IV Chan
[What did Mother not tell me?]
2021
︎
stage + sound + poetry + installation + performance
@ Tai Kwun Center for Heritage and Arts, JC Cube, HK
︎ supported by Tai Kwun Contemporary ︎
installation/stage shot
Cast + Crew
Director, Installation, Poetry reading: IV Chan
Live musicians: VunkwanTam, Little girl and her mother
Performer: little girl
lighting designer: Lai Bie
Sound Mixer: Jacklam Ho
Curator and coordinator: Jasmine Cheung, Veronica Wong
-1 handsewn soft toy- baby rattle as a gift to the audiences before entrance
-2 audiences enter installation (w/sound piece : “ Mother Calling “)
-3 little girl and her mother playing the kalimba (tune : “ twinkle twinkle little star “)
-4 audiences exit stage and settle in their seats
-5 Light change, musician enters to center stage, his back to the audiences, live music begins
-6 little girl enters stage with an illuminated sphere, places it inside the washing machine, turns on machine, illuminated sphere spinning inside the machine, little girl leaves stage
-7 Light change, I begin to read my poem “ Mother Monster ”
-8 little girl re-enters stage, turns off washing machine, takes out the illuminated sphere, carrys it off stage
-9 Light change, musician ends his music, leaves stage
-10 Light projection on the side wall, fades out
End.
sound piece > “Mother Calling”
photo documentation of performance :
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︎ 6
︎ 7,8
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details of installation
Dear Mother - Memories
Dear Mother - Monologue
Dear Mother - Melancholy
Dear Mother - Melody
Dear Mother - Meanings
Dear Mother - Monster
Dear Mother - Meaningless
Dear Mother - Manifesto
Dear Mother - Mythology
Dear Mother - Moonlight
Dear Mother - Mountains
Dear Mother - Mediation
Dear Mother - Madonna
Dear Mother - Masculine
Dear Mother - Marriage
Dear Mother - Mannequins
Dear Mother - Melodrama
Dear Mother - Mensuration
Dear Mother - Masturbation
Dear Mother - Madness
Dear Mother - Manners
Dear Mother - Mumbling
Dear Mother - Middle finger
Dear Mother - Molest
Dear Mother - Modernity
Dear Mother - Machines
Dear Mother - Malfunction
Dear Mother - Metamorphosis
Dear Mother - Metaphysical
Dear Mother - Mutations
Dear Mother - Mourning
Dear Mother - Minority
Dear Mother - Map
Dear Mother - Mandala
Dear Mother - Moments
Dear Mother - Movements
Dear Mother - Migration
Dear Mother - Mortal
Dear Mother - Morality
Dear Mother - Mobility
Dear Mother - Misbehave
Dear Mother - Meow
Dear Mother - Malicious
Dear Mother - Misunderstanding
Dear Mother - Merry Christmas
Dear Mother - Mojito
Dear Mother - Marsh Mellow
Dear Mother - Mint Chocolate
Dear Mother - Magic
Dear Mother - Mercy
Dear Mother - Miracle
Dear Mother - Modest
Dear Mother - Mozart
Dear Mother - Magritte
Dear Mother - Mondays
Dear Mother - Monuments
Dear Mother - Membrane
Dear Mother - Medicine
Dear Mother - Miserable
Dear Mother - Materials
Dear Mother - Matters
Dear Mother - Mistakes
Dear Mother - Magnificence
Dear Mother - Misfortune
Dear Mother - Maintenance
Dear Mother - Motivations
Dear Mother - Malleability
Dear Mother - Malaise
Dear Mother - Massacre
Dear Mother - Murder
Dear Mother - Mask
Dear Mother - Milk
Dear Mother - Maids
Dear Mother - Moods
Dear Mother - Military
Dear Mother - Moisture
Dear Mother - Melting
Dear Mother - Massive
Dear Mother - Mercury
Dear Mother - Murky
Dear Mother - Mockery
Dear Mother - Momentum
Dear Mother - Marginal
Dear Mother - Muse
Dear Mother - Mona Lisa
Dear Mother - Maniac
Dear Mother - Moron
Dear Mother - Mundane
Dear Mother - Morbid
Dear Mother - Multiples
Dear Mother - Many
Dear Mother - More
.
.
How are you?
Are you?
How?
I dreamt of you and
the archways (that we all passed through).
I think that was you going through the archways in the building. It turned out to be me. Needles and threads. Penetrating. In and out. Up and down. You did not slow down. Sweat under your armpits. Shown. Audacious and shameless. The courteous smile on your face. Was that an implication? You were busy delivering clean uniforms up, stained ones down. They appeared…. much taller than you. Were you not afraid? Your arms were fully stretched to make sure they were embraced and elevated. Clean or stained. You did not slow down. It must be the humid weather of the island. The lingering odor of punishment and discipline filled the air. Holding your breath, you delivered the leather boots swiftly. Polished. Slender fingers were reluctant and shy at first, later they were wide spread to their limits. For those feet. Are you also a surrealist? Its sacred and lowly position. Our feet. How many miles did we travel together? To create our nostalgia. You did not slow down, or did i? But this time you were delivering…. me. You haul the innocent up to the top, we leaned against the wooden window sill. I saw in your eyes the reflections of those shooting fireworks , or is it merely the shimmering light of the stars, as you quietly gazed into the immense darkness of the universe.
Nov18, 2021/ JC Cube, Tai Kwun, HK