Untitled (2021)
In my childhood, I used to like to hold my chin and lie on my stomach on grandparents’ bed, and sing my thoughts out loud with random melodies that emerged from subconsciousness.
In retrospect, it might be a similar process of how folk songs came into being in the old days, when a shepherd in the meadow suddenly saw a cloud that struck a chord in his heart and started to sing.
Back to the contemporary times, graffiti is still considered as “low art” and even hastily dismissed as “vandalism” in some societies. A person’s right to express artistic interpretations and genuine thoughts is often denied.
Therefore, I decided to combine the two forms of free expression as the methodology. In this performance, temporary graffiti due to circumstances and a spontaneous tune of “folk song” with crafted thoughts become one unity.
The lyrics in the performance comprise of a tableau of interconnected topics. Religious freedom is the opening. As religious folks like to offer a prayer out of their good faith, rarely have they pondered whether their faith is conditional, and whether their ties to the faith only exist in a tolerant and comfortable social environment or not. Hence, I would like to challenge them to imagine an extreme and yet realistic scenario where their religious freedom is denied and their loyalty and allegiance to their belief systems are tested.
Furthermore, I would like to draw the audience's attention to secular matters such as battles against tyranny, establishment of democracy, as well as pressing issues such as attainment of equality, celebration of humanity and application of rationality.
Ultimately, it is an ode to freedom, because freedom is still a privilege and even a taboo in numerous societies.
If we give up the pursuit of freedom, dark clouds will overshadow all the marvels and wonders humankind has ever accomplished.
(28 September 2021)
