Masked Soliloquy
Masked soliloquy (2020) is an immersive site-specific performance, which I designed, choreographed, produced, and performed. It was designed for the exhibition "In-Between" at Beijing Times Art Museum.
INSPIRATION
COVID-19 imposed challenges in the lives of individuals, particularly since the restriction of free movement. My inspiration came from the loneliness, disconnectedness, and resignation I experienced reading news reports about people's stories during my time in quarantine. Everything felt so far away and out of touch. We saw each other under the masks with social distance and we couldn't recognize their face and emotions. However, we also wore invisible masks every day to gain social acceptance. Masks hid our identities, personalities, moods, and expressions. It also hid our authentic selves.
ABOUT
In Masked Soliloquy(2020), we present an ecosystem of installations, sculptures, bodies, and sound that together compel us to imagine alternative conditions for a positive future. With a Greek Chorus, we bring visitors on a choreographed journey through a series of interconnected artworks exploring the universal desire to seek out purpose and connection, as well as the power to be found in embracing change.
This performance is designed completely based on each artist’s own experiences and stories. This work illuminates parallels between shared human experiences, blurring the boundaries that define what is normally contrasting or opposed conditions.
MEDIA
It is an experiment in the multidisciplinary arts, in which we try to create a dialogue between different art forms. The 30 artists I collaborated with are dancers, actors, Guzheng players, Hang players, Clarinet players, opera singers, acrobats, and poets. By combining different art forms, we try to create a sensual environment for the audience.
SPACE
This performance was constructed to respond to the exhibition of “In-Betweenness.” The performance was designed in a way that the audience was free to shuttle in and out of the performance space as part of the performance. Building connection between each individual space, installation, and performance, we tried to create both intimate and interactive experiences where the audience can wander, shuttle, and freely explore. Through a poetic way of narration, the audience was invited to an otherworld where they can examine the faces and identities under the mask to see their own disguise and vulnerabilities.
