirable habits. He speaks to himself while traveling on the bus, sings as he feels like singing, and dances on the street as he feels the music.

At several moments in the piece, they face each other while traveling in their daily lives. The city dweller has never noticed the man. These scenes give me a strong sense of how a modern person may reject the primitive or “raw” aspect of himself/herself. I wonder-- are we really that “advanced” to the extent that we have to reject old items, old memories, and the old self (which is our childhood?)...?

Certain segments may change, as the creative team continues to develop the work till 20 March 2013. I will give you an update of the creative process!

Directed by Ang Gey Pin, performed by Jacklyn Kuah and Vincent Chia, with visual, audio, and sound desiged by Nickolai D. Nickolov from Bulgaria, this is a piece filled with reflections, memories, and dreams, presented with an intellectually stimulating and humorous overtone.

Performance details:

Leaping Fish in the City
presented by In Source Theatre & The Substation. 

(It comprises English, Mandarin and dialect. There will be English subtitles and multimedia images.) 
Preview: Wednesday 20 March 2013,7pm 
Open to public: Thursday 21 to Friday 22 March 2013, 8pm 
The Substation Gallery 
Admission: $18 / $12 (Student, NSF and senior citizens) available from The Substation box office (6337 7800 / boxoffice@substation.org)