- Date 2018.03.02
- Venue National Theatre & Concert Hall
Infinity Minus One —2018 Taiwan International Festival of Arts
YiLab. SU Wen-Chi
Comments on the Finalist
Su Wen-Chi continues the combination of dance and technology art, and employs mature and refined artistic approaches to explore the grand philosophical question regarding the relationship between the microcosm of human existence and the macrocosm that is the infinite universe. The entire performance space is filled with endless, powerful energies as the sounds of the most primitive shamanistic incantation and shouts, the light of the most advanced laser beam and the ritualistic physical movement are woven into an eternal quest. Within this atmosphere, the precisely controlled and slowly moving laser beam no longer feels cold but conveys a sense of poetry through its movement of mathematical precision. This piece, therefore, cannot be simply defined as a dance performance; it should be considered a contemporary performance that perfectly unites various forms of art.
(Commentator: LIN Jing-Jie)
Artwork Introduction
After being selected as artist-in-residence by Accelerate@CERN in 2016, choreographer Su Wen-Chi has been developing her research project, entitled Rainbow Trilogy, to further explore and experiment ideas and inspirations gained in the institution. After Unconditional Love and Fact, for the second piece of the project, Infinity Minus One, Su drew inspiration from the basic experiment, called Cloud Chamber, and contemplated on how to embody on the human scale the two concepts – “particle” and “universe” – which lie at two extremes, with the particle being the smallest on a scale while the universe the largest, and to extend the concepts to the exploration of physical movement. This work discusses how “infinity” can be expressed in a performance while addressing artists’ infinite quests in the expression and understanding of media as well as how the origin of the universe factors into such quests. In addition to collaborating with Taiwanese artists, Su also invited Indonesian and Japanese artists to participate in the creation, looking at the human inner cosmos through various approaches, including primitive physicality, chanting and the formation of image.
About the Artist
YiLab. SU Wen-Chi
In 2005, choreographer Su Wen-Chi founded YiLab with the objective to experiment on integrating performing arts with new media art as a way to extensively pose questions about and reflect on the impacts brought on by the digital age in the contemporary art scene. One of the creative ideals the dance company upholds is: there should be no dominant medium in a work, but concepts that seem similar yet collide with one another. Each of the collaborating artists in a work remains independent and is free to propose different perspectives to tackle the core issues explored in the work. The dance company has been invited to perform in numerous art festivals in Taiwan and abroad and has received much international recognition. Su is the recipient of the Jury’s Special Award in the 8th Taishin Arts Award and the Gold Award in Alternative Design in the 2017 World Stage Design.
Production Team
Concept & Choreography:SU Wen-chi
Live Music:Senyawa
Performance:Danang Pamungkas, Luluk Ari Prasetyo
Light Design:Ryoya Fudetani
Installation Design:CHIU Chao-tsai, CHANG Huei-ming, LIAO Chi-yu
Costume Design:ZEIGARNIQ
Costume Assistant:YU Cheng-zong
Sound Technical Associate:WU Ping-sheng
Creative Partner:CHOW Ling-chih
Stage Manager:TENG Hsiang-ting
Master Electrician:LIU Po-hsin
Sound Master:YEN Hsing-yang
Technician:LIN Jim-yi、CHEN Wen-chen、CHANG Yao-wen、
HUANG Nan-chih
Photography:Etang CHEN
Filming:Grain Studio
Producer:SUN Ping
Associate Producer:WU Ko-Yun
Thanks to the support of :
Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
ACCELERATE Taiwan:Arts@CERN、National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), TAIWAN
Center of Advancement of Science Education, TAIWAN
Performance Space, Sydney
Commissioned by National Performing Arts Center - National Theater & Concert Hall TAIWAN.
Produced during the artist’s residency at the National Performing Arts Center - National Theater & Concert Hall TAIWAN